Remarks on medical organization and reform, (foreign and English) : with a supplement upon the medical reform question / by Edwin Lee.

Date:
1847
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Remarks on medical organization and reform, (foreign and English) : with a supplement upon the medical reform question / by Edwin Lee. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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

    134/162 (page 6)
    Hence, Sir, from too exclusive a reliance upon the above- mentioned source of information, notwithstanding the favor- able disposition and great perseverance evinced by your honor- able predecessor, his attempts necessarily ended in failure. With a view to lessen the difficulties by which he was im- peded, I had the honor, shortly before Sir James Graham relinq-uished office, of inscribing to him a pamphlet containing a brief account of the plans of medical organization adopted in France and in the German and Italian states,* contrasting them with the leading points of our own system, respecting which I pre- ferred to adduce the facts and opinions advanced by competent authorities, rather than obtrude too freely my own remarks; venturing at the same time to suggest some alterations which appeared to me practicable, and calculated to promote the inte- rests of the profession, and as a necessary consequence, those of the community. Having treated the subject in detail, I am desi- rous, in reverting to it upon the present occasion, of sohciting your attention to the more prominent evils, trusting, by pursuing the same course as before, that a more impartial estimation of the bearings of so important a question will be attained than by the mere expression of the opinions of an individual; and I most re- spectfully and earnestly appeal to you, Sir, to employ the influence of your high office, in order to obtain from the legislature the ■great boon which would be conferred upon the country, by the adoption of such a measure of reform as would procure the aboli- tion of abuses which have for so long a period been suffered to exist. I have the honor to be, Sir, Your very obedient humble servant, Edwin Lee. Curzon Street, April, 1847. • «It is not a little remarkable that they who have attempted to reform the medical profession in England, have not endeavoured to procure some knowledge of medical legislation in other countries. Had this been done, we should not have witnessed the absurd attempt to enact as a reformation of the law in England, provisions which had been tried for nearly half a century in a neighbouring country, and which had so completely failed, that the foreign minister had found it absolutely necessary not only to abolish them, but to introduce measures of refbrni on entirely different princi- ples. Such, however, was our position in 1845. While it furnishes a good lesson to medical reformers, it affords clear proof of the injury which may be done by crude and premature legislation.—Medical Gazette, April 3.