The Sun.
London, England, 1851-10-08 00:00:00

etten.bm amt.
LONDON, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1851.

The Ist of October has passed over and as yet, we
are rejoiced to soy, the military surgeons in the Bri-
tish service remain undegraded. The execution of the
infamous and atrocious crder issued by the military
authorities for the purpose of degrading medical
officers of the army, by devolving on them the duties
which in civil life are never performed save by the
common hangman, has been deferred, and those who
aimed at insulting the medical profession generally,
by thus wantonly seeking to degrade the military por-
tion of it, have been signally disappointed. The de-
ferring the execution of this order enjoining medical
officers in the army to mark deserters with the letter
D until further orders, is, we consider, tantamount to
an absolute rescinding of the obnoxious document, and
are content for the present to let matters remain in
statu quo; but should any attempt be made
to degrade the medical military officers and insult the
medical profession by issuing such further orders, we
know that the membersofthe mtnedvicinaldiperaotfeestshieoinr are
fully prepared and determined
in-
sultednt hdaivgen t
unwittingly The concoctors of this precious docu-
ment conferred a great boon upon
theme members of the profession whom they sought to
degrade—they have taught medical men the power,
the political power which they possess when acting
together, and they have forced them to learn the
methods by which they may organize themselves so as
best to exert that power. We urge the medical men
of the kingdom to still continue their organization, it
is not alone sufficient to have secured the suspension
merely of one obnoxious order on the part of the mili-
tary executive, there are other grievances to be re-
dressed, and although the members of the profession
may be content to forego indemnity for the past,
they should not cease their exertions until
they shall have at least secured indemnity for the fu-
ture. The wrongs of the Assistant- Surgeons of the
Navy still continue, in too many instances, unre-
dressed ; in some cases the resolution of the House
of Commons is openly set at defiance by the naval
officers in command of her MAJESTY'S ships and
vessels, and by the Lords Commissioners of the Ad-
miralty, whilst, in others, the letter of the resolution
is complied with, but its spirit is evaded. Now the
members of the profession generally, owe it to their
medical brethren in the naval service not to cease
their exertions until they shall have secured to
every assistant-surgeon not merely a cabin to himself,
but that to which he is entitled by his education
and by his position in society, the respect and the
treatment due to a gentleman. But it is not to the
military or naval services that the wrongs of the
medical profession are confined, the treatment which
the medical officers of poor-law unions hare
uniformly received, both from the Poor-law Commis-
sioners and from boards of guardians, has been such
as no member of a learned profession ought to sub-
mit to. The unfortunate medical officer of a poor-
law union has to undergo in any one day as much
physical labour as any two labouring men in his
parish, whilst his pay, after deducting the necessary
expenses, is not much more than that of one, and is
not nearly that of a journeyman mechanic or handi-
craftsman, or of a person employed in a factory ; he
is snubbed by the Commissioners for doing those
things which, should he leave undone, he is snubbed
by the guardians, whilst the unfortunate medical
officer is held by the public responsible for all
the faults that may be committed by the other
officials. Should the relieving officer neglect
or refuse to obey his orders for giving relief, or should
the master of the workhouse neglect his duty, the
public blame the unfortunate medical officer, who is
thus made the scapegoat of the establishment. These
are grievances which should be redressed, and which
could be redressed if the members of the medical
profession were to exert themselves fur that purpose.
No men possess such power of influencing the votes
of the electors both in town and country as do the
medical men, and if they exert that influence by ex-
plaining to their friends and patients, who may
chance to be voters, the wrongs and grievances under
which the members of the medical profession labour,
and by endeavouring to induce those electors with
whom they are thus intimately acquainted to exact a
pledge from every candidate for their suffrages at the
next election that he will, should he be elected, co-ope-
rate with those Members of the House of Commons who
possess the confidence of the profession in endhvour-
ing to procure a redress of those grievances, there
can be no doubt but berore the first session of the
new Parliament shall have closed the members of
the medical profession will be placed in the social
position which they are justly entitled to occupy, not
only by their talents and education, but by their
unwearied devotion in comforting the afflicted and by
their unbounded charity to the poor and distressed,
for whom they make daily greater sacrifices than all
the supporters of all our charitable estubtishments put
together.

As might readily have been anticipated, a strong
memorial has been prepared at Liverpool for presen-
tation to the Earl of CARLISLE, as Chancellor of the
Duchy of Lancaster, calling for the most stringent
investigation into the recent extraordinary and al-
most unaccountable proceedings of the Judge of the
County Court of that important town. This docu-
ment, which has already received numerous and in-
fluential signatures, contains a simple and straight-
forward statement of the treatment of Mr.
WHITTY by the Learned Judge, which it justly
describes as being " pre-eminently harsh, vindictive,
and oppressive," while the conduct of the defendant,
under all the trying and painful circumstances of the
case, was "patient, respectful, and forbearing." It
then truly declares that the construction put upon
the clauses of the Act (9 and 10 Vicroaia, c. 95, s.
113 and 114), in reference to cases of contempt,
is unconstitutional and illegal, and alludes
t° "his unprecedented assumption of au-
thority," and
in attempting "the temper which he displayed
to enforce that authority," as demon-
strating that be hes not " the moderation and equa-
nimity" essential to the character of a county court
judgeand slightly alludes to the alienation of the
,trc
an lunngecaopmecmteudnmityea,sui nr
measure,"
consequenceresort
resorted to
f
ofo
r ttheh e"pviolent
of upholding " the dignity of
h
render that tribunal comparativiesl y court"usel ,
e s s 7
shoi o
long
u as
st
he is suffered to preside therein.
We are quite satisfied that this earnest protest of
the inhabitants of the commercial metropolis l
Eng-
land will receive the prompt and impartialaotiteEng-
ot" the accomplished and amiable nobleman to Zion
om
it is addressed, and to which it is so eminently en-
titled. We cannot for a moment suppose, that be-
cause the family of Mr. Itasisuay had been connected
in business relations with that of his noble patron for
many successive years, or because it was on the no-
mination of the Earl of CARLISLE that he received
his appointment, there would be any attempt on the
part of his present judge to shelter him from the con-
sequences of his outrageous proceedings. Far from it.
We are convinced that the subject will receive the most
calm and attentive consideration of that Noble Earl,
and that the ultimate decision will be in accordance
l
with what his Lordship honestly and conscientiously
believes to be the real merits of the case. We
-must also emphatically protest against the assertions
tat his Lordship
14°TdshiP was influenced by any undue
favouritism either,
for the important
office,
ta
ce
acquittal from the charges preferred
pin his subsequent
ges preferred against him.
We do not assert
• ...AIISHAT'S was the best selection that could
li be made from among