Report of the Parliamentary Committee of the Loyal National Repeal Association on the Bill for regulating the profession of physic & surgery [proposed by Sir James Graham], with observations on medical education / [Sir John Gray].

  • Gray, John, Sir, 1816-1875
Date:
1845
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report of the Parliamentary Committee of the Loyal National Repeal Association on the Bill for regulating the profession of physic & surgery [proposed by Sir James Graham], with observations on medical education / [Sir John Gray]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    classes of its members, and upon society at large, should be thoroughly and impartially investigated. The present position of the medical profession*—distracted as it is by internal division—and its numerous relations to society- many of them of the most delicate, all of them of the most important character—alike demand that no bill affecting to re-organize that profession, should receive the sanction of a deliberative body, unless it be distinctly ascertained that it will affect— —the profession generally^ by elevating its rank— —the several sections or classes of its members^ by se¬ curing vested rights—and —society, by securing for the public properly educated practitioners. In passing under review the several clauses of the pro¬ posed act, it will be found difficult to keep the relation of any given clause to each of these three objects perfectly distinct; the provisions of one clause may be calculated favourably to affect one section of the profession, to the injury of another, or of the public, or they may affect for good or for ill the profession throughout its several classes, as well as the whole community. The following observa¬ tions, however, being necessarily limited to a mere outline sketch, it would be impracticable as it is unnecessary for my purpose, rigidly to test each clause by the above standard. I do not, therefore, propose to do more than * In the following pages the word “ practitioner” is used to indicate every class of the profession. The term “medical” is constantly used in the same extensive sense ; a,nd not unfrequently I have found it convenient to make the word “ physician” serve where surgeon and apothecary are equally included in the observations. Of late it has been the habit with the profession to talk of pure surgeon,” “pure physician,” and “ apothe¬ cary,” omitting the word “pure” before the latter, as if its applicability were dubious. But the expletive is equally inapplicable to the. surgeon, for a surgeon cannot, and in point of fact does not, confine himself to mere ma¬ nual operations ; the effect of his treatment as often depends upon the me¬ dical and moral remedies used as upon the mechanical. It is remarkable that while this nominal distinction between physician and surgeon is so rigidly adhered to, the course of study prescribed by the several corpora¬ tions for the candidates for the respective degrees, is nearly identical. I however thus use these terms rather to avoid needless repetition than from any other motive. 2