The National Register.
London, England, 1821-11-04 00:00:00

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THE NATIONAL REGISTER

NORTH EASTERN DISPENSARY.

We last week inserted a letter upon this subject from
"An Old Isllng tonian," and that letter had the effect we
hoped and expected—for on Tuesday evening, the meeting
which was held in the beautiful Assembly-room at the
Angel Inn, Islington, was fully and most respectably.st.
tended. At a few minutes after eight o'clock, the Rev.
Mr. CROSBY took the chair, and luting opened the busi-
ness in a brief and perspicuous speech he called upon the
Secretary to read the Report of the Committee. 'lbis oall
was immediately complied with. The Report contained
nothing of interest—h enforced the necessity of the pro-
jected establishment, and stated that the Committee had
applied to the Duke of York, the Marquis of Northam!).
ton, &c. fitc. &c. to countenance the institution, and con-
cluded by urging the meeting to make every exertion to
procure subscriptions for its support.
Two persons, the names of whom, we believe, were
unknown to any in the room except the ACTORS IN TAE
DRAMA, then rose to move and second the reception and
approval of the Report—each of them eulogized generally
the establishment of Dispensaries—pointed out the want
of one in the intended district, and passed an encomium
on those medical gentlemen who had so generously and so
disinterestedly come forward with an offer of their gra-
tuitous services to the charity. The latter geutleinan was'
hardly seated, when
Mr. Pur.zzsr rose and said, lie folly and most entirely
acquiesced in all that had been said by the gentlemen who
had already addressed the meeting, In praise of the insti-
tution of Dispensaries. He admitted that the parish of
Islington and its vicinity was la want of such an establish-
ment, but, to insure success, much caution, much circum-
spection was requisite. He had for many years made the
subject his study—be had beep the principal means of
establishing several, and front Ida experience he had been
applied to for his advice by those who wished to origivate
others—he had, in a long intercourse with such iustitd-
tions, witnessed the downfall of several, simply because
the foundation of them was bad—they had began in the
wrong place, and had failed ; and such, he was confident,
would be case in the present instance, if the steps already
taken were not retraced, audit commencement made upon
entirely different principles. Adverting to the eulogy
bestowed upon the gentlemen who had so gener9us/y and dis-
interestedly offered their gratuitous 'entices, he could not
assent to praise which was uniuerited—the fact was note-
lions to all who bad ever heard of Hospitals or Dispensa-
ries, that the appointment to the medical offices in such
iuttitntions was uniformly a stepping stone to celebrity
and wealth—so much so, that in one instance, to his own
knowledge, a physiciaa had offered to contribute a thou- '
sand pouuds,and a surgeon three hundred guineas, to the
funds of a Di.pensary, as a recompence fur the appoitit-
manta to act gratuitously.—Mr. Pullen proceeded to
object especially to the association of private practice on
the part of an apothecary, with the business of a public
charitable establishment, and concluded by coujuring the
meeting to take means to prevent the ruin which he could
sot avoid most confidently predicting.
After the applause which followed the speech of this
gentleman had subsided,
Mr. VENN addressed the Chairman. He said lie bad
risen for that purpose before, but had given way to Mr.
Pullen. He was convinced, upon reflection, of the im-
propriety of the proceedings hitherto taken, and therefore
(as Chairman of the meeting at which the resolutions were
passed) lie was anxious to move, as an amendment," That
all the resolutions passed at the meeting held ou the 11th
of October be rescinded."
In seconding this amendment, Mr.SMITII observed that
an array should be raised before the staff was appointed,
and that subscriptions and support should' be ascertained
before the medical appointments took place. Die resolu-
tions held out the existence of an establishment which was
not vet in being, and he was confident that the only
method to be taken by those who were conscientiously
anxious for the establishment of such an was
to vote for the auseuded resolution, which he heartily
seconded.
A most irregular scene ensued, in which the same per•
sous were permitted to speak two or three times;
ultimately, however, the person who had moved the
receptiou of the Report rose in his right of reply, and
most furiously attacked the gentlemen who were opposed
to Isis views, whom he designated as a" petty Junta"—" a
pal ty acting from a narrow and interested view," and sat
down persisting warmly (tor lie perspired profusely) in his
motion.

Mr. POLLEN begged to say a few words Ia reply. He
was too anxious to promote unanimity to castigate severely
the personalities he had just listened to—the person who
uttered them must be estranger to the neighbourhood, or
he must have known such Observations could not apply to
him—tor himself he was unhurt by them, for after having
lived in the parish more titan twenty )ears, and having
twice served the office of Under Sheriff for the county, it
followed of course that be was too well known to be
injured by them.
The amendment was then put front the chair, and every
hand held up in favour of it, excepting only that of the
mover of the original motion.
A resolution was atterwards passed, without observa-
tion, declaring that " the meeting believed the promoters
of those resolutions were nut influenced by impure mo.
lives."

Mr. PLLLEN then rose and moved,
1. That it is highly desirable that a Dispensary be
established for Islington and its neighbourhood.
2. That a Committee, consisting of fifteen gentlemen, be
nominated, for the purpose of arranging the outline of a
plan for that pnrpose, and that that Committee do report
to a General Meeting to he convened for the pnrpose.
These resolutions having been seconded by Alf. Tlvinn,
were carried unanimously.
The Committee was nominated, thanks voted to the
Chairman, and the meeting he oke up.

Having thus reported what, passed at the meeting
on Tuesday last, we may, perhaps, be indulged in a
few observations upon the subject. The plan ap-
pears to have originated with two very young Phy-
sicians, one very young Surgeon (neither of them at
all known in, nor connected with, Islington), and
an Apothecary who, removing from Aylesbury, has
recently taken up his residence in the parish. How
they procured the sanction of one of the most res•

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