TUNBRIDGE WELLS MEDICAL REGISTRATION ASSOCIATION.

" 18, Bolton-street, W., Jan. 7th, 1859. pressed fears lest their proceedings might be considered more than directed by the Executive Committee of theisuperfluous, even obtrusive, certainly need no longer entertain General Council of Medical Education and Registration of the such fears ; for the Registrar himself had acknowledged the United Kingdom, to request that you would inform the com- usefulness, and even courted the assistance, of such Associations. mittee of the London Medical Registration Association that Some Associations he saw were assisting in the registration of they havereceived and considered the resolutions passed by the members in their localities ; but this appeared unnecessary the committee of the Association on the 22nd ult., and that in so small a district as their own, where everybody was within they shall always feel obliged for any information or assistance reach of a post-office order. The important feature of the that the committee of the Association may be disposed to lend Association would be, that it offered to its members the opporthem for the purpose of ensuring the correctness of the Register, tunity of bringing under its notice any instances of unqualified but that they see no reason for a personal interview at present. practice, and thereby preventing personal altercation or responI am, Sir, your obedient servant, sibility. In this neighbourhood they had been freer from Theodore E. Ladd, M.D., Hon. Sec." FRANCIS HAWKINS, HAWELINS, Registrar. quackery than most others. There was no telling how soon their turn might come; but there was no question that the ex" 14, Savile-row, Jan. 10th, 1859. istence of an which undertook to bring all such NIY DEAR SIR,-I will take care that your suggestions are matters beforeAssociation, the notice of the Registrar, would act as a terror duly considered by the Executive Committee. The matter of to evil-doers. registration is attended with much difficulty, and requires the The following resolutions were then passed:greatest circumspection, and, therefore, cannot be carried out 1. " That in the opinion of this meeting it is desirable to In the meanso rapidly as the profession may have expected. while you may be assured that the Registrar will be glad to form a Registration Association for this place and neighbouras prescribed by the resolutions of have all the help which others can afford him in performing hood as nearly as possible " the duty which he has undertaken. If I am not mistaken, the the general meeting." 2. ’’ That this meeting adopts the resolutions of the general Registrar mentioned to the Executive Committee an oral com- meeting, reserving to the committee now appointed the power munication that he had had from you and some of your friends on the subject, and they agreed that it was desirable that all such to modify them, so as to meet any particular requirements of communications should be in writing, in order that they might the district." 3. " That ten gentlemen, with the chairman and secretary, have the opportunity of discussing them without danger of be the committee, with power to add to their number: three them. misunderstanding ’

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" That the committee do assist in the registration of any of its members, if required." 5. ’’ That it shall be the duty of the committee to attend to any information that may be forwarded to it by any of the members of this Association, bearing on the sixth resolution of the general meeting, in order to prevent the necessity of any " personal feelingin the operation of the Act." 6. "That it shall be the duty of all members of this Association to forward to the committee any facts bearing on any fraudulent qualification, and any instances of practice by un4-

BuoDiE. B. C. BRODIE.

It was moved by Dr. CROSS, seconded by Mr. DAY, and carried unanimously,-" That these communications be laid before the General Committee of the Association at their next "

meeting.

TUNBRIDGE WELLS MEDICAL REGISTRATION ASSOCIATION. A MEETING of the members of the South-Eastern Branch of qualified persons." the British Medical Association, and other members of the After a vote of thanks to the chairman and secretary, the medical profession, was held on Saturday last, at the Royal meeting terminated. Sussex Hotel, Tunbridge Wells, for the purpose of forming a NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE MEDICAL REGISTRATION ASSOCIARegistration Association for that place and neighbourhood; TION.-At a meeting of the medical practitioners of North Mr. RIGHTON GREAM in the chair. The minutes of the held at the Railway Hotel, Stoke-upon-Trent, Staffordshire, general meeting held at Brighton on the 18tb of December on the 5th inst., the following resolutions were adopted :last, appointing Mr. Trustram secretary, and prescribing the Moved by Mr. TURNER, seconded by Dr. HALLAM,—"That limits of the district, having been read, and the Chairman an Association be formed for the purpose of aiding in carrying the provisions of the new Medical Act; and that such Assohaving explained the objects of the meeting, and read letters out from gentlemen wishing to become members, the following ciation be called the North Staffordshire Medical Association.’ Moved by Mr. HoLTOM, seconded by Mr. BOOTHROYD, " resolutions passed at the general meeting were read :That all legally-qualified medical practitioners, resident in "That the secretary in each district be requested to call a North Staffordshire, be eligible as members of this Association." meeting of the members resident therein, to which meeting all Moved by Mr. ELKINGTON, seconded by Mr. TROUTBECK,qualified members of the profession resident within the district " That every member of this Association shall, on admission, should be invited. pay an entrance fee of 2s. 6d." Moved by Mr. YATES, se" That the district secretaries should be at liberty to call a conded by Mr. TURNER,,-" That a committee be appointed, with power to add to their number, to carry out the objects of meeting of the Registration Committees whenever necessary. " That each district should choose a sub-committee annually, the Registration Association." Moved by Dr. WiLSON Fox" and report such choice at the annual meeting of the Branch. seconded by Mr. HOLTOM ,-"That the duties of the committee" That the expenses of the committees be defrayed by the shall be to communicate with and assist the Registrar appointed treasurer of the Branch, provided they do not exceed ls. for by the Medical Council in the performance of his duties, both each member; and that gentlemen not members of the Asso- with regard to the enrolling of properly-qualified practitioners ciation joining the committees for registration should pay and the exclusion of unqualified persons from the register;. 2s. 6<. each annually. and to watch over all points connected with the interests of " That the secretaries be appointed until the annual meeting. the profession in connexion with the Medical Act." It was in 1860, and afterwards yearly at each annual meeting. unanimously resolved,-" That Mr. Yates be appointed Trea" That it shall be the office of the committees to communi- surer and Honorary Secretary." cate with the Medical Registrar with regard to any improper or irregular registration-to consider and take any steps that CHICHESTER MEDICAL REGISTRATION COMMITTEE. -At a may be necessary with regard to any contravention of the Medical Act, and to assist the Registrar in obtaining as perfect meeting of the legally-qualified medical practitioners of West a registry as Sussex, held at the Council-chamber, Chichester, on Thursday possible of the profession in each district." Mr. TRusTRAM proceeded to observe that, as the time had the 6th instant-Dr. M’Carogher in the chair,-the following now arrived when the public would have the advantage of disresolutions were unanimously adopted :-1. That a committee tinguishing the legitimate practitioners of the healing art from be formed, and named the " Chichester Medical Registration those pretenders who had at all times infested the ranks of the Committee," in connexion with the South-Eastern Branch of profession, and as they themselves would have the opportunity the British Medical Association (as proposed art a meeting of of knowing the source from which all and every one of its mem- that body, held at Brighton, on Dec. 3rd, 1858), and in accord. bers derived their qualifications, declared under a penalty suffi- ance with rules then agreed upon. 2. That Mr. C. S. Jonegi ciently great to prevent fraud, it would have been surprising if surgeon, of Chichester, be appointed secretary and treasurer of that opportunity had been treated with indifference. Some of the committee. 3. That the object of the committee be tothose gentlemen who had consented to join them, and had ex- assist the Medical Registrar in effectually carrying out the-

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Medical Registration Act. 4. That a sub- committee be formed terests and the public service would both suffer by a system for the purpose of transacting the business of the committee, which would subject the medical officers to pauper suffrage, and to consist of the following gentlemen: Dr. M’Carogher, introduce a system of professional rivalry into every village, Dr. Tyache, E. Leech, Esq., F. A. B. Bonney, Esq., and Dr. unnecessarily concentrate the medical staff of a union on every expenRyding; the secretary being an ex-officio member. 5. That parish in succession, and entail considerably increased each member pay a subscription of 2s. 6d. annually. j diture by rendering the area of service unlimited, and also inwhich recent legislation AN Association has been formed for Carlisle and its district. terrupt that professional harmony tends so much to encourage. 3rd. The meeting unanimously Dr. Elliott has been elected secretary and treasurer. accepts the principle of a sufficient fixed salary, based upon a system of payment per case, revisable triennially, and begs to call attention to the undermentioned notes agreed to by them, POOR-LAW MEDICAL REFORM. and signed by their chairman: -Clause 1. Dissented from: ap. pointment to be permanent. 2. Agreed to, but residence in district not necessary. 3. Dissented from in toto. 4. Dis. To t7te Poo·-la7v Medical Office1’s of England and Wales. sented. 5. Agreed to. 6. Ditto. 7. Ditto. 8. Ditto. 9. GENTLEMEN,-We have all no doubt by this time received Ditto. 10. Ditto. 11. On a uniform and definite scale, with the programme of a scheme for a new arrangement of medical mileage, if one mile from residence. 12. Remuneration inrelief, and also Mr. Griffin’s suggestions and amendments to sufficient both on 1st and 2nd heads, and 3rd head a definite the same. Such an arrangement, it appears to me, would sum necessary. 13. See No. 3. 14. Agreed to. 15. Ditto. make the surgeon more dependent on the caprice of his Union 16. Ditto.--ARTHUR ADYE, C’AatrMSK." patients than he is of his private ones; for the latter, when of the lower class, do stand in some degree in fear of his bill, and AT a of members of the medical profession of Bedwhen of the higher, are generally able to judge of his skill and fordshiremeeting and Northamptonshire, held at the George Hotel, in attention; whereas the pauper would often have neither dread Bedford, Jan. 6th, for the purpose of forming a Medical Regis. nor respect, and would be induced to make his selection, in tration Association, and of considering the " Heads of a Scheme >towns at least where the " march of intellect" is most extended, for Poor-law Medical Relief"submitted the Poor-law Board, by many circumstances quite unconnected with the skill and it was resolved riem. coH.,—"That thisbymeeting expresses its galling to the feelings of every right-thinking medical man. confidence in the judgment of Mr. R. Griffin relating to Those who could afford time to pay the most visits, although the ’Heads of a Scheme’ lately issued by the Poor-law Board. often quite unnecessary, and who would order or recommend be requested to negotiate for the alterations That Mr. Griffin the most extras, and those who were most taken by the hand in the several clauses of his amendments, and for the suggested by district visitors, (themselves very often unable to judge of addition of Clause 17. That Mr. Griffin’s attention be directed medical skill,) would be sure to find most patients and the to Clause 10, which, in the opinion of this meeting, does not heaviest purse. leave the diet of the patient sufficiently under the direction of Scarcely a Union exists where, if a complaint is made by a the medical officer; and, lastly, that he be requested, if pospauper of neglect on the part of the medical officer, the sible, to procure the withdrawal or modification of Clause 3, guardians are not always ready to listen, and to compel inasmuch as it appears that this clause will be likely to act redress-too often much too ready. to the profession." There are three Poor-law medical men resident in this town. prejudicially One, the North Aylesford officer, has held his appointment sixteen years; I have held mine about thirteen; and the Gravesend officer has held his nearly as long. Surely it is unjust, when we apply to have our salaries more equably proportioned to our labours, to have these cut up and distributed "Audialteram partem." amongst a greater number of medical men, without any complaint having been made of the way in which we have performed our duties. The total amount of salary given is to be DR. HASSALL ON ARSENICAL PAPERincreased undoubtedly, but it is so partitioned that, as indiHANGINGS. viduals, we shall actually be losers by the change. We none To the Editor of THE LANCET. of us complain of the amount of work we do, though that is frequently very great; we only ask for proportionate remuneSIR,-I am glad to perceive that the conclusions arrived at ration and consideration, and here is the result ! Professor Taylor, respecting the mode in which arsenical by The only alterations in the existing Poor-law medical prove injurious to health, correspond with those paper-hangings arrangements which appear to me to be urgently called for are previously arrived at by myself, and expressed in a Notice to the following:Correspondents in THE LANCET of the 17th of October, 1857. 1. To pay medical officers better and more uniformly, 5s. per I have there stated that the arsenic of the arsenite of copper case (which is for nearly twenty-eight days’ attendance); this does not sublime at ordinary temperatures, and that these sum to vary a little according to circumstances, as where the arsenical papers most probably prove noxious by the pigment patients are very close together. becoming mechanically detached during the operation of paper2. To give us a more extended list of extras. the room, &c., and being suspended in the atmosphere, ing 3. To pay us a mileage. it becomes inhaled. There have been several meetings of Poor-law medical officers It is from the thick and unsized velvety papers chiefly that in London. Now, when we have before us the " Heads of the the colouring matter is detached, and but slightly, or not at proposed Scheme of Alterations," a consideration of them at all, from the thin, well-sized and glazed green arsenical papers; another such meeting seems most urgently called for. Let Mr. and hence I consider that the latter descriptions of paper may Griffin, then, in his capacity of chairman, again call us together be employed with safety. "without delay, that we may consult on the answers to be reThere is another kind of green paper, from which, when turned to Mr. Estcourt. not properly glazed, danger may possibly arise,-namely, that Your obedient servant, prepared with a mixture of either prussian blue or artificial J. H. GRAMSHAW, ultramarine with chromate of lead. Medical Officer to the Milton Division of I am, Sir, your obedient servant, the Gravesend and Milton Union. ARTHUR HILL HASSALL, M.D. Wimpote-street, Cavendish-square, Jan. 1859. AT a meeting of the Poor-law Medical Officers of North Wilts, held at Chippenham, on the 10th inst., it was resolved, DETECTION OF CALLUS IN UNUNITED —" That this meeting accepts Mr. Estcourt’s invitation to FRACTURES. comment upon the scheme submitted to medical officers, and are unanimously of opinion-1st. That every union appoint[LETTER FROM DR. R. HALL BAKEWELL.] ment should be permanent; and such opinion having been To the Editor of THE LANCET. affirmed by a Parliamentary Committee, and sanctioned in most cases by the Poor-law Board, those gentlemen holding SIR,-Everyone who has read your report of the proceedings union appointments regard them as vested rights, and are un- at the Faringdon County Court will have felt disgusted at the willing to make any surrender or modification of a privilege unjustifiable conduct of the surgeons ( ? ) who gave evidence
Correspondence.

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