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Kidderminster MeetingSource: Provincial Medical and Surgical Journal (1844-1852), Vol. 8, No. 26 (Sep. 25, 1844), pp.409-410Published by: BMJStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25498117 .

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KIDDERMINSTER MEETING. 409

Hospital; Dr. Wright, physician of the Dispensary; William Sands Cox, Esq., senior surgeon of the

Queen's Hospital; Edward T. Cox, Esq., senior surgeon of the Town Infirmary; Mr. J. Elkington, senior surgeon of the Dispensary; Mr. Francis Elkington, surgeon of the Lying-in Hospital; Mr. S. A. Amphlett, surgeon of the General Hospital; Mr. G. B. Knowles and Mr. L. Parker, surgeons of the

Queen's Hospital; Mr. Holbeche and Mr. Harmar,

surgeons of the General Dispensary; Mr. Green and Mr. Berry, surgeons of the Town Infirmary; Mr. Pye H. Chavasse; Mr. J. Davies, senior, Coleshill; Mr.

Freer Proud, Wolverhampton; Mr. J. P. Oates,

Sutton; Mr. J. Barker, Coleshill; Mr. C. Hoskins, Bilston; Mr. W. S. Underhill, Tipton; Mr. J. Davies, Great Bridge.

The esteemed president opened at length the pro ceedings of the meeting by a clear exposition of the

injurious effects which the proposed enactments of Sir

James Graham's bill would have, not only on the

profession, but more especially on the community at large.

The council then proceeded to take into considera tion a code of rules and regulations submitted by the

Honorary Secretary, William Sands Cox, Esq., having for their object the protection of the public, the pro

motion of fair and honourable practice in the profes sion, and for opposing and discountenancing all practices that may have a tendency to bring the pro fession into discredit or lessen its respectability; to arbitrate between its members, and to expel any

member who shall be proved to be guilty of irregular and unprofessional conduct.

On the motion of Edward J. Cox, Esq., seconded by Mr. Pye H. Chavasse, the rules and regulations were unanimously carried.

On the motion of Dr. Wright, seconded by Mr. T.

Green, Dr. Birt Davies was unanimously appointed the Treasurer.

On the motion of Mr. J. Davies, sen., Coleshill,

secondedby Mr. G. B. Knowles, Dr. James Johnstone, senior ,physician of the General Hospital, Dr. Birt

Davies, senior physician of the Queen's Hospital, Dr. Bell Fletcher, senior physician of the Dispensary, Dr. Wright, Mr. Thomas Chavasse, Mr. Thomas Green, and the Honorary Secretary, William Sands Cox, Esq., were appointed a sub-committee to report on Sir James Graham's Bill, with power to add to

their numbers.

The meeting was then adjourned.

Upwards of one hundred leading members of the

profession of the town and neighbourhood have already

joined the Association.

KIDDERMINSTER MEETING. A general meeting of the members of the medical

profession of this town and neighbourhood took place in the Board Room of the Dispensary on Monday

week, for the purpose of considering the objectionable clauses of the above measure.

Henry Homfray, Esq., of Broadwaters House, in the chair.

Mr. Cole, of Bewdley, in rising to move the first

resolution, said that, in common with other members

of the medical profession, he felt great interest in the

proceeding of the Government, as expressed in the

bill of Sir James Graham. Whilst he approved of

those parts of the bill which tended to equalize the

general system of education in the various colleges and

universities, he felt great concern at the proposed repeal of the Apothecaries' Act-an enactment which

had conferred more important benefits upon the pro ession and public than any other legislative measure

that had ever been passed. Dr. Kidd, Regius Pro

fessor of Medicine in the University of Oxford, an

important authority in these matters, speaking on the subject, had said-" The character of the general

practitioner, since the passing of the Act of 1815, had

undergone a thorough change. Before that time it

had often been his lot to meet in consultation men

without any qualification at all, and, as a matter of

course, he found that everything they had done had

been to no purpose. Of late years, however, when

called upon, he found little, to do or suggest, but

merely to approve what had been done before."

(Cheers.) The opinion of such a man as Dr. Kidd

was calculated to have a great effect,and it was for that

reason that he mentioned it. He should only add the

expression of his strong conviction that if the Apothe caries' Act were repealed, without the substitution of

some other measure, offering still greater protection, irretrievable mischief, both to the public and the pro

fession, would certainly ensue. (Cheers.) It was,

therefore, with great pleasure that he moved the fol

lowing resolution:-" That whilst, on the one hand, this meeting hails with satisfaction many parts of Sir

James Graham's proposed measure of Medical Reform,

it views with the deepest concern, on the other, his

statement on introducing the subject of that measure

to the House of Commons, ' That quackery could not

be put down by legislation,' and is decidedly of opinion that any reform, such as the unconditional repeal of

the Apothecaries' Act, would be ruinous to a vast mass

of the profession, and fraught with great danger and

injury to the public." The motion was seconded by Dr. Roden and carried

unanimously. Moved by Mr. Bradley, and seconded by Mr.

Jotham: " That as the daily.experience of medical men

shows that the great bulk of the public, (including not

only the poor, but also, in numerous instances, the

middle and higher classes,) either cannot or will not

discriminate between the regularly educated practi tioner and the pretender to the same knowledge, this

meeting is of opinion that the medical man, who is

required by law to undergo a protracted and expensive

education, and to obtain by rigorous examinations

letters testimonial of his fitness to practice his profes

sion, should by the same law also be protected from

any invasion of his hardly-earned rights by the illegal

practitioner. This meeting is further of opinion that

nothing short of summary punishment, by fine or

otherwise, on conviction before the magistrates where

such occurrences happens, will remedy this crying evil, both to her Majesty's subjects and the profession."

Mr. Thursfield said, before the resolution was put to the meeting, he would, with permission from the

chair, offer a few observations upon it. During a

residence of upwards of thirteen years in the town, in

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410 MISCELLANEOUS.

the capacity of surgeon to the Poor-bouse and Union, he had often been called upon to attend persons suffer

ing from the ill-treatment of unqualified practitioners; and in three instances he had had to attend investiga tions before the coroner, wherein death had been

caused solely through the malpractices of unqualified

persons. One of these was a midwifery case, in which

death was found to have resulted from extensive

laceration, caused by the improper use of instruments

and the absorption of morbid matter, consequent on the

sloughing. The man was not a medical practitioner, but he passed himself off as such, and this poor woman believed his assertions. Strange to say, the

jury believed the reason this man assigned for the

patient's death, which, it were needless to say was an

incorrect one; and though he showed before them the

grossest ignorance of even the terms he used, and

stated that thinking the illness was from gonorrhea, he

bad used mercury extensively, they found a verdict

that the patient died from natural causes, and contented

themselves with reprimanding the man and discharging him. Another case occurred in Bladkwell Street, of

even a worse character, with the same result. The

same person attended another woman: and when he

(Mr. Thursfield) was subsequently called in, he found

that she had been in labour four days! Her case

had been declared by this man to be one of great

difficulty, and he had declined calling in a medical

practitioner, saying it was useless to do so, as the

woman must die! The fact was, however, that the

case was not by any means a difficult one, for the

woman was safely delivered in a quarter of an hour

after his (Mr. T.'s) attendance. In another instance, an unqualified practitioner was called in to attend a

poor girl suffering from dysentery and hemorrhage

from the bowels. He came, and by his statement

found her fainting on the night chair; and what was

his treatment ? Why, he bled her, and the operation

being scarcely finished, she died. The jury, however, suffered such conduct to pass without animadversion; the coroner observing that it was not for him to enquire into the qualifications of a medical practitioner; it was

for the jury to say whether they were satisfied with the

evidence they had heard, and their verdict must be

in accordance with it. He could inform the meeting of other cases of infamous treatment by uneducated

practitioners-one of which, however, would suffice. A patient for a simple attack of tic douloureux had been bled four times, and though receiving proper medical attendance afterwards, he was unable for months and

months to return to his labour. After this, who, he would ask, was the sufferer ? Was it the medical man?

No-certainly not-but the the public. He considered it to be the duty of the profession to inform the

public what danger they incurred from employing unqualified men.

This resolution having been carried, it was moved by Dr. Roden and seconded by Mr. Taylor,

" That this

meeting views with disapprobation the proposed con stitution of the 'Council of Health and Medical

Education,' as not being likely to possess the confi dence of the profession; and that this meeting cannot refrain from expressing its surprise and regret that no

general practitioner is, by this bill, proposed to be appointed on the same."

It was afterwards resolved that a petition to the

House of Commons embodying the resolutions of the

meeting should be drawn up and a Committee was

appointed to watch the progress of Sir James Graham's

Bill.

WINCHESTER MEETING. At a meeting of the Medical Practitioners in Win

chester, held at the County Hospital, Sept. 17, 1844,

present: Dr. Phillips, Dr. Crawford, Dr. Harris, W. N.

Wickham, Esq., C. Mayo, Esq., W. J. Wickham, Esq., W. N. Nicholas, Esq., Arthur Paul, Esq.; Dr. Phillips

in the chair:

It was resolved that it is desirable that a general

meeting of the Medical Practitioners of this county should be convened, with a view to discuss the pro visions of a Bill, recently proposed to Parliament by Sir James Graham, intitled "A Bill for the better

regulation of Medical Practice throughout the United

Kingdom." That the Medical Practitioners of Hampshire be

invited to meet at the Town-hall, in this city, on

Thursday, the 3d of October next, at twelve o'clock at

noon, for the above purpose.

PROVINCIAL MEDICAL AND SURGICAL

ASSOCIATION. SUFFOLK BRANCH.

A Special General Meeting of the Members of the above Society, and of the profession generally, residing in the county, will be held at the New Assembly Room,

Ipswich, on Friday, the 4th of October next, to take into consideration a bill lately introduced into the

House of Commons, by Sir James Graham, Bart., entiled a " Bill for the better regulation of Medical

Practice throughout the United Kingdom." The chair will be taken at two o'clock precisely.

C. R. BREE, Hon. Sec.

Stowmarket, September 12, 1844.

SHROPSHIRE AND NORTH WALES BRANCH.

A meeting of the members of this branch, to take

into consideration Sir James Graham's Medical Bill, will be held on Tuesday, October 1, at 3 p.m., at

the Lion Hotel, Shrewsbury. THOMAS J. DRURY, M.D., Secretaries. JAMES BRATTON,

Shrewsbury, April 23,1844.

TO CORRESPONDENTS. Communications have been received from Mr. Dayman;

Dr. Beddome; Medicus; Mr. Sands Cox; Dr..

E. D. Walker; Mr. J. C. Davie; Dr. Bell Fletcher; Mr. G. Bulmer; Dr. McEgan; Mr. Crosse.

We are compelled to postpone notices of the Hastings, Leeds, Liverpool, Norwich, and other Meetings, until next week.

It is requested that all letters and: communications be

sent to Dr. Streeten, Foregate Street, Worcester.

Parcels, and books for review, may be addressed to the Editor of the Provincial Medical and Surgical Journal, care of Mr. Churchill, Princes Street, Soho,

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