The Express.
London, England, 1849-02-20 00:00:00

PAROCHIAL MEDICAL RELIEF.

Yesterday afternoon a meeting of medical gentle-
men and others desirous of procuring a change in the sys-
tem by which the remuneration and the duties of pooriaw
"tedioal atom ars at present regulated, took
,place at the
Hanoveraqu
_ere rooms. Lord Ashley in the chair.
His LORDSHIP, upon taking the chair, said that the
pressure of business to which be bad to attend in the HOW,
of Commons that evening would prevent him from doing
little more than opening their proceedings. No one could
read the copious evidence taken in 1844 by the committee of
the Home of Commons, of elf& he was chairmen,
on the subject of medical relief for the sick
poor without coming to the conclusion that the relief
atTorded to them was iosufileient, and the remuneration
which was granted tor medical services inconsistent with
the honourable position which professional gentlemen am-
pied. He had always been of the opinion which be had
stated on that committee, and the e xperience he had since
gained had confirmed that opinion, tLat the medical officers
appointed under the poor laws could not properly discharge
their onerous duties unless they were rendered hide
pendent of the caprices of the boards of guar-
dians. (Hear, Isar.) They should be enabled ps occupy
the position of persons who, knowing that they had grave
and oedemas functions to discharge, should be responsible to
professional authority and supervision, instead of being sub-
ject to the capricious control of men often ignorant and come-
times insolent. Let the persons to whose authority they
should be subject be capable both of administering reproof
if it were needed, and of forming a suitable estimate of the
emoluments to which professional skill and ability were
entitled. (Hear.) Their duties were of the most complex
and burdensome kind, and the eases which they encountered
In theirpractimi demanded a greater degree of responsibility
and labour from them than fell on those who were engaged
in administering medical aid to the higher classes, for it was
a recognised fact that rot only were the most complicated
cages in meilcine and surgery found among the worming
people, but their treatment was rendered more difficult in
consequence of the previous habits and mode of life of the
patients. (Rear.) When, therefore, they found gentlemen
of education and character entrusted with the eharge
of perhaps ten or twenty thousand paring, and
paid by a miserable pittance tamely sufficient to
provide the necessary medicines, their position became
an insult at once to the poor, and to the profession to
which they belonged. He trusted, therefore, that they
would henceforward persevere in maintaining the organisation
they had formed for the assertion of their claims, and con-
tinue to press on the legislature the propriety of introducing
a system which would enable them to render to the poor the
amount of relief demanded not merely by justice, but by the
let instincts of humanity. (Haar, hear.) He would be
most hippy to render them all the assistance In his
power to advance their cause. He would not promise to
undertake any legislative interference for them ; but if he
could be of service to them in any other way than by the
Imo& -Wan of a laglal titre pro on which the present
anoint of his usentary duties forbade him to under-
take," they d' find him ready to support them, because
he fat that he would De serving not merely shamanism's
alass.of medical men discharging duties nndertbe'Pcor Law
Astehut the far mon numerous clam of the suffering, sick,
sad destitute pen._ (Cheers.)lWO. F. J. LORD read a report from the committee
=at a former Meeting, from which it *peered that
dpart badly eagegod is transmitting be every union
imps in the kirk= a eerie, of inquiries is a tabular
keel hit the puspone of diddling hots re erg their duties
and eineonsemin, and they had TailliVei from albite oar-
POW 386 replete N lathe week*: of powlawmedied relied
It we, also Mail .Mat OM most emesimegiag sommess of
good fellsw.lesimg had been received by their &palatine to
rise Weise of engem end Phydeleas end the Beefily of
Android's. The monat et the inerview betimes mem-
bees of disk geollemisa and the floseetery of State for the
Henn Deplaning mad the penitent of the poor-law atm.
mieshaoss, whisk bas &el* appeared In print, wee ad-
al
verb'iba lesPow egil w
the progenies wee reminded that the president
n hand bed MOW, that he w Melina& to
consider mensal relief as a imedies distinct fr as
om ordinary
poor law adadabtration, and sae which should be
pat en a separate and mace sompleigeolve footing. At the
tont* 4 the Provincial YAW sad !Legit:al Association,
whichwas held lan utumn, odßath, they had alao remind
=t sad pa
ef ee.inerstkes. The mon
la as elaborate
.810 statement ol the
mins Omani which were ii. It was stated
that eat ens 8,000,0001. !shed the nominal relief of
3,038,000 el poor, the largest amount divided in
any sae year mon the 3,000 gentlemen rigged
in admigishorbeg undid relief to them was 176,0004 in
retusmilieleternernitrangli the country, medicines, proses.
signal 3e-.met el drugs required in each OW of
Ness atineded is boogied. was 4e. '2d. ; in dispensaries,
2e. 6, t ; while he mina anions only Is. elf d. was allowed,
emiesess4=rtim
antis item te. A statement of receipts and
expeaditer• we to the report. from which it sip
.
peered that Se noshed had been Insufficient
to sew the.enthin and a sum of 221.175. Pd. we, due
es the treeneref.
The !cult we, the. received and ailegtod.
-
112. permed w
4.:L
net the I.L
hr sm immoral who diieelled ediefonellmiedN
t* fifths sweeties, and hi d hen On ponsamen won
tic 6
leelleinfel lathe light Bra ..=1..... tics Bien
teli_va.ril" 14611
to are Um Is mean my ens%
am medlealenioo. and in bigissemgree meet
preportemed te d=ireensmeg tit sp.
Pdallaid. mdeerle.d.prediedeed
Ilwi preguilks vas

Dr. 811130 N proposed a emulation, to the effem
that the Board of Health, haviag imposed on the
Door law medical staff, themigh the powers given in the
" Nairmae Beamnal and NOM= Prev. taloa Act," new
dada of a dirtied kind Medoff to sanitary porpoises, with-
out previa*. want frr the same, the meeting claimed
robotism Bum smelt enaction.
U,. BAINBRIDGE(of Tooting) seconded this resolu-
tion. which passed
Kr. WYLD N.P., aildnes;tl the meeting on the topics
embereed by the resolutions, and proposed a motion which
embodied Mai at the views ensudeed by them; but not
havieg bem submitted to the committee previous to the
mt 11 was set pat from the chair.
Ailfas to psrl3amsnt, praying for the removal of the
ei dee mime
separated the surgotes complain, was then
&depend, and mostiat

ARBITRATION INSTEAD OF WAR.
A public meeting was held yesterday evening, at
the Bridge-house Hotel, Southwa'k, for the purpose of adopt-
kg a petition to parliament in favour of Mr. Cobden's
motion for special treaties to supersede the costly war
system. AIMILIT PaLLavr, Esq., in the chair.
The CHAIRMAN said the large matting that he saw
before him afforded a sufficient proof that the object
which they had in view was regarded as one of no
ordinary inverses* by. the public. It was, he be-
lieved, about a year aline the Peace Society had ex-
premed its determination to oppose certain enunciation' of
the Duke of Wellington when the dethronement of a foreign
monarch was considered pril.ble. This exprertion of
opinion on the pan of the society had had a very beneficiul
effect, and he considered that this was a sufficient encourage-
meet for them to proceed with the peace movement. (Hear.)
The Rev. 8. GREEN pro,pcsed the first resolution :
That In theoninion of this meeting the system of leer for the settle-
ment of international disputes is diainguished alike by Its impiety
and inspolley, being directly opposed to Mr spirit said preempts of
Christianity, and Wang ta the &diatomite of mudded.
lie considered that the people of the United Kingdonalted
/won to congratulate themselves on the circumstance that
they had fur a leader the man who had carried free trade.
(Hear.) They were at present paying 28,000,0001. .per
Imam for expenses which war bad already entailed en the
country, and if they wished for the propel/ of financial re
for.., they could act carry out their object in a better manage
Qum by opposing the war system,
The Rev. Mr. RICHARDS seconded the resolution. He
believed that therm's)* the system of war had been so long to-
lerated was because the people had not prop, rly andentrud the
evils resulting from it. Let them look at the teens of their
wars. From 1688 to 1815 the people had paid more than
2,000,000,0001 for foreign warm, and daring L2O years they
had paid 3,383,000,0001. From 1815 to 1848 the con of the
military establishment of the country had been 540,000,0001.,
and the interest of shower debt for the same period amounted
to 940,000,0001. So that from the year 1815 to 1848 the
people had paid the enormous sum of 1,500,000,0001. for the
interest of the war debt and our military estatilishment. He
found that, from the year 1793 to 1814, 46,289,4591. had
been paid for f snips subsidies. The government estimates
for the year 1848 was 18,500,0001., bat the Liver.
pool Financial Reform Association had found that
the expenses for that year had exceeded 23,000,0001.
It was quite absurd to keep up a war establishment
to protect the country from foreign aggression, for he De-
listed that there can a very strong feeling amongst nations
generally la tavoar of a reduction of their own military and
naval armaments. (Hear, hear.) He supported the resolu-
tion which had been pureed, because he felt convinced
that the war system was the greatest curse under which a
people could exist.
The resolution was unanimously agreed to.
The Rev. J BURNETT moved the second resolution :
That the penalty which we areeffieduponto endure for past wars In
the shape of a debt of eiglithundred milUisst pd theesanal infliction
of Xi millions of taxation for the mem* Egged el a ear establish-
ment, are burdens mopprendve that the sod simmeans exertions are
needed to free oar country from the by the institution of a
wiser and better method of settling inassaatleaat tesetels than by en
appeal rte.
Mr. A. B. BTEVENrsecolialleiZation, which was
passed, and a resolution in favour of the adoption of a peti-
tion to parliament in rapport of Mr. Cobden's motion for spe-
cial treaties of arbitration having been speed to, the meeting
separated.

CMOLERA.—Yesterday the following fresh ems
were reported to the Board of Health :—Wltiteclopel, 1 ;
Hudson'ecourt, Kiegeland-road, 1 fatal; Southwark, 1
fatal; Islington, 1 fatal ; Wandsworth, 1 fatal ; Liverpool,
sines 13th Instant, 4, 1 feta; Gateshead Cajon, 8. 2 fatal ;
Carlisle, 2,1 fatal Glasgow, for 17th, 13, 7 fatal; Ditto, for
18th, 12, 7 fatal ; kiccarton, 7, 6 fatal Stirling, 9, 6 (rid ;
Paisley. from 10th instant. 46, 32 fatal ; Hamilton, 19, 10
fatal; Lenneatowo, Campeie, 1 fatal; Oreennek, 8, 6 fatal;
°Alston, 2, 1 fatal ; Newton, Dalkeith, 2 fatal ; Old Monk-
land, 9 fatal; Alloe, 6, 1 fatal ; Stow, 2; Anderson, 2, 1
fatal; Old Kilpatrick. 2 fatal ; Cambuslang, from 18th Jan.,
32, 21 fatal. Total, 182 new ClllO9, 119 deaths.
INQUESTS, YESTERDAY. DEATH PROM FIRE.
—Before Mr. Baker, at the London Hospital, on the
body of Sophia Petit, who was burned to death under the
following eircuenstanen:—The deceased was the widow of a
labourer, and the mother of three children, and she obtained
• livelihood by washing. Oa Taseday afternoon last the de. I
embed was standingg near the lire, when her clothes ignited,
and she was inunediately enveloped in flames Several per-
son went to her assistance, but before the are was extin-
guished bee body wee burnt in • most dreadful manner. She
was removed to the hospital, where she died on the follow-
ing Friday.—Verdict—" Accidental death."--ALLIOED
DEATE /BOX 8 vox. —Before Mr. Carter, at the
Weymouth Arms Newington, on the body of Mary Ann
Ward, aged 6 weeks.—Mary Ward stated that the deceased
was her daughter. Witness, her husband, and deceased,
occupied a small room. Her husband was a travelling
tinker. Witness very seldom had any money from him, for
he was a man of drunken habits, and frequently ill-used her.
The only means she had of getting a little food was by shirt
making, fiar which she was paid three-halfpence each ; and
all witness could earn, by working from eight in the morn-
ing until after midnight, was 4id. Witness, since has con-
finement, bad suffered great privation, and being unable to
afford the deceased any nourishment trio the breast it was
brought up by hand. Witness, when first confined,
received le. lid. and a loaf from the parish, but,
after that, the board of guardians refused assistance.
The deceased was therefore placed under the care of a female
named Bergh Bellamy, who lived with them. Witness
became very ill from want of foul. On Saturday, the 10th
inst., the deceased was entirely without food, but on the two
subsequent days she received a little, but at last became very
weak, and on the next day deceased expired.—Mr. W. Fair.
brother, surgeon, stated that the body of the child was very
much 'madded, which he attributed to a want of
nutritious food. There wee tubercular disease, which
was very common with children brought up by
hand.—Verdiot, "Death freer tubercular disease aris-
ing from the want of proper soulduaist."