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my late visit to London, I took an opportunity of stating thatopinion to a party most likely to afford redress in the matter;and I have the satisfaction to acquaint you, that an alterationwill be made in the wording of that clause, so as to meetyour views, and remove all objections which may be urged,with propriety, against it in its present shape.-I am, dearSir, respectfully yours, U. RENTON.To Dr. J. C. Ha.

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R. RENTON.

Reply to the Letter published in the last Number of THE LANCET,from Sir G. Grey, Bart.

Whitehall, May 20th, 1848.

SiR,—I am directed by Secretary Sir George Grey toacknowledge the receipt of your letter -of the 13th instant,relative to the operation of the proposed charter to the RoyalCollege of Physicians of London. And I am to inform youthat your statement shall receive due consideration.-I amSir, your obedient servant, G. CORNEWALL LEWIS.To Dr. J. C. Hall.

From the publication of this correspondence it will be seenthat there is every reason for concluding that justice will bedone to the fellows of the Royal Colleges of Edinburgh andDublin, now in practice as physicians. But we must not stophere. Not only now, but for ever, the fellows of the RoyalCollege of Physicians of Edinburgh must claim the right ofbeing admitted into the College of Physicians of England,without examination, if they think proper to practise as phy-sicians in that part of- Great Britain so called; and I thinkyou, Sir, will agree with me, that,’no Bill for the amendmentof the medical profession will be perfect which would, in thesame country, make a man a physician on the north side of ariver, and a Mr. Nobody on the south.-I remain, Sir, yourvery obedient servant,

JOHN CHARLES HALL, M.D., F.R.C.P. Edin.Grove-street, East Retford, May, 1848.

R. RENTON.

G. CORNEWALL LEWIS.

JOHN CHARLES HALL, M.D., F.R.C.P. Edin.

THE COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS, LONDON—RIGHTSOF BRITISH GRADUATES.

To the Editor of THE LANCET.

SiR,—As a humble member of a British university, I beg to address a few words on the charter of the College of Physi-cians, London, and on the amicable arrangement made by cer-tain chartered bodies in London as to that which is mostsalutary to the medical profession. The chief object of thepresent movement of the College of Physicians seems to be toobtain increased power by sacrificing none, and hence makingthemselves complete despots as regards the licensing of phy-sicians in England. Is it just, however, that the graduatesof the British universities should thus be trampled on? Shouldnot a graduate of a British university, having been found afit and proper person to. practise his profession, be allowed todo so without being again reduced to the position of a stu-dent, after having been subjected to a strict and searchingexamination?—or a man who has been found fit to practise thehealing art seven miles from the General Post-office, be notfit to practise the same profession three miles from the same?-or, to carry the degradation still further, shall a physician whohas been peculiarly regarded for his scientific acquirementsin Scotland, who by virtue of such has received the highesthonours there, and who thinks fit to remove to England, shallhe be degraded to a position even below a student ? Are we living in the nineteenth century-methinks it the

middle of the dark ages; but, as Lord Brougham observed," the Almanac says it is nineteen hundred, and we must be-lieve it."To take [an example: the illustrious Professor Simpson,

lately appointed physician-accoucheur to her Majesty in Scot-land, would, if he had attended her Majesty in England, haverendered himself liable to fine or imprisonment. Is this thelaw of England? Is there anything so preposterous? The

English College of Physicians should consider that Scotlandis as much a part of Britain as England. If the College ofPhysicians but consider that the examination for the degreeof M.B. Cambridge is inferior to the examination at the University of St. Andrew’s, they cannot with’any degree ofpropriety look down on the Universities of Glasgow, Aber-deen, &c. ; and if, also, they recollect that some of thebrightest ornaments of the medical profession in England areScotchmen, or, at least, Scotch graduates, they will learn tolook at things differently.

lst. Let,then,all graduates of British universities assert theirclaims to be admitted members of any College of Physicians

in Great Britain, under certain regulations, without under-going a further examination.

2nd. Let the College of Physicians of the different partshave power to elect one or more examiners who shall be pre-sent at the examinations at the different universities; and,if they think fit, take part in such examinations, so that auniformity of examination may be obtained.’ 3rd. Let a member of one College of Physicians be allowed,on removing to any part within the jurisdiction of anotherCollege of Physicians, to become member of the same, andhave all the rights and privileges he would in his own collegewithout further payment-or, if a fellow, be elected a fellow.

4th. Let the sum paid for a membership in different coun-ties be the same-say X25 member, X50 fellow.

5th. Let not the College of Physicians of London havepower to grant degrees, which power exists, and always shouldexist with universities; as, for instance, in London, if a personhaving passed the membership at the College of Physicians,London, that person may on proper grounds receive an ho-norary degree of M.D. from the University of London.

6th. Let the graduates and under graduates of the Univer-sity of London agitate for a representative form of government,a senate house, or hall of convocation, will soon follow-thedegrees will be granted publicly-the honour and dignityof the university will be upheld by those who have an in-terest in it-benefactions and endowments will follow.The silk and velvet will not be merely useless baubles, butinsignia of power, giving useful stimulus to the rising genera-tion. The teelings of the graduates must then be attended toby the College of Physicians, London.

I am, Sir, your obedient servant,A LONDON UNIVERSITY RADICAL REFORMER.

University College, London, 1848.

FRIENDLY SOCIETIES AND THEIR MEDICAL

ATTENDANTS.MR. CLARK BARBER, of Colsterworth, Lincolnshire, requestsus to give insertion to the following remarks:-

" It has fallen to my lot to render medical attendance to anumber of neighbouring parishes, under the old system offarming parishes by contract, ground down to the lowest pitchby invited competition. By the words " invited competition"I mean that it was not an unusual thing for parish officers toinvite two or three surgeons to their vestry meetings, in orderto see who would undertake the management of the sick poorat the lowest price. In the days of which I am writing, com-pared with the present time, friendly societies were very fewin number, and most of them were not attended by contract:but now these societies have received very great augmenta-tions,and the members are admitted to receive medical attend-ance at the rate of three shillings per head, including every-thing excepting fracture of legs or arm, and leeches.The above rate of charge is certainly not a remuneratingone for the surgeon, but such (with a little alteration) as hewould be contented with, provided the members requiringhis aid should be strictly confined to the poor man and jour-neyman mechanic, and also that he (the medical man) is notrequired to go too far from his residence. But when a classof tradesmen are introduced;such as grocers, drapers, butchers,bakers, publicans, &c. &c., I really feel quite astonished, andwonder how they can degrade themselves and inflict suchserious injustice upon the medical man as to expect to be at-tended at the same rate as a poor labouring man, or medical-club patient. I really cannot think how such a class of re-spectable men can so far forget themselves and the positionthey hold in society, as to think they are proper objects to beadmitted upon the poor man’s scale of remuneration to hismedical attendant. I have always found the above class ofpeople to require much more attendance and attention thanthe poor man. I have had for the last few years not less thanbetween four and five hundred self-aiding medical-club pa-

. tients under my care, strictly confined to the labourer andjourneyman mechanic. I have two-and-sixpence per head for! a male, and three shillings for a female club patient, and Ihave no hesitation in saying that (after making all deductionsand drawbacks, such as visiting members early to place them- on their club-books, writing certificates, &c. &c., with all ex-. penses connected with the society) the Poor Man’s Medical

Club is quite as good and profitable to the surgeon as the socie-) ties of Odd Fellows and Foresters.

I think it would not be amiss to state here, that, on unionr account, in cases of accident, the pay the surgeon receives iss as follows : viz., £5 for compound fracture of the leg or thigh;

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£3 for simple fracture of the thigh or leg; and 1:1 for fractureor dislocation of the arm.What, then, is the remedy for the above evil? Why, I

should say, as a medical man, let every respectable tradesman&c. keep his three shillings, and employ what medical manhe pleases; and should there be in the club a very poor trades-man (although a master mechanic) who should not be in aposition to pay a " doctor’s bill," I say, let it be left to thediscretion of the surgeon to attend that poor man by theyear, if he thinks well to do so.

After fully considering this affair, I should beg to suggestto these societies what I conceive (as regards terms of con-tract) to be just and fair to both parties-viz., the medicalattendant and the societies.

Tenrras of Medical and Surgical Attendance on Clubs andBenefit S’ocieties :-

1st. The surgeon to receive three shillings for each membernot residing more than three miles from his residence.

2nd. To receive one shilling per mile for every mile beyond Ithe three miles above stated, but not to be required to go imore than six miles from his own house. ’,

3rd. All members out of bounds (that is, beyond the firstthree miles) to be allowed to make the best arrangement theycan with the nearest surgeon to their home.

4 tli. That no farmer, master tradesman, or master handi-craftsman, be admitted upon the surgeon’s list, but that mem-bers for medical attendance (on club account) be strictly con-fined to labourers and journeymen mechanics.

5th. Leeches to be paid for by the society.6th. Fracture of leg, two guineas.7th. Fracture of arm, one guinea.8th. Dislocation of elbow or shoulder, one guinea.There are many other accidents to which the human frame

is liable, and the remuneration for which would be left open,such as retention of the urine; broken collar-bone; fracture ofskull requiring trepanning; fracture of ribs; dislocation ofknee and ankle; tapping in dropsy; hernia, and the operationfor it.

I think it would be well if guardians and the leading mem-bers of friendly societies would take the trouble torecommendevery member to cultivate a good understanding with his"doctor;" that is to say, not to harass him unnecessarily; andwhen the patient wishes to see his medical attendant, exceptin sudden illness, let the order be at the surgeon’s residenceearly, before he takes his first journey in the morning, so thatthe surgeon may know what journeys he has to take duringthe day, and’not be put to the inconvenience and trouble ofriding the same ground over and over again.

I would also suggest that the heads of societies, and everyrespectable man, should stand by and support the regularlyeducated surgeon; and I hope the day is not far distant whenthe bulk of society will be deeply convinced that, iri sickness,if legitimate medical science and the accumulated experienceof ages cannot afford them a remedy, they will seek for it invain at the hands of ignorance and quackery.Colsterworth, April, 1848."

ASSISTANT-SURGEONS IN THE ROYAL NAVY.

MICHAEL HEALY, M.D.

To the Editor of THE LANCET.SIR,—THE LANCET of May the 6th contains a letter addressed

to me, signed, "An Assistant-Surgeon R.N." The writer ap-pears to have made a mistake with regard to a letter, signed," A Captain R.N.," to which my observations in your paper ofthe 22nd of April had reference. The mistake of your (or,rather, of my) correspondent would seem to have arisen fromthe circumstance of there having appeared in THE LANCET twoletters, each bearing the signature," A Captain R.N.," anddated respectively, Jan. 1st and Jan. 15th. Now my observa-tions were applied to the former letter, and were made alto-gether with a view to the correction of what seemed to me tobe a mistake on the part of the writer-viz., the sentimentsattributed by him to the full surgeons of the navy, and parti-cularly to Sir W. Burnett on the long-agitated subject of theremoval of the assistant-surgeons to the ward-room. Withrespect to the letter, bearing a similar signature, which wastransferred to your columns of the 15th January, and which isvery ably handled by " An Assistant-Surgeon R.N.," (perhapsmy friend,) my letter had no reference to it, for the simplestpossible reason,-I had neither seen nor heard of it when Iwrote; indeed, even if I had, I should have considered it un-necessary to have alluded to it, for it is really unworthy thetrouble taken to show up its weakness, its vulgarity, and itstotal want of argumentative matter. Its very first sentence

betrays an ignorance of grammar (rare, let us charitably hope,amongst captains R.N.) which I rather wonder escaped theobservation of the gentleman who so very efficiently took it topieces.My correspondent alludes, with something not unlike a

taunt, to my having applied the term "gallant" to a" CaptainR.N." Had it been applied to the writer of the letter of the15th, I should in truth have admitted the justice of his takingme to task for it; but it was by me intended to refer to thewriter of the letter of the 1st,—In fact, the expression, as weall know, is a sort of generic one as applied to the officers ofboth services-a mere façon de parler;" just as we say" learned" to the lawyers, " honourable" to M.P.S, and "reve-

rend" to the clergy.I am as well aware as any man can be, that there is, andhas been from time immemorial, a strong, a deep-rooted, anda most unwarrantable prejudice existing amongst all the exe-cutive classes in the navy against the medical officers, andparticularly against the assistant-surgeons; indeed, no mancould have served without witnessing, most painfully witness.ing, daily, nay hourly, instances of it; it was one of the manycauses of disgust which drove me out of the service.

I am, however, bound to say that I have met with manyhonourable exceptions, and these exceptions have invariablybeen found amongst the most aristocratic and the best edu-cated of the executive class. I certainly do feel strongly thedegraded position of the naval assistant-surgeons. I haveoften expressed myself strongly on the subject; I shall con-tinue to do so, as opportunities present themselves, till theirposition shall be made what it ought to be. I have no personalinterest whatsoever in the matter; I do not think I have anacquaintance now on the medical list, save one, a near and avery dear connexion, and lie has no more (or at least verylittle more) interest in it than I have, having obtained his pro.motion after a service of about seven years as an assistant. Iquite agree with the cpinion that any farther agitation of thisquestion before the Admiralty is useless. I do think thatit is to the legislature the naval assistant-surgeons must lookfor redress, and I do hope that Mr. Wakley will take an op-portunity, before the close of the session, to bring the matterbefore the House; when the naval estimates are under con-sideration would seem to be the most fitting time. I havereason to know that the honourable member for Montrosewill give the subject his support; and there is, or was, a navalofficer, Captain Jones, in the House, who on a former occa-sion advocated the claims of the assistant-surgeons.

I cannot boast of a numerous acquaintance amongst ourM.P.s, but there are three honourable members who reckon meamongst their constituents, and I think I could enlist thesympathies of these gentlemen in favour of my naval brethren.I feel obliged to "An Assistant-Surgeon R.N." for the kindmanner in which he speaks of my efforts on behalf of his class;he does me but justice in attributing to me an ardent desireto see him ranking where he and all like him ought to be-inthe service.-I am, Mr. Editor, faithfully yours,

Bindon-street, Ennis, May, 1848. MiCHAEL HEALY, M.D.

THE COUNCIL OF THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF

SURGEONS, AND THE MEMBERS OF THAT COL-LEGE.

To tlte Editor of THE LINCET.

SIR,--Allow me to express my humble gratitude for thestraightforward and manly manner in which you have come for-ward and suggested to our apathetic profession the only meansthat now lie open for it to rescue itself from a second editionof Apothecaries’ Hall. Let your advice be acted upon, andwe are certain of success. The earnest and temperate re-monstrance of ten thousand insulted and injured members ofthe College of Surgeons of England could not fail at the pre-

, sent moment to have a decided effect. Now, or never, should. be our watchword. To crush the so-called degradation seek-

ing institute, and compel the college to institute a medical as, well as a surgical examination,—this is all we want; but a. poor concession after all, and only raising their standard of

requirements to an equality with the Dublin and EdinburghColleges, but which, by some peculiar mode of reasoning best

i known to the grave and wise council itself, is not com-. patible with their Royal College’s dignity.

Liverpool practitioners, be up and stirring. Stand by Mr.Wakley, your old and tried friend. Show the other pro-

’ vincial towns of Great Britain the initiation, as on the lastoccasion, when you numbered your hundreds to petition in

, favour of his Registration Bill, which nothing but the corrupt