POOR-LAW MEDICAL REFORM.

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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