The Sun.
London, England, 1844-10-12 00:00:00

MEETING OF THE MEDICAL
PROFESSION AT BRISTOL.

Yesterday a very full meeting of the medical profes-
sion of Bristol, to take into consideration the new Bill
brought in by Sir James Graham, was held in the theatre
of the Philosophical Institution.
Mr. W. MORTIMER, having been called to the chair,
briefly opened the proceedings, and called upon
Dr. Simmons, who, in moving the first resolution, said
he thought they were greatly indebted to her Majesty's
Government for having introduced the measure. Sir
James Graham was the first Minister of the Crown who
had brought forward so general and extensive a measure
of medical reform. He thought the Bill, as a whole, bad
been carefully framed, though is was faulty in some of
its clauses. There could be but one opinion as to the
advantages which would arise from the appointment of
a central council of health; an authorised register of
legally qualified practitioners would be also highly ad-
vantageous. But, while he thus confessed his ap-
proval of the Bill as a whole, he was not blind to its
faults, the principal of which was the want of proper
protection to the qualified practitioner. They ought,
therefore, to demand such protection, and that the
charlatan or contraband practitioner should be subject
to penal consequences. Ile knew it might be said, the
register would be open to the public, who might
thus select properly qualified practitioners, and
that it was a part of the liberty of an Englishman
to select whom he pleased ; for, if they were foolish
enough to select unqualified persons, they weuld them-
selves suffer for their folly. But he would ask, was it
just for the Government to encouruge imposture, or was
it correct for a Government to allow the public health
to be placed at the mercy of unskilful pretenders ?
They certainly ought not to go before the Government
with an argunzentuni ad misericordiam, but they ought to
speak firmly, but respectfully, and demand that protec-
tion to which they were entitled from the toils, the diffi-
culties, and the expense of the education which they had
to acquire before entering on practice. They all knew
that the medical practitioners bad to toil from early
dawn to dewy eve, and were often deprived of their rest
for perhaps three nights in the week, and if for this any
one of them obtained a remuneration equal to that ob-
tained by some person who ministered only to the arti-
ficial tastes of mankind, they were considered to be re-
ceiving a wonderful income. Dr. Symmons then moved
the following resolution :
" That this meeting has great pleasure in expressing
its obligation to Sir James Graham and her Majesty's
Government for bringing before the Legislature the
long-agitated question of medical reform, and also for
laying the ' Bill for the better Regulation of Medical
Practice throughout the United Kingdom on the table
of the House of Commons, so that it may be well con-
sidered by the medical profession during the Parliamen-
tary recess.
Mr. COLTHUREIT having seconded the resolution, it
was carried unanimously.
Mr. J. C. SwAYNE, in moving the second resolution,
said that having been in practice for several years pre-
vious to the passing of the Apothecaries Act, he could
bear testimony to the many benefits which had arisen
from it. Nothing could be more marked than the de-
cided improvement in the education and respectability
of the medical practitioners since that period ; although
when the profession endeavoured to get an Act, it was
not intended to give the Apothecaries Company the
powers they afterwards obtained under the Act, yet they
had found in that company men of intelligence and in-
tegrity, who having once undertaken the task had car-
ried it out in a most exemplary manner, and had in-
stituted regulations, and examinations, which hadgreatly
raised the character of the profession. By the Apothe-
caries Act powers were given of legalising practitioners,
and of punishing those who practised without passing
the proper examinations and laving pursued the pre-
scribed course of study, and he for one thought the for-
mer part of that Act would have been of very little use
but for the power of punishment ; besides, it was well
known that many medical students, as well as other per-
sons, would shirk the labour of the extreme study which
they had to undergo, and the expense also, if they found
that unlicensed persons could practise as well, without
either the trouble or expense. It might be said that the
penal clauses were to be abolished in the present Bill,
because they had not altogether cured the evil, but that
would be an argument against penal clauses in any case,
for what penal enactment was there which they
could say bad been altogether successful.? Still,
however, those penal clauses had had a most beneficial
effect, and he thought they should be transferred to the
new Bill, having been so altered as to make them simple
and effective. He then moved—

" That this meeting cannot concur in the justice or
propriety of abolishing the existing enactments against
unqualified practitioners, upon the plea of their ineffi-
ciency, but urges the practicability of making the law in
this respect more simple and effective."
Mr. STAPLES seconded the resolution, which was
passed unanimously.
Mr. WALDO moved the third resolution :

" That this meeting considers the appointment of a
Council of Health and Medical Education' to be highly
advantageous, but that its constitution is unsatisfactory,
inasmuch as the " Licentiates of Medicine and Surgery'
are not adequately represented."
Carried unanimously.
1)r. O'BRIEN moved the fourth resolution :

" That this meeting views with much satisfaction the
beneficial results that must accrue from an authorised
register of licensed practitioners, especially if such be
compulsory and published annually."
Carried unanimously.
Mr. SDIERDON proposed, and Mr. STANTON seconded,
the fifth resolution, which, after some discussion and the
addition of some words, was passed in the following
form :

" That this meeting believes the penal clauses will
be inoperative in defending her Majesty's subjects from
the mischievous practices of ignorant and unskilful pre-
tenders, as expressed in the preamble of the Bill, unless
they include all those who act in the capacity of a me-
dical man without legal qualification, for the purpose of
gain. And that we hereby call on the Government to
introdece a stringent clause into their Bill prohibiting
unauthorised practice by a penal enactment, to be car-
ried into effect by some cheap and easy proceeding
before a bench of magistrates, or by any other mode
of access."

Petitions were then adopted to both Houses of Par-
liament, and the meeting, which was a most respectable
one, broke up.

THE VOYAGES AND SERVICES OF THE NEMESIS.—
A new, cheaper, and greatly improved edition of this
now standard work, is just published, comprised in a
single volume, and accompanied with a new map of the
Chinese Seas. The volume, while it stands alone as a
complete and ample record of perhaps the most important
series of events that have occurred in modern times, may
at the same time be cited as more pregnant with matter
of general interest and curiosity, and consequently more
rich in entertainment, than any work of the like extent
which has appeared during the last twenty years. The
narrative comprises three several departments ; the first
being devoted to the eight Months' ' adventures " of the
first iron steamer that ever crossed the line ; the second,
comprising the most lucid and complete retrospective
view extant of the history and causes of the Chinese war
up to the date of the Nemesis arrival on the scene of
action; and lastly, the third department presents us with
incomparably the most distinct, detailed, and intelligible
of the
e arrival of the
account of the proceeding.:
Nemesis till the conclusion that can any-
where
Sir
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three weeks at Treport withinhgishadving passed the last
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