“MR. VICTOR HORSLEY AND THE MEDICAL ACTS.”

1605 had to flee ; they came to this country and had to bear need not put the profession to the expense and trouble of their exile, misfortunes, and straitened circumstances with holding a. second inquiry, but may, if they see fit, accept of the corporate body and may forthwith what fortitude they could. Captain Duka, as he was then, the judgment erase the name of the person ’convicted from the Register. was still a young man ; with indomitable energy he learnt the This was the method by which Mr. Alabone’s name was English language and elected to enter the medical profession, erased from the Medical Register. The second proand for that purpose became a student at St. George’s cedure is that whereby the Council holds the inquiry

and, having qualified, he passed into the Indian itself

and

if

they

find

the person

guilty they

erase

Hospital, his name under Section 29 of the Medical Act. My Medical Service from which, after having been present statement at Manchester, therefore, is perfectly true and he retired many years ago. He took up his residence in his adopted country where he has since had the gratification of entertaining his old general as his guest. Count Andrassy in the meantime had become Prime Minister of Hungary in 1867 on the restoration of the constitution of 1848 and the reorganisation of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. After having been sentenced to death and hanged in effigy with the defeated Hungarian generals, who were actually executed and not in effigy merely, Andrassy had subsequently the privilege of being the official medium for placing the crown of St. Stephen on the head of Francis Joseph as King of Hungary. Time brings great changes on his wings and no ruler is more deservedly popular and beloved than is the Emperor Francis Joseph by his Hungarian subjects at the present time. Surgeon-Major Duka is now one of the governors of the hospital (St. George’s) where he was once a student.

through the Mutiny,

I protest against your publishing statements respecting the Medical Acts which, if unaccompanied by explanatory correction, are extremely misleading. Further, as you have thought it right to particularise myself in this matter I must ask that you give this letter the same publicity that you have to other statements in your annotations. Yours faithfully, VICTOR HORSLEY. We made no comment upon the letter in question from Mr. Alabone Cheverton because we conceived that everyone knew the position. Clause 28 of the Medical Act, 21 & 22 Victoria, cap. 90, says nothing about the examination into ethical conduct but merely says: " If any of the said Colleges or the said Bodies at any time exercise any power they possess by Law of striking off from the List of such College or Body the Name of any one of their Members, such College or Body shall signify to the General Council the Name of the Member so struck off ; and the General Council may, if they see fit, direct the Registrar to erase forthwith from the Register the Qualification derived from such College or Body in respect of which such Member was registered." There is nothing in this clause about "infamous conduct in any professional respect" ; that expression is contained in the next clause under which Mr. Alabone was not struck off from the Register. We do not understand that Mr. Horsley accuses us of incorrectly reporting and it appears that he has been inaccurate. --

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THE STUDY OF CHILDREN’S DiSEASES. A MOVEMENT is in progress for the formation of a society devoted exclusively to the study of children’s

diseases, and

of the supporters of the pro5.30 P.M. on Monday, June llth, at 20, Hanover-square, W. A circular to this effect has been forwarded to the members of the staffs of the different hospitals for children throughout the country, as well as to the members of the Medical Officers of Schools Association. We understand that the project, so far, has received a liberal measure of approval from those likely to be interested.

posal

will

meeting

a

be

held

at

I

INAUGURAL ADDRESS BEFORE THE AMERICAN NEUROLOGICAL ASSOCIATION, 1900, IN the inaugural address delivered by Dr. Edward D. the President, for the present year it is pointed out AND Fisher, VICTOR HORSLEY MEDICAL THE "14R. that the position of neurology among the divisions of ACTS." medicine and surgery has changed very much in the last WE have received the following letter from Mr. Victor 20 or 25 years. " Perhaps no special branch of medicine," Horsley :continues Dr. Fisher, " comes into quite so close touch with To the the Editors of THE LANCET. general medicine and medical surgery as neurology." While 25, Cavendish-square, London, W., May 30th, 1900. drawn to the fact a high level of work had been achieved in this field it DEAR SIRS,-My attention has been that in the last issue but one and the present issue of had also been sedulously exploited by the charlatan. The THE LANCET you make certain statements with regard to clinics held in the Old World in Paris, Vienna, Berlin, my speech at the Manchester Conference calculated to and London had made these places centres of worldwide convey the idea that my interpretation of the Medical neurological fame, and eventually it had come to dawn on Acts is erroneous; and, furthermore, you place these mind that a full and thorough course in statements prominently in your columns of annotations. the professional I note that although you head your second annotation psychiatry and neurology was a paramount necessity. with my name you simply publish a letter from some The speciality of neurology should never remain narrow person not in the profession and say you are not called upon and be separated from general medicine. The heart, lungs, to make any remark upon it. As that letter contains a com- and viscera had to be carefully explored in nervous as in plete misrepresentation of the administration of the Medical other diseases. A illustration of this was seen in special Acts by the General Medical Council I think- it was your effects upon the viscera had such well-defined which duty as the editors of the leading medical journal to point syphilis out the bearing of the Medical Acts on the subject. The and on the nervous system. Therapeutics should receive obviousness of this will be seen from the fact that at present more attention in the future than in the past; diagnosis and you have only published one side of the matter and that a localisation of the disease did not complete the neurologist’s misleading one. The Medical Act provides, Sections 28 work. Scientific training and investigation would lead the and 29, two different methods of procedure whereby the General Medical Council is empowered to erase from the way to means of treatment, and the fact that Dr. WeirRegister the name of a practitioner who has been guilty of Mitchell’s methods had been thus discovered made it certain an offence against the ethics of the profession, such as is that more might be expected in this direction from American defined in Section 29 as being "conduct infamous in a proDr. Fisher concluded by saying that " the note fessional respect." These two methods of procedure are as neurology. I of would sound to those about to enter this field warning follows, and the first is conditioned by the fact that various medical corporations possess under their charters disciplinary of medicine is to keep up as broad a knowledge of all powers. Under Section 28 the Medical Act provides, if a medicine as possible. No one should enter neurology as a medical corporation examines into the ethical conduct speciality without having first had an experience in general

I

’

of

a

practitioner

beingreported to

and convicts

him, that on such conviction the General Medical Council, the Council

1

Journal of Nervous and Mental Diseases, May, 1900.