The Sun.
London, England, 1828-11-03 00:00:00

dom—should be closed against the public, is itself a
scandal upon those who permit it ; but that it should
be made an heir-loom of the Corporation, saleable
like any goods and chattels, can, find a parallel Only
in their owu similar act, of putting up to sale the
place of Secondary, and thereby adding to the price
of misery and wretchedness. If a small fee were
permittable to be paid for admission to the • con-
fined galleries of the Old Court, at the Old Bailey
(which, upon principle, we think it ought not to
be), surely there are better purposes to which the
produce might be applied than in filling the coners
of the Corporation. The Sheriffs' Fund, for in-
stance, or the alleviation of the many sources of
misery in the city gaols, to which our columns have,
of late, bore such heart-rending testimony, would
surely be better than in pampering and promoting
the apoplectic tendency with which the civic body
is so well known to abound. We again rail upon
those who elect, the civic body to look to these
things. It is worse than a farce fer the Livery of
London or the Court of Common Council to meet,
as they continually do, and din in our ears their
long harangues about the reform of public abuses,
while those of their own nurturing and creating are
passed by amid left untouched. 'We would have a
starling placed over time chair on the hustings at
Guildhall, and another in the Common Council
Chamber, which should be taught to keep crying
out the words "Look at Henze" whenever a civic
meeting
.about reform takes place. Some of the
civic body are, we believe, exceedingly, and, no
dswbt most laudably, zealous on the score of reli-
gion. Did it never occur to such persons, that 'to
take the beam out of the civic eye would enable it to
see much more clearly the mote which they think
they have discovered in the public eye ? If it never
has, they will doubtless thank us for thus giving
them the hint.

(FROM THE TIMES.)

Almost every body is aware that the surgeon and
physician of the middle and poorer classes of society
is the apothecary, er " general practitioner," as he

is sometimes called. Except in extraordinary cases,
no medical adviser with more imposing titles or
higher pretensions is called in, and as few people
choose to die without medical aid of some sort or
other, the Corporation of Apothecaries'-hall may be
said to exercise an almost uncontroulled power over
the lives of a great majority of his Majesty's liege
subjects. They can not only chug them, but bleed
and blister them at pleasure : they are Not only en-
titled to empty all the produce of their laboratories,
and all the contents of their shops, into their sto-
mach, but to cut off their limbs, and to treat them

in any other manner that would -suit the announce-
ment of " mangling done here," Nay, what pro-
bably is of greater importance at this present time,
when there is so general a complaint of an over-
stocked population--when pauper laws and emigra-
tion projects are found so inadequate to repress the
dangerous multiplication of the species—these
practitioners have nearly a monopoly of the
trade of bringing people into the world. Possessed
of such unlimited power, it is of the utmost
consequence that these " general practitioners"
should be endued with the qualifications necessary to
prevent a mischievous use of it : and that the public
should be secured against the consequences of their
ignorance or qt:ackery, by compelling them to engage
in preparatory studies, and to undergo a previous
ordeal. As the law at present stands, we believe
that any man may announce himself as a surgeon
without a diploma from the College; and even the
authority -of the College of Physicians does not ex-
tend over physicians who practise seven miles from
London ; but since the act of 1815, the supremacy ,
of Apothecaries'-hall over apothecaries cannot be
called in question. The body has lately put forth
" Regulations for the examination of Apothecaries,"
which we think of great importance both for what
they state and for what they omit. In these, " the
Court of Examiners" prescribes the age, the general
qualificationsZand the particular proficiency in medical
knowledge, of those who offer themselves as candi-
dates for a licence to practise. The following are
the most important of the rules now to be enforced :
" Every candidate for a certificate to practice as an
apothecary, will be required to possess a competent know-
ledge of the Latin language, and in compliance with the
14th and 15th sections of the said Act, to produce testi-
monials of having served an apprenticeship of not less than
five years to an apothecary; of having attained the full
age of 21 years ; and being of good moral conduct. lie
will also he required to produce certificates of having at-
tended not less than two courses of lectures on Chemistry;
two courses of lectures on Materia Modica and -Botany ;
two courses of lectures en Anatomy and Physiology; two
courses of Anatomical Demonstrations; two courses of
lectures on the Theory and Praetice of Medicine; these
last to be attended subsequently to one course of lectures
on Materia Medico, Chymistry, and Anatomy.
" And a certificate of attendance for six months at least
on the physicians' practice of some public hospital or in-
firmary (containing not less than 60 beds), or for nine
months at a dispensary ; such attendance to commence
subsequently to the termination of the first course of lec-
tures on the Principles and Practice of Medicine.
" The regulations relating to the order of succession in
which the lectures ou the Practice of Medicine, and the Phy-
sician's Practice of an Hospital or Dispensary, are to be
attended, are designed to apply to those students only who
commenced their attendance on lectures on or alter the lst
of February, 181f8 ; and all such persons are particularly
requested to take notice, that unless they shall have strictly
complied with such order of succession, they will not be
admitted to an examination.

" In addition to the course of study above required as
indispensably necessary, candidates are earnestly recom-
mended to attend clinical lectures, and also lectures on
midwifery and the diseases of women and children, on the
latter of which subjects, as an important part of medical
praetice, they will be examined."

.
This is well so far as it goes, but does it go far
enough ? Should it not be required of a candidate
for admission to medical examination at Apothe-
caries' Hall, that he should profess a competent
knowledge of Greek as well as of Latin ? Many of
the terms of the medical science, with which they
must be acquainted, are of Greek origin, and cannot
be understood in their full force and in all their ap-
plications without a knowledge of that language.
Then, ought not the length of courses of lectures,
and the qualifications of the lecturer, to be defined, as
well as their number and succession ? In the last of
• the regulations which we have quoted, it is said that
the student is recommended to attend lectures in
midwifery, while he is required. to bring a certificate
of
his attendance on other courses of medical ire-
leetien- What can be the reason- for this distinc-
tion
tion ? Do not many o • most of " the general prac-
titioners" likewise offeri t
and how can they do thaot practise as accoucheurs,
the knowledge to be conveyed in
oditrlighcto, without
the
lectures on the subject
? No
twithstanding these
and other defects, which it is not our business
to point out, we consider the
unequivocal, and im-
portantnew regula-
tionsas a
imparoovbemvieonuts., au
nhatever raises the scale
of useful qualifications in medical candidates,
tends to render the profession better acquainted
withor
its principles] and more expert at its duties, is a cer-
tain benefit to the public,—a benefit which ought
talent, knowledge, and
y pwreordii
or some personal sacrifice
4%Peeestea2bt!ii.jefdY' among the lo
nnioutr;oexbpeense
to indivi,
classese t their
eoi rf
duals. if , ex-
perience can - . l
order of practitioners.
the profession, they must not on
grow, but must extend their bene-
ficial operation to the highest
If larger qualifications or required from the apothe-
cary, the surgeon and physician, in order to preserve
their relative importanee, must likewise advance in
improvement. Whether a year's more study, or
some pounds' more expenditure, be required from a
few candidates for medical examination, matters little
to the great body of the people, provided their
, •
health and lives be placed in more secole hands.
Though a great deal has been done since the act of
1815, and even within these four or fire years,
to raise the character of the profession, and to
secure in the general practitioner a little more
knowledge than is requisite for the mere com-
poundin7 of ding,l, much still remains to be
done. `Stronger' testimonials to the talents and
general lealikeations of candidates must be_ re- i