The Sun.
London, England, 1841-03-26 00:00:00

THE MEDICAL PROFESSION•

"TIMED DANAOS ET DONA FERENTES•"
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

Sin,—As you have long stood before the British
public the avowed advocate of liberty and disinterested
philanthropy, 1 have thought it a duty not to be waived
to address a few lines to you upon an important sub-
ject. You are well aware that a Bill has been brought
before the Legislature, intitled " A Bill to amend the
laws relating to the Medical Profession in Great Britain
and Ireland." Being myself a druggist, and, therefore,
one of the sect that these scions of Esculapius would
prosr_ribe, I beg to trouble you with my views upon
that part of the 811 solely which has reference to the
highly respectable class to which I have the honour to
belong. What is the avowed object of those
who speak through their organ Mr. Hawes ? It is to
prevent the chemist and druggist in any instance from
either guarding the mistaken judgment of any individual
who may need medicine in trifling disorders, (for, in all
cases of danger, they are always referred to a medical
man), or from prescribing himself what he may know
to be beneficial. Now, who are the persons who ask
advice of the druggist ? Are they the higher class of
society, those who can afford to employ the regular
medical practitioner ? By no means ; they are the
sons and daughters of affliction and penury ; those who,
if they took the mate they hand to the druggist to the
house of the professional man, would, with their paltry
pence, be rejected by his very servant, as intruders and
paupers. And what would be the result of this sweep-
ing 811 if it were enacted ? Grant that the poor
man could no longer ask the gratuitous advice which
the druggist cheerfully gives ; pain and uncertainty
would still produce the same distrust in his own bosom,
and if shut out from the dwelling of the druggist he
would betake himself to the abodes of those who, by
their sery ignorance and insignificance, would be be-
neath not only the notice but even the contempt of the
Licentiate of the Hall, or the Member of the College
of Surgeons. Or, is it that the profession see, by the
exhibition of intelligence and medical knowledge dis-
played by druggists, that they are prevented either from
exhausting still more the finances of those who are
grappling with poverty, or of extorting a guinea where
a shilling is now paid? Judge, Sir, if the present dis-
tressed state of the lower classes in this kingdom will
enable them to apply to the regular practitioner for
his advice, when the most that many of them can bring
to the shop of the druggist is two or three pence. How
often is it matter of experience that the hand of avarice,
by grasping with too much avidity, often encloses mate-
rials that inflict a wound? And such would be the fruit
of the above projected Bill.
If druggists %sere excluded from ministering to the
comfort and removing the trifling maladies of the
afflicted poor, the needy practitioner would soon per-
ceive that the void thus occasioned must be filled up,
and he would step into the place of the druggist, and by
adopting his low charges would secure their custom, and
at the same time be enabled to attend patients at their
own houses, where his charges would be the same
as those of professional men in general, and
thus no advantage, but manifest loss, would be expe-
enced by the collective body of the faculty ; add to
which the overwhelming number of surgeons and apo-
thecaries that would be created as druggists, would
then bring up their sons to the profession, in order to
to enable them to avoid the injustice of the meditated
Act ; and then the medical aristocracy might say to
their practice and patients—Vale! longunt vale. Trust-
ing you, Sir, will notice this subject, and draw the at-
teation of the public to it,
I am, your most sincere admirer,
Tewkesbury, Friday. E, MAY, Chemist.

[Mr. Hawes, the other ear ning, said he had not the
least idea of affecting the trade of the chemists and
druggists by any provisions of his Medical Bill ; yet,
on referring to it, we find some five or six clauses affect
ing these classes, one of which, a most important one,
gives to a body yet to be created, and to be called the
Senate, the power of making bye-laws " to regulate the
diploma of qualification to carry on the trade of chemist
and druggist." The first clause also provides that no
person shall order, ether directly or indirectly, any me-
dicine, remedy, or application whatever, unless he has
been examined as to his skill and knowledge in the
practice of medicine. Is this no interference with the
trade of the chemists and druggists ?]

LONDON AND BRIGHTON

RAIL WAY.

( From the Brighton Gazette.)
of the line within the
glast report. Between
We are glad to find the progress of the works on this
siiinttle remains to be done,
great undertaking so satisfactory, as to leave no doubt cf.
milesha
s northat
already
eßodfy
proceededeuek field,
:oh
vaat'eicsart74iahgoevvoenvetrhe level of the railway,
thetecixmrcooeyupl(ll:kiimonnaatoand
oeceocd,utnit7at;
iyal
ciev
itgtai
,ohr
about
asoDnuHidtr
eetooaw;
trt
where a considerable portion of sandstone is still to he re-
moved.
through the entire length of the cutting; and tint ,
sofaras Ttoheadcraxciat
re-
moval of the remaining portion of the rock is in rapid
progress. A short distance to the north of this spot
stands the Ouse Viaduct, a magnificent work, extending
over the valley which gives rise tti the river of that
name. This structure, which consists of 37 arches,
each 30 feet wide, and from 90 to 100 feet high, was built
of bricks, made from earth dug on the spot. The last
arch was keyed some weeks ago ; and the stone para-
pet walls are fist approaching completion. Only a few
yards of embankment remain unfinished on either side ;
and when this and the cutting which we have just men-
tioned shall be completed, for which a few weeks must
afford ample time, the line will be in a condition to be
opened to Hayward':-heath,—the remaining portion of the
line between that spot and Croydon, including the Merst-
ham and Ba'combe tunnel., being in a still more forward
state. The time named by the Directors for the partial`
opesing to Hayward's-heath is June ; but there is little
room to doubt tht t it might take place earlier, if the Direc-
tors should think it desirable.
At Ilayward's-heath there is a short tunnel through a
hill consisting of a kind of clay, having the colour and ge-
ne, al apse trance of slate, but comparatively soft, alterna-
ting with strata of hard stone. The work is consequently
carried on with cohside:able difficulty ; bus, notwithstand-
ing this, steady and satisfactory progress is made. On the
north side of the tunnel there is a large cutting, Which is
fir advanced.
Southward, at the mouth of the tunnel, the extensive
contract of the Messrs. Thornton, of Brighton, com-
mences with a cutting, which we believe is the deepest
and largest on the whole line. The soil is here a con-
, tinuation of the strata through which the tunnel is exes-
vsted. On visiting this spot a few days ago, we were
pleased to see that a plan of drawing the earth up the