The Press.
London, England, 1858-03-27 00:00:00

THE NEW MEDICAL BILL.

Tiffs measure has been prepared by the Board of
Health, and but for the change of Government
would have been brought in by the President of the
Board. The principal features of the proposed bill
are the following :-
1. The present legally constituted examining bodies in
England, Scotland, and Ireland respectively, to be re-
enacted as the " Examining Authority " under the Act for
England, Scotland, and Ireland respectively, not to be
touched in their several rights of giving titles of honour;
but their certificates, if purporting to confer any claim to
registration as "legally qualified practitioner," to be subject
to regulation as under
2. A Council to be established, as nearly as may be, re-
presentative of all interests concerned, taking as a basis
(but subject to modification in detail) Mr. Headlam's pro-
posal that it should consist of seventeen delegates from the
different examining bodies, with six members appointed by
the Crown.

3. The Council to have the right of attendance by its
members or by deputy at any examination held for the pur-
poses of the act.
4. The Council to have power, after One public notice,
and with the approval of her Majesty in Council, to make
orders and regulations as follows :
a. As to the form of keeping the general register and
such special registers as may be kept ; and as to the pay-
ment of registration fee by admitted candidates.
b. Fixing, in respect of age, study, knowledge, and ex-
amination, the conditions under which the future candidate
shall be admissible to the medical profession as a qualified
medical practitioner.
c. Determining, in respect of the several examining boards
of the United Kingdom, what share may be fulfilled by the
certificate of each of them acting separately or by the cer-
tificate of two or more of them acting conjointly, as con-
tributory to the total certification which shall give ad-
mission to the register.
d. Disallowing the future certificates of any board which
shall conduct its examinations inefficiently ur irregularly.
e. Establishing, or causing to be established, examination
in particular branches of knowledge, professional or preli-
minary, where erratigments for such examination shall not
have been otherwise sufficiently provided.
5. The Council to have power to disregister persons con-
victed of crime or guilty of infamous conduct in any profes-
sional capacity.
0. The register and its titles to be protected from falsifi-
cation ; and non-registered persons to be excluded from
professional privileges.

7. Every r-egister—ed person to be entitled to practise ac-
cording to Kis qualifications in any part of the United
Kingdom.

THE UNEMPLOYED SPITALFIELDS WEAVERS had an
interview on Saturday last with the Right Hon. J.
W. Henley, President of the Board of Trade. Mr. C.
S. Butler, M.P., introduced the deputation. IL
memorial was presented, setting forth the decline of
prices for Spitalfields goods, many of which had
during the last few years fallen to one-half their
former price, a result which the memorialists at-
tributed chiefly to foreign competition. The me-
morial prayed for an Act of Parliament for the
establishment of local boards of trade. Mr. Henley
said that though he sympathised deeply with the
distress of the memorialists, he could not hold out
any hope that the Government would make any
alteration in the laws. All Governments had tried to
induce the foreigner to lower his tariff, but to no
purpose. He would send an answer to the me-
morial. Atter the Rev. John Patteson and other
gentlemen had urged the objects of the petition, the
deputation withdrew,