- Email: [email protected]
AN ADDRESS IN HARLEY STREET
742 as unlawful by Catholics, such as direct abortion and sterilisation, cannot be performed, but this does not in our opinion justify turning a It appears, nurse into the surgeon’s invigilator. the in America situation is different that however, to anything that prevails in Europe, and there are many Catholic hospitals owned and managed by Catholic religious orders which have no Catholic doctor on the staff and no priest readily available. Finally we would point out that since Catholics attach much greater importance to the sacrament of baptism than do many others, it is necessary to give particular and detailed instructions to the nurses in the interests of the child. Here again, however, we must admit that Father Finney goes far beyond the common interpretation of medical obligation, and also of medical practice. The " duty " to baptise the unborn child is strictly conditioned by a further obligation not to mishandle the dead mother uselessly or to endanger the living. It is hardly conceivable that nurses should perform post-mortem Csesarean sections or that they should rupture the membranes in order to baptise an infant only possibly alive ! Few Catholic doctors in the course of a long professional life feel called upon to do either of these things. The Catholic faith is rational and seeks to conserve life, the life of the body and the life of the soul. It is unfortunate if its aims should be misunderstood through an interpretation tinged perhaps with excess of zeal.-I am, Sir, yours faithfully,
definitely regarded
.
ERNEST E. March 22nd.
WARE,
Master of the Catholic Doctors’ Guild.
THE FUTURE OF THE CORONER
To the Editor
of
are not inquested unless there is indication of criminal negligence. In most other cases the police and the lower courts have already taken cognisance of the matter before the medical investigation has been completed in detail. The medical examiner system has been subjected to 58 years of trial in this jurisdiction and has been adopted in neighbouring States, in New York City, and in Essex County, New Jersey. As I have suggested, the system makes for simplicity, utility, and efficiency. I am, Sir, yours faithfully, TIMOTHY LEARY,
thetics, for example, an
Medical Examiner, Suffolk County, Massachusetts. Boston, March 10th.
AN ADDRESS IN HARLEY STREET
To the Editor
and legal functions, a straddling of two professions, difficult to compass even for an exceptionally brilliant person. 2. The office of coroner, while perhaps necessary under the primitive conditions existing in the early Anglo-Saxon period, had become an anachronism following the development of police and judicial systems. 3. In the investigation of a death by violence two primary questions present themselves : (a) what caused the death ? the answer to which can only be supplied by medical investigation; (b) who caused the death ? a matter for the police and the courts to determine.
Under the Massachusetts medical examiner system, medical men are called upon to determine the cause and, if possible from the medical facts disclosed, the manner of the death, in cases in which death is supposed to be due to violence. Inquests are limited to cases in which death may have been due to the act or negligence of another, and are held before a judge of a court of first instance, without a jury. If probable cause of action is found the suspect is held for grand jury investigation, and if an indictment is issued the evidence is presented before a superior court with jury. Within the recent period inquests have been sharply limited. Deaths under ar2es-
THE LANCET
your issue of March 14th you published letter with reference to medical refugees in this country. I have consulted the Jewish authorities interested in the question and find that to the best of their knowledge about 140 German doctors have received permission to practise here, of whom 35 have been permitted to practise in the Harley-street area. This latter group consists of men of specialist rank in their own country. To see these figures in their proper perspective, may I add that there are about 57,000 names on the Medical Register and I believe there are about 40,000 doctors in practice in Great Britain. I am, Sir, yours faithfully, SAMSON WRIGHT. March 24th.
SIR,-In
a
THE LANCET
SiR,-I have been much interested in the controversy about the coroner system which has been discussed during the past year in your columns and was the subject of a leading article in your issue of Feb. 15th. As a result of similar scandals arising in the coroner system in Suffolk County, Massachusetts, which includes Boston, the coroner system was abolished in this State by legislative act in 1877. The Massachusetts Bar Association and the Massachusetts Medical Society through their joint action brought about this change. They based their criticisms upon the following : 1. The coroner was required to exercise both medical
of
THE RECORD BREAKER
To the Editor
of
THE LANCET
SIR,-In your account last week (p. 664) of the discussion on Fatigue at the Hunterian Society I am reported as having said that " the record breaker I shall be was not usually the educated person." for to correct this misthe obliged opportunity statement which is likely to call forth a storm of indignant protest; in fact, premonitory rumbles have already reached me. In replying to questions, I had endeavoured to differentiate athletic psychological types, in particular contrasting the highly strung, usually encountered in the devotees of events of speed and those demanding accuracy of technique, with the more stolid unemotional participants in long-distance events and feats of endurance. The great majority of the former belong to what for convenience one terms the educated class ; with rare exceptions the latter are manual workers. No mention of " record-breaking " was made: were this under consideration, an analysis would show that the educated and, on occasion, the very highly educated are well represented. I am, Sir, yours faithfully, Brook-street, W., March 21st. ADOLPHE ABRAHAMS. A QUESTION OF PROFESSIONAL CONFIDENCE
To the Editor
of
THE LANCET
SIR,-The letter of Iatros moves me to send you of another tragedy also revolving round the gonococcus, though in this case I am happy to add that the patient has not suffered. Dr. A, practising in contract with the X insurance committee, treated his patient Miss N for acute gonococcal
particulars
and endometritis and when she was convalescent sent her into the area of Dr. B, practising in contract
vaginitis
definitely regarded
.
ERNEST E. March 22nd.
WARE,
Master of the Catholic Doctors’ Guild.
THE FUTURE OF THE CORONER
To the Editor
of
are not inquested unless there is indication of criminal negligence. In most other cases the police and the lower courts have already taken cognisance of the matter before the medical investigation has been completed in detail. The medical examiner system has been subjected to 58 years of trial in this jurisdiction and has been adopted in neighbouring States, in New York City, and in Essex County, New Jersey. As I have suggested, the system makes for simplicity, utility, and efficiency. I am, Sir, yours faithfully, TIMOTHY LEARY,
thetics, for example, an
Medical Examiner, Suffolk County, Massachusetts. Boston, March 10th.
AN ADDRESS IN HARLEY STREET
To the Editor
and legal functions, a straddling of two professions, difficult to compass even for an exceptionally brilliant person. 2. The office of coroner, while perhaps necessary under the primitive conditions existing in the early Anglo-Saxon period, had become an anachronism following the development of police and judicial systems. 3. In the investigation of a death by violence two primary questions present themselves : (a) what caused the death ? the answer to which can only be supplied by medical investigation; (b) who caused the death ? a matter for the police and the courts to determine.
Under the Massachusetts medical examiner system, medical men are called upon to determine the cause and, if possible from the medical facts disclosed, the manner of the death, in cases in which death is supposed to be due to violence. Inquests are limited to cases in which death may have been due to the act or negligence of another, and are held before a judge of a court of first instance, without a jury. If probable cause of action is found the suspect is held for grand jury investigation, and if an indictment is issued the evidence is presented before a superior court with jury. Within the recent period inquests have been sharply limited. Deaths under ar2es-
THE LANCET
your issue of March 14th you published letter with reference to medical refugees in this country. I have consulted the Jewish authorities interested in the question and find that to the best of their knowledge about 140 German doctors have received permission to practise here, of whom 35 have been permitted to practise in the Harley-street area. This latter group consists of men of specialist rank in their own country. To see these figures in their proper perspective, may I add that there are about 57,000 names on the Medical Register and I believe there are about 40,000 doctors in practice in Great Britain. I am, Sir, yours faithfully, SAMSON WRIGHT. March 24th.
SIR,-In
a
THE LANCET
SiR,-I have been much interested in the controversy about the coroner system which has been discussed during the past year in your columns and was the subject of a leading article in your issue of Feb. 15th. As a result of similar scandals arising in the coroner system in Suffolk County, Massachusetts, which includes Boston, the coroner system was abolished in this State by legislative act in 1877. The Massachusetts Bar Association and the Massachusetts Medical Society through their joint action brought about this change. They based their criticisms upon the following : 1. The coroner was required to exercise both medical
of
THE RECORD BREAKER
To the Editor
of
THE LANCET
SIR,-In your account last week (p. 664) of the discussion on Fatigue at the Hunterian Society I am reported as having said that " the record breaker I shall be was not usually the educated person." for to correct this misthe obliged opportunity statement which is likely to call forth a storm of indignant protest; in fact, premonitory rumbles have already reached me. In replying to questions, I had endeavoured to differentiate athletic psychological types, in particular contrasting the highly strung, usually encountered in the devotees of events of speed and those demanding accuracy of technique, with the more stolid unemotional participants in long-distance events and feats of endurance. The great majority of the former belong to what for convenience one terms the educated class ; with rare exceptions the latter are manual workers. No mention of " record-breaking " was made: were this under consideration, an analysis would show that the educated and, on occasion, the very highly educated are well represented. I am, Sir, yours faithfully, Brook-street, W., March 21st. ADOLPHE ABRAHAMS. A QUESTION OF PROFESSIONAL CONFIDENCE
To the Editor
of
THE LANCET
SIR,-The letter of Iatros moves me to send you of another tragedy also revolving round the gonococcus, though in this case I am happy to add that the patient has not suffered. Dr. A, practising in contract with the X insurance committee, treated his patient Miss N for acute gonococcal
particulars
and endometritis and when she was convalescent sent her into the area of Dr. B, practising in contract
vaginitis