ANNUAL DINNER

259 On the question whether the association should or should not be represented on the ophthalmic benefit committee, Mr. HARMAN said that if the Ministry invited them to send someone to observe the proceedings they would accept in that capacity only. Fees for Life Assurance

Dr. D. V. M. ADAMS (Lanark) asked that the minifee for medical examination and report for life This was, he said, a assurance should be 10s. 6d. Insurance societies often of a scale. sliding question worked on a basis of a fee of 1Is. for an examination for a £ 100 policy and 10s. 6d. for a smaller policy. In some cases a large amount of work was put in and a fee of 5s. 2d. would be received.-Hampstead moved that the minimum should be ;E11 Is.-Dr. A. B. MURRAY (Banff) said the examination was the same whether the policy was for 1O00 or for a much lower sum, and Dr. HowiE WOOD (Isle of Wight) said it had been agreed last year that 10s. 6d. should only be accepted if the form to be filled up was shortened and simplified.-Dr. J. W. BONE said the policy of the association, set out in 1920, was working satisfactorily. It had made a sort of bargain in connexion with three kinds of insurance : mum

(1) A medical examination for industrial insurance, with two fees-5s. for a simple and 10s. 6d. for a more elaborate form; the first was quite a simple examination and did not include testing the urine or taking the blood pressure ; (2) an examination carrying a fee of 10s. 6d. for life insurance policies up to E100 and nIs. for larger policies; (3) an intermediate form, longer and more careful than that for industrial insurance, the fee to be 91 Is. If an attempt was made to get rid of the 5s. fee, the result would be that insurance would be carried on without any medical examination at all. He urged the meeting not to press for a minimum of either a guinea or half a guinea. It would not please the rank and file, and was not a practicable proposition.The Hampstead amendment was lost. Dr. NATHAN said that an examination ought to be an examination, and should include such matters as examination of urine and blood pressure. If doctors were content to stick to a fee of 5s. they would never get more, and Dr. MURRAY felt strongly that the higher fee should be pressed for.-On being put to the vote the Lanark motion was approved by 61 to 59, but on a division it was lost by 94 to 72 votes.

Psychology of War Dr. J. NUNAN (Sheffield) moved the appointment of a committee to consider the psychological causes of war, and to press for an international section under the health organisation of the League of Nations to deal with the subject. War, he said, was barbarous, futile, and disastrous to victor and vanquished alike. All organisations existing for the benefit of humanity should exercise their influence against war, and the medical profession should take the lead by reason of its great authority and prestige.-Mr. CAIGER described war as " the criminal insanity of humanity." If our profession, he said, has to do with mental disorder, and if psychology comes within the province of our profession, then we have to deal with the psychology of war. The Netherlands medical association, which had been working on the subject for six years, had appealed to the B.M.A. to give the support of their wider influence.-Dr. A. T. JONES (Glamorgan) remarked how widely different mass psychology was from individual psychology ; surely it was the business of the medical profession to lead and direct thought in this matter.

Mr. HARMAN was persuaded that whatever action taken must be international, and on his proposal it was decided by a large majority not to set up a committee of the association but to press the need for action on the League of Nations. was

Aliens on the Medical Register Dr. ERNEST WARD (for Torquay) asked how many new members enrolled during the past five years were non-nationals of the refugee type, and what further action had been taken since the 1936 meeting to limit their admission to the Medical Register. Dr. J. C. MATHEWS (chairman of the organisation committee) replied that between 1931 and 1936 138 non-nationals had been enrolled, being 1-5 per cent. of new applications. From October, 1936, to June, 1937, there were 26 (or 1-6 per cent.). No permits had been issued by the Home Office during the past twelvemonth, and it was clear that these 26 had received their official permits at an earlier date.

Topics

in Brief

Certain resolutions which led to but little discussion of interest in themselves. A motion by Torquay that medical practitioners should not consult other than medically qualified radiologists was held to be outside any formal ruling. The opinion was expressed, however, that, while a registered radiographer might suitably be employed to take X ray photographs, these should only be interpreted by a medical practitioner, and the matter was referred to the ethical committee. Dr. WATERFIELD (chairman of this committee) raised the question whether the practice of putting surgery hours and other information on medicine bottles was desirable. It was now compulsory in insurance practice for the doctor’s name to appear on bottles containing poison, but the meeting did not like the idea of adding his consulting hours and such like. Dr. HENRY RoBiNSON (chairman of the charities committee) said there had been a slight falling off in the amounts collected and distributed through the charities trust fund during 1936. Members of the profession did not support medical charities as well as they ought, and he pleaded with doctors to remem. ber them when making their wills. He had made investigations from which it appeared that, if every member of the profession able to provide amply for his dependants were to leave half of one per cent. of his estate to medical charities, the difficulties of those charities would largely disappear.-The Rev. S. D. BHABA, M.D., the Syrian orthodox patriarch of Antioch who has been a member of the association for 56 years, said that if all the members saved one cigarette every day they could raise 30,000 a year for medical charities. As his last word from the chair Mr. SOUTTAR expressed the indebtedness of the body to Mr. H. Cooper who had reported its proceedings for more than 30 years.

were

ANNUAL DINNER

The King’s Hall at Balmoral was transformed on the evening of July 20th into a gigantic banqueting It was in room with a specially laid dancing floor. the words of the local press the largest dinner ever held in Ireland. Prof. R. J. Johnstone presided. The Duke of Abercorn, Governor of Northern Ireland, replying to the toast of his health, assured his medical guests that it had already acted. In the absence of the Prime Minister, who was taking a short rest on

260 medical advice before the

Royal visit, Mr. J. M.

Andrews, Minister of Finance, proposed the toast of The British Medical Association, mentioning the great boon to Northern Ireland of the medical benefit scheme. Sir Kaye Le Fleming, in responding, admitted that the health of the Association had never been better than at that moment. He went on to deprecate the tendency of drawing the health services into the political arena before they had been well matured in the medical mind ; and in view of the proposed fortnight’s holiday for the whole industrial population he offered the help of the medical profession in the problem, scientific and psychological, of the enjoyment of leisure. Sir Kaye then toasted The City of Belfast and Queen’s University, to which the Lord Mayor, Sir Crawford McCullagh, responded on behalf of the city, and Lord Londonderry on behalf of the university. The latter recalled the late Sir William Whitla’s presidency on the occasion of the B.M.A.’s last visit and found the highest tribute to medicine in the growing prosperity of the insurance companies which, owing to the increased expectation of life, were now paying bigger dividends and better bonuses. Prof. C. G. Lowry proposed The Guests, welcoming delegates from all parts of the Empire whom he Sir Charles described as ambassadors of peace. New South Blackburn, representing Wales, and Dr. Morris Fishbein, delegated by the American Medical Association, responded to the toast. In the final toast of The President, Prof. P. T. Crymble included Mrs. Johnstone and the versatile secretaries of the local committee, Dr. F. M. B. Allen and Dr. R. W. M. Strain. Prof. Johnstone in replying was received with the Queen’s war-cry. THE GRADUATION CEREMONY

In the great hall of Queen’s University on July 22nd, Lord

Londonderry, as Chancellor, conferred the honorary degree of doctor of laws upon Dr. Anderson, Sir Farquhar Buzzard, Dr. Morley Fletcher, and Prof. Hey Groves, and the honorary degree of doctor of science upon Prof. Bedson and Dr. Felix. The distinguished visitors were presented to him by the deans of the respective faculties in brief speeches that may be summarised as follows :DR. G. C. ANDERSON

Dr. Anderson has held the important post of medical secretary to the British Medical Association since 1932. He has brought to the consideration of the questions which concern the association a clear and balanced mind, in sympathy with the difficulties of a general practitioner, which he had himself experienced for more than ten years, but determined that medicine should be so organised as to function with the greatest possible efficiency in advancing and maintaining the health of the community. In addition to his contributions on the structure of medical services, he has published articles on the problems of hospital policy and medical practice, nor may I omit a reference to the part he played in the erection of the

splendid buildings

in

SIR

Tavistock-square. FARQUHAR BUZZARD

The medical profession and the general public have long held in great respect the many services to medical education and to medical scholarship, particularly neurology, His of the distinguished past president of the B.M.A. record as a student was an unbroken series of distinctions, and he is as vigorous in body as in mind, obtaining a Soccer Blue at Oxford, and playing for the Old Carthusians while at St. Thomas’s, during which time they twice won the Amateur Cup. Oxford has been able to recognise by name two aspects of his career, for while the University caused him to be appointed regius professor of medicine, Christ Church has made him one of its students. But it

administrator that lie has lately won distinction, member of the hebdomadal council. More recently he has been one of that body of men gifted with esoteric abilities which control the powers of Moses and Midas and by their touch have produced a stream of gold which is a source both of envy and of sincere congratulation.

is

as an

as a

DR. H. MORLEY FLETCHER

Dr. Fletcher commenced his medical studies at Trinity College, Cambridge, St. Bart.’s, Freiburg, and Vienna, As might be expected from one who listened so intelligently many different orthodoxies he has one of the most medicine. One of his earlier so-called periarteritis nodosa." His detection of error is exercised not only on scientific hypotheses but also on conjectures contained in certain monographs whose utility is most doubted by their authors. There are few medical men who have not been examined by Dr. Fletcher ; he is examiner in medicine to Queen’s, National, Durham, Cambridge, Manchester, Sheffield, the Conjoint, and the Society of Apothecaries. One-half of the students who fail in their examinations ascribe their lack of success to the perverse blindness of examiners ; Dr. Fletcher continues in his offices because he combines with intellectual intrepidity great moral bravery, or perhaps he relies on that half of the students who pass their examinations and rightly ascribe their success to the kindness of examiners. As a student of comparative orthodoxy Dr. Fletcher no doubt regards a howler as a heresy-part of the science of the future. But I must not place a false emphasis on one part only of Dr. Fletcher’s activities ; as the medical profession well know, he is a most distinguished physician, and by his writings has done much to advance the science of medicine. to

so

acutely critical minds in publications was " On the

PROF. E. W. HEY GROVES

Prof. Groves has been eminent both as a surgeon in uniting fractures of the body natural and as an admini. strator in preventing fractures of the body politic. His main work has been done in his natal city of Bristol, of whose hospital he is senior surgeon, and of whose university he is emeritus professor of surgery. But his work for orthopaedics has won for him universal renown, and the subject has been greatly enriched by his writings. The general literature of surgery owes much to his labours as editor of the British Journal of Surgery. The esteem in which he is held by his colleagues is evidenced by his election in 1928 to be vice-president of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, and in 1929 president of the Association of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland. PROF.

S. P.

BEDSON, F.R.S.

Prof. Bedson obtained the degree of bachelor of medicine, with

honours,

was

a

at Durham in 1912, and from 1913 to 1914 B.M.A. research scholar at the Lister Institute. During the war he served for two years as a combatant officer, but, after being wounded at Gallipoli, he was transferred to the R.A.M.C., becoming assistant adviser in pathology to the Fifth Army in 1918. After two years at Newcastle he returned to the Lister Institute in 1921, and in 1924 was seconded for duty under Arkwright in the work of the Foot and Mouth Disease Research Cornmission. His chief work in bacteriology has been his studies of elementary bodies in virus diseases, studies in which he showed that filtrable viruses react with antibodies in the same way as do ordinary bacteria. These investigations culminated in his discovery and proof that psittacosis is due to a virus. In 1926 Dr. Bedson went to the London Hospital as senior Freedom research fellow, and in 1934 lie was appointed to its chair of bacteriology. ARTHUR

FELIX, D.SC.

Dr. Felix graduated in science at Vienna in 1910, and on the outbreak of war in 1914 was appointed a

bacteriologist to the Austrian Army. During the war, his work with Weil on the serology of typhus gained for him a world-wide reputation. With the creation of Palestine as a Mandated Territory, Dr. Felix became the chief bacteriologist to the Jewish Hospitals Organization in that country. In 1927 his brilliant work brought him to the Lister Institute, and during the past ten years he has