The present state of the medical profession in Great Britain and Ireland : with remarks on the preliminary and moral education of medical and surgical students: a book that will be found helpful to medical students, and the parents and guardians of young men, and of general interest to the members of the medical profession / by William Dale.

  • Dale, William.
Date:
1860
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The present state of the medical profession in Great Britain and Ireland : with remarks on the preliminary and moral education of medical and surgical students: a book that will be found helpful to medical students, and the parents and guardians of young men, and of general interest to the members of the medical profession / by William Dale. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

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    reprobation, the undignified conduit of many phyficians, fo- called, whofe cuftom it is to vifit all patients who fend to them, whether for medical or furgical advice, independently of the general pra<ftitioners, and by accepting the fame, or nearly the fame remuneration, encroach on their pra6lice. The general pradlitioners, however, retaliate by having as few confiiltations with the phyficians as poffible ; and fo they gain little or nothing pecuniarily by their conduit, and in our judgment they lofe immenfely in profeffional credit and relpeitability; for the jealoufy and ill-feeling which very commonly exift between thefe two clafi^es of medical men may be attributed, in fome meafure, to this cuftom. Nay, is it not a frequent caufe of many fad and difreputable profes- fional quarrels ? We believe that it would be a great improve- ment to the profeiTion generally, if the phyficians would keep a broad and well-defined line between themfelves and the general pra6titioners, by limiting their practice exclu- fively to confultations which in this age feems to be their legitimate province ; or, at leaft, by fetting a higher value upon their fervices, as is the ufage amongft the chief and honourable men in other profeffions. Let, then, the plans juft fuggefted be fully carried out,— and they might be, either by parliamentary enactment, or by agreement among the licenfing corporations themfelves,— and after a time we fhall have none in the higher walks of the profeflion but men who have been engaged for a feries of years in the daily inveftigation and treatment of difeafe. We ftiall have none but fully qualified and praftical phyficians or « doitors amongft us, that the aged general pradtitioner will confult with pleafure to himfelf and probable advantage to his patients; and that the young pradtitioner will confide in and refpeft, and whofe affiftance in