The social, scientific and political influence of the medical profession in the year 1886 : an inaugural address, delivered in the theatre of the Meath Hospital, November 1st, 1886, on the opening of the medical session, 1886-87 / by Lambert Hepenstal Ormsby.

  • Ormsby, Lambert Hepenstal, 1849-1923.
Date:
1886
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The social, scientific and political influence of the medical profession in the year 1886 : an inaugural address, delivered in the theatre of the Meath Hospital, November 1st, 1886, on the opening of the medical session, 1886-87 / by Lambert Hepenstal Ormsby. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

    15/48 (page 11)
    n has been the cause of the low place which those who follow the practice are asked to occupy in the social system of modern society. And in saying this I do not quarrel with the general practitioner; I quarrel with the system, and hone it will be improved. My object is to elevate the entire body in the professional scale to a level commensurate with the true value of its services. The Dublin hospital physician and surgeon, holding high university degrees, accustomed to charge one or two guineas for each visit, sometimes occasionally allowing the patient, according to circumstances, to visit him a second time for the same remuneratioD, but never taking less at any time than the sum named, may well ex- claim, when he hears of the low scale of fee adopted in the sister kingdoms by fully qualified practitioners—surelv such a system of cutting under must have a depreciating effect, and lower the status and social position of the profession in the eyes of the public who are persuaded, in the long run, where such a system is practised, that their doctor is only a vendor of drugs and nostrums, and merely one of the necessaries of life (just as the chimney-sweep is called in to ply his calling when the chimney wants sweeping), instead of looking on the physician and surgeon as the disciple of light, wisdom, and politeness, honourably and scientifically battling with the great universal enemies, disease and death. If I have laid stress on the extravagantly low fees charged by medical prac- titioners, I have as strongly to condemn the excessive scales of remuneration charged by very mediocre aod unprincipled men; for such gross attempts at extortion bring disgrace on a profession which should be of the noble—noble. The men who extort money in this way are not mere vendors of drugs. They hold high degrees and diplomas and thus the evil and scandal are the greater. If the colleges did their duty and had the moral backbone of their conviction they would put a stop to such conduct at once. It is easy enough to find out the ofi'ending parties, but, as I say, the colleges have not the moral courage to purge themselves of the vampires of the profession ; but they wink at the system which, of course, continues. While saying this I am fully sensible of the fact as regards fees and forms of remuneration that there must be considerable differ- ence in the higher ranks of the proiession, for every man values his time, experience, and skill according as it is ap- preciated by the public. Fourthly—Another disadvantage the profession has to