On the duties of physicians, resulting from their profession / by Thomas Gisborne.

Date:
1847
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: On the duties of physicians, resulting from their profession / by Thomas Gisborne. 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.

    7/64 (page 3)
    tied at Barcelona, the two already named are most distinguished, and have the most extensive practice. One of them favoured me with a sight of his list. He had visited more than forty patients in the morning, and he was to see as many before he went to bed. Among these were many merchants, manufacturers, and officers ; yet he did not expect to receive a hundred reals, that is twenty shillings, for the whole practice of the day*. In Great Britain, though the Medical Profession does not except Don Joseph Masdeval's opiate. The Physicians strongly remonstrated against the order; hut were informed expressly from the King, that his majesty would have it so ; and that, in case of disobedience, tlie prison doors stood open to receive them. At Barcelona the Physicians,highly to their honour, were finn ; and the Court let the matter drop. At Carthagena they were intimidated; and not only con- sented to prescribe the opiate in all cases, but meanly signed a certificate testifying that no medicine was so efficacious as the royal prescription. The people of the city however were not so submis-iive; and conceiving that the application of Dr. Masdeval's specific to every kind of disease left them a worse chance of life than trusting to tlie unaided operations of Nature, absolutely refused to send for any medical assistance. The Court, hearing that the Phy- sicians were likely to be starved, at length agreed to a compromise; leaving them at liberty to follow their judg- ment in prescribing for the citizens at large, but compelling them to administer the opiate, and that remedy alone, to al; the patients in the Royal Hospital. See Townsend's Journey, vol. iii. p. 1.37, 142, and 341. [• The state of the Medical Profession in Spain does not seem to be much improved even now. See an extract from Mr. Ford's Hand-book of Spain, in the Lond. Med. Gaz. for Oct. 184 3. p. 1124.]