The Express.
London, England, 1866-07-06 00:00:00

POOR-LAW MEDICAL REPOILV.

A meeting of Poor-law medical officers was held
yesterday at the Freemasons'-taveni to present a testi-
monial to Mr. IL. Griffin, surgeon, of Weymouth, for his
long and ardent services in the cause of Pour-law medical
reform.

Mr. It. GRIFFIN was loudly cheered on rising to acknow-
ledge the presents. After expressing his thanks, he mid,
in reference to the striking facts that had recently come
out in the Poor-law inquiries in London, that they were
only • sample of what was going on all over the
country. Re afterwards moved the adoption of the
following petition to the Poor-law Board :—" At a
public meeting of poor-law medical officers, held at
the Freemasons' Tavern, Great Queen-street, London, on
July 5, 1866, it was resulted—That a petition be also pre-
sented to 'the Poor-law Begird, expressive of the strong
feeling of this meeting in favour of immediate steps being
taken by the Poor-law Board to improve the present in-
adequate system of medical relief to the poor. That this
meeting would not be doing its duty to the public were it
not to give expression to the extreme sorrow it feels at the
painful revelations lately brought to light by the sanitary
commission of the Lanett, and the Association for the Im-
provement of London Workhouse Infirmaries, of cruel
treatment and neglect of the sick poor in some of
the London workhouses, which revelations have been
confirmed by the official inquiries of the Poor-law Board.
That this meeting cannot but feel that these 'painful cases
of neglect and ill-treatment could never have existed had
proper medical inspection, by medical men, been carried
out by the Poor-law Board. That this meeting begs to
urge upon the Poor-law Board the desirableness of the
appointment of a medical secretary, and at least three
medical inspectors, whose sole duty it shall be to superin-
tend the carrying out of the arrangements for the medical
relief of the poor, who annually average over one million
and a quarter in number, and have nearly :1,200 medical
men to attend them. That this meeting, however, is de-
cidedly of opinion that no arrangements for the ameliora-
tion of the condition of the sick poor can possibly be suc-
cessful, unk-as proper provision be made, not only for •
becoming recognition of the status of the Poor-law medical
officers, but abo for such a due augmentation of their
present inadequate payments as the arduous duties of
their office imperatively demand."
The adoption of this petition was seconded by Mr.
Prowse, and carried unanimously.
The remaining business was a vote of thanks to the
chairman.

ROYAL COLLEGE OF SURGEONS. The annual
election of fellows into the Council of the College took
place yesterday, and though not of quite so exciting a cha-
racter as last year, them was still sutticientinterest evinced
by the fellows to show the importance they attached
to the election. The hour for commencing the proceedings
was 2 o'clock, but long before that time a great number of
provincial and metropolitan fellows attended to inspect
the museum and the large and highly interesting additions
made by donation and purchase during the past year,
showing how indefatigable have been the labours of Mr.
Flower, the conservator, and his zealous assistant, Dr. Bell
l'ettigrew. Punctual to the time appointed Mr. Wormald,
the president, accompanied by Messrs. Partridge and
Hilton, the vice-presidents of the college, entered
the noble library of the institution, when the
former gentleman pointed out that the mode of con-
ducting the election was by ballot, and that the
candidates were Messrs. Luke and Hilton, who retired in
the order prescribed by the charter of the college, but
offered themselves for re-election. These gentlemen were
opposed by Messrs. Charles Hawkins, one of the govern-
ment inspectors under the Anatomy Act, and Mr. Erasmus
Wilson, another candidate. Mr. Spencer Smith, of St.
Mary's Hospital, had retired from the contest to as not to
jeopardise the return of Mr. Hawkins, the pledged candi-
date for collegiate reform. The voting having terminated,
the president declared the choice of the fellows to have
fallen on Messrs. John Hilton, one of the vice-presidents,
and Mr. Charles Hawkins, of Savile-row. The numbers
polled by each candidate were—for Mr. Hilton, IG2,
including 17 plumper.; Mr. Hawkins, 113, with :30
plumper,; Mr. Luke, 136, with 6 plumper.; and Mr. Wil-
son, 35, including 8 plumper'. In the evening upwards of
100 fellows dined together at the Albion Tavern, Mr.
Wormald, president of the college, in the chair. The
musical arrangements, under the direction of Mr. G. Perren,
of the Lincoln's-Inn choir, afforded a great treat to the
provincial fellows.