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THE CENSUS OF 1851.
643 you with details. The plan and its opponents will soon be before the public, and I am content to abide my time, of its arresting the attention of Parliament, where the " humbug" and " impostor" may be exposed. Thanking you for your courtesies of language and imputations, I am, Sir, yours obediently, Southam, Dec. 1, 1850. H. H. L. SMITH.
of internal as well as external diseases, that this deprivation occurs? If so, the registrar-general should be at once informed, to save unnecessary time and trouble, that there is no such being as a surgeon in the United Kingdom; indeed, that the medical profession consists but of two classes, physicians and general practitioners. And, in future, in calling attention to promotions in the medical department of the army and navy, you will substitute for the titles now in vogue some such as the following:-Assistant General Practitioner Brown to CLETTER OF A SUBSCRIBER.] be General Practitioner; or, We are informed that General To the Editor of THE LANCET. Practitioner Green has been appointed Staff General Practito Mr. of inform that inSmith, SIR,—Ibeg Southam, you of the First Class. And, in republishing your admirtioner troduced his dispensary project into this town, some years able portrait of Sir Wm. Burnett, you will inform all whom it continued and was about two very fairly tried, it since; years, may concern that he holds the distinguished position of but most signally failed, the parties for whom it was originally General Practitioner General to the Fleet. intended refusing to subscribe, and a superior class, well able I am, Sir, your very obedient servant, to pay a medical man, were the parties who availed themK. Q. Dec. 2, 1950. in the the end, medical man selves of its advantages. Thus, In from this we cannot refrain note, was the sufferer, and bore the brunt of the charity; or, rather, *-,,* exprespublishing as Mr. Smith is pleased to term it, " a self-supporting dispen- sing a hope that the Registrar-General will see the propriety sary ;" I would suggest, as an addition, " at the expense of the of amending his instructions, by omitting the words " general country surgeon." and introducing the term " apothecary." When In conclusion, I would remark, that great as are the evils of practitioner," he is informed that the title general practitioner is unknown to Mr. Smith’s system, the Odd Fellows’ clubs are quite as deroour universities, medical and surgical colleges, and the inall if to the medical and not man, checked, complete will, gatory the ruin of the country medical men. I trust you will expose corporated Society of Apothecaries, he will, we think, be of these clubs as well as Mr. Smith’s scheme. opinion that it would not be proper to give an authoritative I remain, Sir, stamp to a title which has neither a recognised nor an official A SUBSCRIBER FOR MANY YEARS. Banbury, Dec. 2, 1850. existence. Besides, the title general practitioner is unmeaning, uumedical, unsurgical, unclassical. Assuredly a man is [LETTER FROM DR. MOORE.] not less a surgeon because he understands and practises mediTo the Editor of THE LANCET. ; and is it not equally true that an apothecary cannot be SIR, —Knowing your desire, and esteeming your efforts, to cine converted into a surgeon by merely conferring upon him the exalt the status of every class of members of the medical profession, I am surprised at the tenor of your strictures name ? If the titles physician, surgeon, and apothecary be relative to the "self-supporting dispensary system." Such deemed insufficient, the term surgeon-apothecary, which is views appear to result from an entire misapprehension of Mr. well understood, and is radically appropriate, may be emSmith’s principles, as well as of their application. Your obL. servations being more imaginative than argumentative, cannot ployed."-ED. easily be dealt with; and I can but express my conviction A CURIOUS "CASE." that the system, if honestly adopted, will prove fraught with To the Editor of THE LANCET. and to the beneficial advantage profession generally; highly to that class of the community to which it is applicable. have SIR,—I lately received a communication from Dr. The object of this communication is to preclude an infer- White, of the 13th Bengal cavalry, which may prove interestence prejudicial to Mr. Smith, likely to be deduced from ing to the readers of THE LANCET. He states, " that a fowl bethe last paragraph of the article in your journal. The Society longing to an officer stationed at Peshawer, laid an egg, so is instituted-its organization is complete-and it only remains singular in appearance, on account of its great length (four for the profession to adopt the principles upon which it is inches) and narrowness, that he determined to preserve the founded; hence, no resolution was needed at the meeting shell. For this purpose he punctured the ends, intending to held at my house. remove the interior by breathing forcibly through it; he was I am, Sir, your obedient servant, surprised to find the needle strike against a hard substance, JOSEPH MOORE. and on shaking the egg he felt the more assured that it must Savile-row, Dec. 5, 1850. This letter was only received just as the journal was contain something abnormal. On breaking the shell another egg was found with a hardened shell, containing yolk being made up for the press. Of course we shall have some- perfect and albumen, as in the first." thing to say on the subject next week. In the meantime, We read of two eggs united at the ends by the memwe can assure Dr. Moore that the profession will never adopt brana putaminis, and also of others containing a blasted ovum, double or triple yolks, &c., but I believe this is the only the principles of Mr. Smith’s scheme.-ED. L. authentic record of a perfect egg with hardened shell being found in the interior of one also normal; and it would seem to THE CENSUS OF 1851. determine points on which some difference of opinion has DIVISION OF THE PROFESSION BY THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL INTO existed among physiologists. Firstly, it proves that the shell of the egg is hardened without being exposed to the atmoTHREE CLASSES—PHYSICIANS, SURGEONS, AND GENERAL PRACTITIONERS. sphere, although it has been believed that the induration of the earthy deposit depends on the absorption of carbonic To the Editor of THE LANCET. from atmospheric contact; as the exterior shell was perSIR,—In your publication of Saturday last, I see a notification acid to the effect that the registrar-general has issued instructions, fect, this explanation can no longer be considered satisfactory. in taking the census of 1851, for dividing the medical profes- Secondly, that the membrana testae with its earthy envelope sion into three grades, or classes: physicians, surgeons, and are both products of the oviduct, and that it is not the cases, has been affirmed by one author, that the shell only is an general practitioners. Now, Sir, as I, and perhaps many as uterine secretion. Yours, obediently, will feel in to which considerable others, dimculty stating W. H. ASHLEY, M.D. Boyne-terrace, Notting-hill, Oct. 1850. class we belong, perhaps you will kindly insert this letter in THELANCET, that it may be the means of calling general and :more special attention to the subject. THE MEDICAL PROFESSION AND ASSURANCE A physician’s class and duty are tolerably distinctly defined, OFFICES. but, as regards the others, what constitutes the difference beTo the Editor of THE LANCET. tween a surgeon and a general practitioner? that if a THE fact i. a member LANCET of the of Is it the surgeon, e., SIR,—In College 1843-4, vol. i. p. 303, is a letter of Surgeons, extends his education, and passes another and from me on this subject, refusing to give my opinion grafar more stringent examination, he loses his right to the title tuitously to the Birmingham branch of the Norwich Insurance previously obtained? Or, is it that practising pharmacy, for Office, when it was not so fashionable to meet these " conwhich he has obtained a licence, deprives him of his right to fidential" gentlemen with a denial as it is at present. You style himself surgeon? If not, is it that because he practises there very properly comment on the injurious effects likely to in medical as well as chirurgical cases, prescribes for the cure{ result to individuals in isolated cases thus opposing monopoly. _____
W. H. ASHLEY, M.D.
of internal as well as external diseases, that this deprivation occurs? If so, the registrar-general should be at once informed, to save unnecessary time and trouble, that there is no such being as a surgeon in the United Kingdom; indeed, that the medical profession consists but of two classes, physicians and general practitioners. And, in future, in calling attention to promotions in the medical department of the army and navy, you will substitute for the titles now in vogue some such as the following:-Assistant General Practitioner Brown to CLETTER OF A SUBSCRIBER.] be General Practitioner; or, We are informed that General To the Editor of THE LANCET. Practitioner Green has been appointed Staff General Practito Mr. of inform that inSmith, SIR,—Ibeg Southam, you of the First Class. And, in republishing your admirtioner troduced his dispensary project into this town, some years able portrait of Sir Wm. Burnett, you will inform all whom it continued and was about two very fairly tried, it since; years, may concern that he holds the distinguished position of but most signally failed, the parties for whom it was originally General Practitioner General to the Fleet. intended refusing to subscribe, and a superior class, well able I am, Sir, your very obedient servant, to pay a medical man, were the parties who availed themK. Q. Dec. 2, 1950. in the the end, medical man selves of its advantages. Thus, In from this we cannot refrain note, was the sufferer, and bore the brunt of the charity; or, rather, *-,,* exprespublishing as Mr. Smith is pleased to term it, " a self-supporting dispen- sing a hope that the Registrar-General will see the propriety sary ;" I would suggest, as an addition, " at the expense of the of amending his instructions, by omitting the words " general country surgeon." and introducing the term " apothecary." When In conclusion, I would remark, that great as are the evils of practitioner," he is informed that the title general practitioner is unknown to Mr. Smith’s system, the Odd Fellows’ clubs are quite as deroour universities, medical and surgical colleges, and the inall if to the medical and not man, checked, complete will, gatory the ruin of the country medical men. I trust you will expose corporated Society of Apothecaries, he will, we think, be of these clubs as well as Mr. Smith’s scheme. opinion that it would not be proper to give an authoritative I remain, Sir, stamp to a title which has neither a recognised nor an official A SUBSCRIBER FOR MANY YEARS. Banbury, Dec. 2, 1850. existence. Besides, the title general practitioner is unmeaning, uumedical, unsurgical, unclassical. Assuredly a man is [LETTER FROM DR. MOORE.] not less a surgeon because he understands and practises mediTo the Editor of THE LANCET. ; and is it not equally true that an apothecary cannot be SIR, —Knowing your desire, and esteeming your efforts, to cine converted into a surgeon by merely conferring upon him the exalt the status of every class of members of the medical profession, I am surprised at the tenor of your strictures name ? If the titles physician, surgeon, and apothecary be relative to the "self-supporting dispensary system." Such deemed insufficient, the term surgeon-apothecary, which is views appear to result from an entire misapprehension of Mr. well understood, and is radically appropriate, may be emSmith’s principles, as well as of their application. Your obL. servations being more imaginative than argumentative, cannot ployed."-ED. easily be dealt with; and I can but express my conviction A CURIOUS "CASE." that the system, if honestly adopted, will prove fraught with To the Editor of THE LANCET. and to the beneficial advantage profession generally; highly to that class of the community to which it is applicable. have SIR,—I lately received a communication from Dr. The object of this communication is to preclude an infer- White, of the 13th Bengal cavalry, which may prove interestence prejudicial to Mr. Smith, likely to be deduced from ing to the readers of THE LANCET. He states, " that a fowl bethe last paragraph of the article in your journal. The Society longing to an officer stationed at Peshawer, laid an egg, so is instituted-its organization is complete-and it only remains singular in appearance, on account of its great length (four for the profession to adopt the principles upon which it is inches) and narrowness, that he determined to preserve the founded; hence, no resolution was needed at the meeting shell. For this purpose he punctured the ends, intending to held at my house. remove the interior by breathing forcibly through it; he was I am, Sir, your obedient servant, surprised to find the needle strike against a hard substance, JOSEPH MOORE. and on shaking the egg he felt the more assured that it must Savile-row, Dec. 5, 1850. This letter was only received just as the journal was contain something abnormal. On breaking the shell another egg was found with a hardened shell, containing yolk being made up for the press. Of course we shall have some- perfect and albumen, as in the first." thing to say on the subject next week. In the meantime, We read of two eggs united at the ends by the memwe can assure Dr. Moore that the profession will never adopt brana putaminis, and also of others containing a blasted ovum, double or triple yolks, &c., but I believe this is the only the principles of Mr. Smith’s scheme.-ED. L. authentic record of a perfect egg with hardened shell being found in the interior of one also normal; and it would seem to THE CENSUS OF 1851. determine points on which some difference of opinion has DIVISION OF THE PROFESSION BY THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL INTO existed among physiologists. Firstly, it proves that the shell of the egg is hardened without being exposed to the atmoTHREE CLASSES—PHYSICIANS, SURGEONS, AND GENERAL PRACTITIONERS. sphere, although it has been believed that the induration of the earthy deposit depends on the absorption of carbonic To the Editor of THE LANCET. from atmospheric contact; as the exterior shell was perSIR,—In your publication of Saturday last, I see a notification acid to the effect that the registrar-general has issued instructions, fect, this explanation can no longer be considered satisfactory. in taking the census of 1851, for dividing the medical profes- Secondly, that the membrana testae with its earthy envelope sion into three grades, or classes: physicians, surgeons, and are both products of the oviduct, and that it is not the cases, has been affirmed by one author, that the shell only is an general practitioners. Now, Sir, as I, and perhaps many as uterine secretion. Yours, obediently, will feel in to which considerable others, dimculty stating W. H. ASHLEY, M.D. Boyne-terrace, Notting-hill, Oct. 1850. class we belong, perhaps you will kindly insert this letter in THELANCET, that it may be the means of calling general and :more special attention to the subject. THE MEDICAL PROFESSION AND ASSURANCE A physician’s class and duty are tolerably distinctly defined, OFFICES. but, as regards the others, what constitutes the difference beTo the Editor of THE LANCET. tween a surgeon and a general practitioner? that if a THE fact i. a member LANCET of the of Is it the surgeon, e., SIR,—In College 1843-4, vol. i. p. 303, is a letter of Surgeons, extends his education, and passes another and from me on this subject, refusing to give my opinion grafar more stringent examination, he loses his right to the title tuitously to the Birmingham branch of the Norwich Insurance previously obtained? Or, is it that practising pharmacy, for Office, when it was not so fashionable to meet these " conwhich he has obtained a licence, deprives him of his right to fidential" gentlemen with a denial as it is at present. You style himself surgeon? If not, is it that because he practises there very properly comment on the injurious effects likely to in medical as well as chirurgical cases, prescribes for the cure{ result to individuals in isolated cases thus opposing monopoly. _____
W. H. ASHLEY, M.D.