BIRMINGHAM AND MIDLAND COUNTIES MEDICAL REGISTRATION ASSOCIATION.

dical Registration Association to lay before you, in order that rous body has invariably been one of condemnation of that proit may be submitted to the Medical Council, an ea1’nest p·otest cedure of the Royal College of Surgeons of England to which against certain proceedings recently adopted by the Council of the Committee beg to direct the attention of the Medical the Royal College of Surgeons of England. Council. The Committee of thisAssociation respectfully urge that the I have the honour to be, Sir, yours, &c., W. FERGUSSON, President. powers vested in the Medical Council may be exercised to pre. To Sir Benjamin Brodie, Bart., President vent any repetition of the course to which the authorities of of the Medical Council. the College of Surgeons of England have committed themselves who to examination and persons by inviting submitting possess no such general education as it befits the members of our THE honourable profession to have received, and no valid credenTHE OF SURGEONS OF COLLEGE tials that they have undergone such a course of special study AND MESSRS. HORTON AND MEREDITH. and training as alone can qualify them to practise. The particular cases to which the Committee wish to direct the attention of the Medical Council are those of Messrs. Meredith [THE following is the answer returned by the Council of the and Horton, of Dudley, the one a druggist, the other an assist. College of Surgeons to the protest from the surgeons of Marant, who were recently admitted to examination and received gate :-] diplomas, entitling them to register under the Medical Act, " Royal College of Surgeons, London, W.C., without having been duly tested as to their knowledge in anaFeb. 21st, 1860. tomy or physiology, and without producing any evidence that "SIR,-The protest of yourself and other Fellowsand memthey had systematically studied these or any other branches bers of this College, residing at Margate, against the admission of professional acquirement. of two persons to the membership of this College without comThe Committee felt, and still feel, that this is a dangerous plying with the established curriculum of study, has been laid and ill-timed precedent, calculated materially to nullify the before the Council, and I am desired to acquaint you in reply beneficial effect intended by the Medical Act, to injure the that, owing to the highly penal clauses of the Medical Act, this profession, and to obstruct and embarrass the efforts of the Me- College has, in common with several of the medical corporations dical Council. The Committee, therefore, addressed a letter to in the United Kingdom, been obliged to relax its rules for a the authorities of the Royal College of Surgeons of England on limited period in favour of certain persons who have practised the subject, to which the following reply was returned :many years, and who, in the opinion of the Court, would have been unjustly excluded from the Register, and has admitted Royal College of Surgeons, London, December 10th, 1859. to examination persons whose surgical and general knowledge "SiR,—I have laid before the Court of Examiners of this has been certified by competent practitioners, in which category College your letter of the 26th ultimo, enclosing a copy of a re- the Court considered Messrs. Horton and Meredith to be insolution on the preceding day of the Committee of the London cluded. "am, Sir, your obedient servant, Medical Registration Association, inquiring whether Messrs. "ED]!’I. ’EDM. BELFOUR, " Dr. Price." BELFOUR, Secretary. Secretary. Horton and Meredith, of Dudley, have received the diploma of this College. " I am desired to transmit to you a copy of the following BIRMINGHAM AND MIDLAND COUNTIES MEDICAL communication on this subject to Dr. David Johnson on the REGISTRATION ASSOCIATION. 18th of October last, viz. :" To the Editor of THE LANCET. That owing to the highly penal clauses of the Medical Act, this College had, in common with several of the medical SIR,-The following resolution of the Committee of this corporations in the United Kingdom, been obliged to relax its Association was forwarded to the College of Surgeons early in rules for a limited period in favour of certain persons who had Within the last few days, the reply annexed has January. the of the and in who, Court, been sent. I am requested by the Committee to ask you if opinion practised many years, would have been unjustly excluded from the Register, and had will oblige them by inserting the same in your valuable admitted to examination persons whose surgical skill and gene- you as that is the only means by which we can make pres journal, in ral character had been certified by competent practitioners, sure on those above us in these matters. which category the Court considered both Mr. Horton and Mr. I am, Sir, truly yours, Meredith to be included.’ SAMUEL SPRATLY, Hon. Secretary. "I am, Sir, your obedient servant, Union-street, Birmingham, Feb. 1860. " EDM. BELFOUR, Secretary. P.S.-The Committee have authorized me to send the same "Dr. Ladd, Honorary Secretary, London Medical to the Medical Council. Registration Association."

COUNCIL

"

.

The Committee desire to particularly direct the attention of the Medical Council to two points in this communication. 1st. The implied co-operation of the medical corporations to of who may be registered, and to constitutethethemselvesofjudges the Medical Council in exercising that justice impugn discretion granted to them in regard to admission of persons possessing doubtful qualifications. 2nd. The attempt to infringe those powers granted by the Act to the Medical Council alone, in reference to the course of study and nature of the examinations which students shall pass through-a subject to which the printed reports of the proceedings of the Medical Council prove that they are anxious to give due effect. : By Clauses 20 and 21 of the Medical Act, it is lawful for the Medical Council to represent to the Privy Council any defects in the course of study or examination of any College or body ; or the Privy Council may, if it see fit, order that any qualifica-

Resolution of the Committee of the Birmiiaglaam and Midland Counties Medical Registration Association, transmitted to the Royal College of Surgeons, Jan. 12th, 1860. " Resolved,-That this Association enters its protest against the improper admission to the membership of the Royal College of Surgeons of such individuals as have not gone through a regular course of medical education." [An answer has been returned similar to that sent to the surgeons of Margate. ]

Correspondence. "Audi alteram

College

tion granted by such or body shall not confer any right to be registered under this Act. The Committee of the London Medical Registration Association beg to submit to the Council the infringement of both the letter and whether, spirit of the law, evidenced by these acts of the authorities of the College of Surgeons, the above power, as well as that granted in Clause 18 of the Medical Act, of an effectual supervision of the examinations of that College, and the requisites for obtaining its diploma, may not be justifiably exercised against that body, unless the proceedings be forthwith discon-

ON THE INJURIOUS EFFECTS OF WHITE LEAD AS A PAINT.

considering

(LETTER

tinued.

The London Medical Registration Association now numbers, with its Branch Associations, upwards of 3000 members of the profession, and the opinions hitherto expressed by this nume-

partem."

,

FROM

DR.

HASSALL.)

To the Editor of THE LANCET. SIR,-Numerous cases of painters’ colic and palsy have come under my care at the Royal Free Hospital from time to time. It is not, however, painters only who suffer from these maladies, especially that tirst named, but sometimes the public as well. Even when these severe complaints are not induced amongst painters and others exposed to the action of the white lead, which forms the basis of the paint commonly used, yet

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