The Sun.
London, England, 1856-04-02 00:00:00

MEDICAL PROFESSION BILL.

On the motion for zoing into committee on this bill,
Lord R. GROSVENOR, before the house went into
committee on this bill, said that whilst he believed there
was necessity for some legislation on this question he
objected to the bill now before the house, and he called
attention to the notices on the paper amounting to
nearly 100, all affecting the principle of the bill—(hear,
heat)—and asked the hon. member (Mr. Headlam) to
postpone the bill going into committee to enable mem-
bers to consider the effect of the amendment proposed.
There were many alterations suggested in this bill
which it would be inexpedient to consider in committee,
and it would be better not to take up the time of the
house by discussing it then, but rather postpone it, and
give the hon. gentleman (Ur. Headlam) an opportunity
of remodelling the bill, and getting rid of the objec-
tions raisei to it.

Mr. BARROW concurred in the opinion of the
noble lord. He agreed with the necessity of such a
measure, but objected to them then proceeding with it.
He saw that by the bill the medical ppifesßi.in were to be
governed by a repre•entative body, and the first amend
merit on the paper affected that principle, and pro-
posed the governing body should be the nominees of
the Government.

Mr. HEADLAM objected to the poqtponement of
the bill, because no good would be effected by it. The
great difficulty was with reference to the constitution
of the proposed governing council. There were three
bodies who claimed that right. First, the Government
to the whole nomination ; secorfti, the corporate bodies;
and, third, the great mass of the medical profession,
by an elected and representative body. If they post-
poned the bill for ten years nothing would be gained
by it, for even then the above objection must be met and
decided. Many of the amendments were mere technical
ones, and out of the 70 or 80 an.eudms,ts there were
net rn,.re than 19 or 20 of any importance.

Mr. WALTER considered the amendments were too
important to be considered in committee, but should be
got rid of first. He instw,ced one amendment, which
iieposed a fine of 51. on every person practising medicine
unless duly registered under this bill.
Mr. MITCLIELL opposed the bill. The provisions
of this bil , by repealing the Apothecaries' Act, would
enable cherni-ts and druggists to act as such.
Sir G. GREY said it would be better to get rid of
the auggesion thrown out by the noble lord before dis-
cussing the details of the bill. He regretted the notices
of amendments had been given so late as yesterday, and
he exonerated the Government from any charge of de-
lay, with reference to their amendment, from the Pre-
sident of the Board of Health not being informed by the
councils of the medical profession at an earlier period.
Mr. WALPOLE said the bill was read a second time
on an erroneous impression that the provisions of the bill
were appr ved of by the medical profession, but from
what had since occurred it appeared the profession was
div!ded in opinion on it. He agreed with the Govern-
ment in the amendment they had given notice of, that
the council should be nominated by the Crown, and
thought that the whole of the amendments proposed
were so important that the bill should be postponed,
and the subject be referred-to a select committee, and he
moved the postponement of the committee until Wednes-
day next.
Mr. DRUMMOND supported the amendment.
Lord EBRINGTON also supported the amendment,
to give the country an opportunity of considering the
alterations proposed to be made in the bill. Time would
be gained by the investigation proposed, and benefit
would accrue thereby both to the profession and the
public.
Mr. CRA.UTURD supported the proceeding with
the bill. It was introduced with the ranction of the
majority of the medical profession, who, however, it
appeared had now changed their minds, and ha I
called on the Government to propose an amendment
that would do away with the representative system in
connection with the constitution (.f the council. He
trusted the bonze would not endanger the progress of
the bill by consenting to the amendment for postpone-
ment.

Mr. HENLEY urged the postponement of the fur-
ther consideration of this bill for the reasons that had
been assigned by previous speakers.
Mr. HEADLAM said that this bill was introduced
last session, and from the returns made during the re•
cess from the profession to the HOme office, after a con-
sideration of its clauses, he had asc rtained that the
majority of the profession were in favour of the bill.
These returns be quoted on the second reading of this
bill this session ; but it appeared that since then many
of the profession bad altered their views respecting it,
and bud induced the Government to propose the amend-
ment of which they had given notice. He looked upon
the postponement of the inea-ure as virtually its defeat,
and he declined acceding to it without first dividing the
house.

After some further discussion,
Sir G. GREY explained the reasons which had in-
duci-d the C.dleges of Surgeons in England and Edin-
burgh, and many of the graduates to change their
opinions with regar.l to this bill. On well reconsider-
ing the que-tion these bodies, whilst approving of the
general principles of the bill, totally objected t ilthe con
stitution of the council as provided in the bill, viz , that of
election by the medical profession, and wished its nomi-
nation should be by the Government. He again urged
on the hon. gentleman (Mr. Headlain) to postpone the
bill for a week.
Mr. DUNCO MBE asked if the bill could be committed
pro forma, and then go to a select committee. He
called the attention of the house to the fAct that
the mover of the bill had three pages of amendments
on the paper of the house. He (Mr. Duncornbe)
wished to get rid of this bill. Much bad been
I said about the profession, eiemists, &c , being in
favour of this bill. lie had a large constituency com-
bining doctors and quacks, at least the hon. member
opposite (Mr. Brady) would call them quacks because
they were not properly registered practitioners. He
(Mr. Duncombe) claimed the right for the public to be
consulted on this question, a.,d left to physic themselves
as they thought proper, and if they liked homceopathy
let them enjoy it.
Sir J. PAKINGTON thought the bill should not
be got rid of by a side wind hut on its merits. If it were
postponed in all probability it could not be again
brought for some time unless the Government took it
under their fostering care. The hon. mover deserved
the thanks of the country for taking up such an import•
ant question, and he was entitled to the thanks of the
house and the country for it.
The house then divided when the numbers were

For the postponement of the committee 116
Against it Bl
Majority —3s

_
Mr. ITEA.DLA.M called upon the Government to
state the course they would now pursue in reference
to this bill. From the interview he had at an early
period with the Home Secretary with regard to this
bill, he relied on the Government support, but instead
of that the Government had thrown him over by de-
feating this bill. (Hear.)
Sir G. GREY denied that anything bad been done
or said by him to mislead the mover of this measure as
to the course Government intended to take on this ques-
tion. The bill bad, however, as he had expected, re-
ceived the most decided opposition of the profession at
this stage of its proceedings. He declined to take charge
of the bill on the pert of the Government, but he would

give the hon. mover all the aQsistance he could. It was
not the intention of the Government to bring in a bill
this session with reference to this qurs'ion.
Mr. WALPOLE said that, in moving the postpone-
ment. of the committee, he had no wish to get rid of
the bill.

KLEPT SPEAKING.)

MEDICAL REFOR3I.

Yesterday, a succession of deputations of gentlemen
of the radical profession, representing both the profes-
sion at large and several of the licensing corporate bodies,
waited on Sir George Grey and the President of the
Board of Health, at the Home-office, in reference to the
bill at present before Parliament on the sulject of
medical reform, and which is better known as Mr.
Headlam'e Bill. The first deputation—that of the medical
graduates—was introduced by Mr. Grogan; M.P. Dr.
O'Connor explained that the members of the profession,
while they desired to see those portions of the hill which
would secure a uniform 'qualification throughout the
three kingdoms, and also a registration of those possessed
of that qualification, they were opposed to the mode in
which it was proposed to form a central representative
body, as it was their opinion that the clamourous mouns
tebank would, in the spirit of electioneering, be likely
to obtain a seat there before the man of real merit. They
also, in detail, objected to the amount of the registrati,n
fee (101.) as excessive, and complained that the 21st
clause would exclude from practice all medical era suet( s
who were not licentiates or fellows of the Colleue of
Physicians. They would propose an imperial council ~f
12 members, nine to be appointed by Government, and
one by the suffrages of the licensing bodies in each of
the three kingdoms ; that of the nine appointed by G -
vernment three shoul I be laymen, and the other six
medical men, equally selected from England, Ireland;
alio Scotland. This imperial council should coif Tee the
education of candi lates for the profession in medic ne,
surgery, and pharmacy ; while local subordinate ccun-
ciis should superintend their examination in those
studies. Dr. Leet, of the Apothecaries' Company in
Ireland, on behalf of the licentiates of that body, com-
plained that their existence was ignored by the bill.
The next deputation, that from the College of Sur-
geons, Edinburgh, was introduced by Mr. Black, M.P,
when Professor Syme, as spokesman, stated that they
were alt ,gether opposed to the bill. They had the
same objections to the Central Council as the last
deputation, and complained that the bill, if paved
into law, would deprive the graduates of their college
of the right of practising, which had as yet never been
called in question. They also reprobated the division
of members of the profession into surgeons and physi-
cians, as in reality no such distinction exi-t-d. They
were all general practitioners. Mr. Black, M.P., also
introduced the deputation from the College of Physicians
of Edinburgh. Dr. M. Begbie, the president of the col-
lege, stated in the main they approved of the bill, but
wished to see the portion of it relating to the council
altered. They thought that it should consist of not
!store than 12 members, five from England, three from
Ireland, and three fram Scotland, with the President of
the Board of Health at its head. They wished also to
see a separate registration kept in each portion of the
United Kingdom. They were favourable to the proposi-
tion of a second examination, on the principle that as
the first was conducted by those who were themselves
the teachers, it was open to objection. Each deputation
approved of the proposal that registration should ea-
title the person registered to practise all over the em-
pire ; and on retiring expressed their acknowledgments
of the attention with which they had been listened to.

SINGULAR DETECTION OP ROBBERY
ON TIIE MIDLAND RAILWAY.

The number of robberies which are known to take
place on the various railways of the country induce us
to give publicity to the following narrative, as proving
e hat may be done in their detection by well directed
energy and perseverance. Persons unacquainted with
the difficulty of obtaining evidence necessary for prose-
cution can have no idea of the difficulty of sustaining a
railway indictment. The number of miles to be traveled
--the variety of persons through whose hands the stolen
property may have passed, and all of whom way be
required as witnesses, render such a proceeding alike
expensive and tedious. It would appear that in ttse
,eaile part of February last a railway servant named
Wi,lia n Godwin, ac ing in the capacity of porter for
the Midland Railway at Glocester, was detected in the
commiseion of an offence which led to the searching of
his house, and in which were discovered a quantity of
artiees sueprcted to have been stolen from the com-
pany. There were no few, r than nine new carving
kirives arid forks, a quantity of ironmongery, artd
other descriptions of tuiscell tueous property. Among
these were found a very handsome suear-basin, or, as the
trade call it, a sugar buy. This Fart et sr article wey a
certained to be the manufacture of Messrs. Copeland
and Garrett, and of this pat'ern and nurnber, strange
as it may appear, only f rur were made or sent out. The
one in question was sold to a firm in Worcester, the
second to a gentleman in Cheltenham, the third to a
China depot in Bath, and the fourt,h to Messrs. Child
and Co.; of Edinburgh. The lady to whom it was
sold by the firm in Worcester removed in the early
part of 1853 to Bath, takiug with her her caina, plate,
&c. On the return of the family in June, 1854,
she gave directions that the china, together with °tisk r
things, should be returned via Gloucester to her ti-use in
Worcestershire. At Gloucester the package conseiniog
the sugar-box and the rest of the service of which it
ferrnecra part sustained such damage as rendered its
detention necessary for repairs. Here it was tact the
robbery was committed, Godwin being one of the por-
ters engaged in the transshipment of that particular
package. Although the sugar box was missed by the
servant who unpacked the china, he concluded it bad
been broken in use, and consequently no inquiry wa.,
made after it, so that its owner was not aware of
her loss until the box was showu her by the compaey's
p lice superintendent. The difficulties which interposed
at every step of this protracted investigation can scarcely
be conceived ; but they were overcome by the etsrll, tact,
and tiny., mried perseverance of Mr. Farmer, the super-
intendent of the detective police employed on the Mid
land line. A great many miles had to be travelled,
parties who had left their previous occepatioes had to
be scugbt out, books I,,ng consigned to dust and for-
getfulness to be dragged to light, and the whole facts of
the case, in all their ramifications, to bo elicited and
woven into a chain of consecutive evidence. All this
was accomplisher; by Mr. Farmer most satisfactorily.
The trial of Godwin took place at the Glocester sessions
on Friday last, when the whole of the four sugar-boxes
sere produced in court, together with •23 witnesses
from various parts of the country, including pereor a
from E iinburgh, London, Newcastle, Bath, Cheltenham,
Worcester, Stoke-upon-Trent, &c. ; and after an inquiry
which lasted for several hours the prisoner was fou d
guilty and sentenced to 12 mouths' imprisonment with
hard labour. At the conclusion of the cause the chair-
re as
result trefrmoanrs ktehde uplr) :soae ntth el
ntgoosoedeu twiohnic, which must
aosbtsenrevceedestahrailty,
heavy as was the expense, and enormous as had been
the troub'e bestowed upon the getting up of the case, it
would show that for the future the Midland Railway
Company would not suffer themselves to be robbei with
impuni,y. It is to be hoped that the spirited mannrr
in which the investigation has been conducted, asid the
almost insurmountable eifficulties of the case surmounted,
will lead other railway establishments to follow the ex-
ample of the Midland Company. If such should be the
case we shall have to record fewer instances of raii v ay
robberies than we have had to do fir a long teries of
years. It was stated in court that Mr. S iperint,ndent
Farmer had travelled 1,900 miles in prosecution of his
inquiries.