The Sun.
London, England, 1844-08-08 00:00:00

medical profession. The most imports. ❑t fsature
of the Bill was the establishment of a Council
of health in the metropolis in direct connection with the
executive Government. The composition o f the Council
of Health he proposed to be this :—The Re' gins Professor
of Medicine in Oxford, the Regius Professors of Physic in
Cambridge, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Dublin; one phy-
sician and surgeon, chosen by the College of Physicians
in England, and one physician in Scotland and Ire-
land. Then, in addition to this, six persons were to be
appointed by her Majesty, with the advice of her Privy
Council, and of those six one was to be a physi-
cian of the English rural districts, and one a
surgeon. One physician arid one surgeon were to retire
annually, but he proposed that they should be eligible
for re•election, with the consent of the Crown. He
then proposed that the Council should have a secretary in
London, and also in Scotland and Ireland. Ho then
proposed to have a register kept of all the phy •
sicians and surgeons ; that the present bodies should
have power of granting licenses, but it should be at the
option of the Council of Health whether they would
register them or not, and every person that was
not registered could not hold any public situation.
He also proposed that all persons that were registered
should be exempted from attending juries and other
things to which they were at present liable. To those
who were now practising ho proposed to give twelve
months, to apply to be registered. lie proposed to im-
pose a penalty of 201. on those who practised in any
public office without registering. He proposed that no
person but those who were registered, or who had
practised before the passing of this Act, should be en-
titled to rocover at law for any charges for attendance
or medicine. By this means registration would be the
means of showing who were competent practitioners,
and who were not. The Right Hon. Baronet concluded
by moving for leave to bring in the Bill.
Mr. MACAULEY seconded the motion. To the ge-
neral principles on which the measure was founded he
felt bound to give his approbation. He believed that
the measure would give the greatest satisfaction.
Mr. WARBURTON approved of the principle of the
measure though he would not pledge himself to its
details.

Sir J. GRAHAM, in answer to a question from Mr.
Gaily Knight, said that he proposed to repeal the Apo-
thecaries' Act altogether, and to deprive them entirely
as a body from granting. licenses to practice, but he in-
tended that they should be associated with the College
of Physicians in doing so.
Mr. G. KNIGHT thought the medical profession
would not like very much the despotic character of the
Council that was proposed by the present Bill.
Mr. WAKLEY was sure that the present Bill would
not be satisfactory to the medical profession. He be-
lieved that the Right Hon. Baronet had a desire to put
the medical profession on a better footing, but be had
been wilfully earwigged and deceived in the present
case.—(Hear, hear.) It was perfectly impossible that
the Right Hon. Baronet could ever carry this Bill. He
should feel it his duty to use every form which
the House allowed him, to prevent the measure
from becoming law. He trusted the Right Honour-
able Gentleman would reconsider the question, and not
be led away by the advice that had been given him in
the Home-office.

Mr. HAWES supported the Bill, believing it would
place the medical profession on a better footing. He
thought that the importance of the measure could not
be overrated.
After a few observations from Sir J. GRAHAM,
leave was given to bring in the Bill.
Sir J. GRAHAM postponed until to-morrow his
motion for leave to bring in a Bill relative to the law of
settlement in England and Wales.