The letters of Mr. Alexander Fiddes, F.R.C.S., Edin. considered and refuted, his misrepresentations exposed, his calumnies and innuendoes set in the light of truth, his various statements in the press and otherwise weighed in the balance and found wanting / by Lewis Quier Bowerbank ; together with documentary letters and papers, tending to expose a professional conspiracy, and to afford the public in the colonies, and in Great Britain, correct judgment as to the controversy now existing on hospital matters.

  • Bowerbank, Lewis Q.
Date:
1865
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The letters of Mr. Alexander Fiddes, F.R.C.S., Edin. considered and refuted, his misrepresentations exposed, his calumnies and innuendoes set in the light of truth, his various statements in the press and otherwise weighed in the balance and found wanting / by Lewis Quier Bowerbank ; together with documentary letters and papers, tending to expose a professional conspiracy, and to afford the public in the colonies, and in Great Britain, correct judgment as to the controversy now existing on hospital matters. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by King’s College London. The original may be consulted at King’s College London.

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    Sonior Ordinary Medical Oflicer, according to law, to retire at the cud of the year—appeared to annoy Mr. Fiddes, wlio thereupon re- signed his appointment. The Government were thus unexpectedly placed in a difhculty, and requested me to assume the appointment as one of the Ordinary Medical Officers, in Mr Fiddes's place. This I did with great inconvenience to myself, and under the express sti- pulation that I should be relieved at as early a period as practicable. Up to this latter occurrence, Mr. Fiddes always appeared on friendly terms with me, and never on one single occasion gave me reason to believe, that he entertained towards'me the sentiments he has since expressed. I would here express my belief, that Mr. Fiddes's resignation of his post as a Medical Officer of the Hospital, on the plea of vindi- cating the rights of his profession, is absurd, and I have strong rea- sons for thinking that he has deceived himself as to his real motives. With respect to his letter, as published in the Medical Times and Gazette I will only further assure your readers, that it is an un- scrupulous repetition of assertions whichhe first published in Jamaica, and which, with the exception of a few lines in which I publicly de- nied their correctness, I have been content hitherto to regard with indifference, feeling that his motives are generally understood, and that I have the approval and confidence of the Government, the great body of the profession, and by far the greater majority of the com- munity. That such conduct as was exhibited at the inquest, is disgraceful and degrading to the Medical Professsion, must have been apparent to every impartial mind ; and you are indebted to the thanks of all who would uphold the dignity and respectability of our profession, for the severe but well-merited remarks which have called forth Mr. Fiddes's letter. I am, &c., Lewis Q. Bowerbank. Kingston, Jamaica, June 24, 1865. Having now allowed both the opposed parties, to make a statements in our columns, we shall publish nothing further respect- ing this controversy. The opinion we expressed as to the evidence given by certain of the Medical witnesses at the inquest in our arti- cle Colonial Medical Ethics remains unaltered.—Ed. M. T.] To the Editor of the Colonial Standard. Sir,—My attention has been directed to a letter in the Medical Times the 29th July last, signed Lewis Quier Bowerbank, and couched in this gentleman's usual style of misrepresentation and in- sinuation. In the said letter, I find Dr. Bowerbank again doing his utmost to vilify and abuse myself, and taking great pains to con- vince the Editor of the Medical Times, and his readers, that nobody in Jamaica but himself has any competency to carry out the higher and more important professional duties of a Public Hospital. Dur-