The grievances of the poor law medical officers, elucidated in a letter to the members of the Legislature, etc / by Richard Griffin.

Date:
1858
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The grievances of the poor law medical officers, elucidated in a letter to the members of the Legislature, etc / by Richard Griffin. 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.

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    not disposed to agree Avith the Poor Law Board as to the propriety of stich addition. Unless the Poor LaAV Board entered into a violent contest with the Boards of Guai'dians on that subject—Avhich he was not at all disposed to do—- it would be diliicult, indeed, to obtain an increase of the salaries. lie could not hold out any hopes to the Medical Officers that their salaries would be increased, because the House was reluctant to grant even the usual vote under the head of Poor Law Medical Relief.” From the foregoing statements of the President of the Poor LaAV Board, it is manifest there is no hope of obtaining redress from that quarter; though I cannot assent to his views relatiA^e to the opinions of the House of Commons, as I have received communications from all parts of the country that Members of Parliament have not only admitted that Ave are inadequately paid, but also that they are perfectly Avilling to A’ote for a redress of our gricAmnees; the only draAV- back to their bringing the subject before the House being their unAvillingness to originate a measure which ought to emanate from Government, but this feeling will, I trust, be OA^ercome, if Her Majesty’s Ministers refuse to undertake the task. The folloAA'ing speeches of Hon. Members are proof of the above. Mr. Drummond stated, in the House of Commons, on June 13, 1857, that “he ti’usted the Right Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Bouverie) Avould not be intimidated by the cry raised against him throughout the country by these Boards of Guardians. If the law required amendment at all, it Avas in order to put more poAver into the hands of the Poor LaAV Board. * * It Avas the duty of the ex-officio Guar- dians to see that something else besides the interest of the ratepayers Avas thought of. (Hear.) That interest alone Avas too generally considered. * * * It Avas Avhat would save most money to the ratepayers, and what Avas most economical, that guided the Guardians, not Avhat Avas most beneficial to the poor. (Hear, hear.) The same prUmple regulated the allowances mcicle to the Doctors, which ivere reduced to so low a sum, that it teas xdterUj imp)ossihle for those gentlemen to attend p>yoperhj to the duties of their position upon such terms. The Right Hon. Sir John Trollope, on July —, 1856, in the House of Commons, said;—“I beg to call the attention of the Right Hon. Gentleman, the President of the Poor LaAv Board, to the numerous petitions that have been presented on the subject of Medical Relief ; nothing can be more' unsatisfactory than the mode in which Medical Relief is noAv administered throughout the country. In many Unions I knoAA that the mere medicines required Avoukl absorb the AAffiole of the salaries given to Medical Ofiicers, leaving them no remuneration or anj'’ allowance for their necessary expenses. The amount asked by these petitions is not exorbitant, being only 5s. a case, and Is. a mile for a single journey. Perhaps the medical gentlemen themselves are someAA'hat to blame for this state of things. Under the operation of excessive competition they have been induced to take contracts at a loAA'er scale than they can alford to do. It is notorious that in the case of illness of paiq^ers, private charity is compelled to supply the medical comforts AAdiich the Poor LaAv Unions do not provide. I AAUsh this Bill had dealt Avith the question; and hope that in any future general Bill on the Poor LaAv, the sidqect of Medical Relief will be ' included. As to any additional cost AA'hich a more liberal alloAvance Avould cause, I might refer the House to Avhat is proposed to be done for the preser- vation of the health of the inhabitants of this metropolis alone, for Avhom it is asked that they should vote £3,000,000 for the purpose of draining and purifying. The Avhole amount expended for the Medical Relief of the poor throughout England and ^yales, is £250,000 a year; if that sum Avere doubled, it AA^ould only make £500,000 to preseiwe the lives of the poor. Surely the people could not object to such an expenditure for such a purpose; on the contrary, I am quite sure the ratepayers woidd most cheerfully assent to it, as, Avhen spread over the entire kingdom, its increase Avould scarcely be felt.” IMany of the Poor LaAv Medical Officers have, at Amrious times, indiAu- dually addressed the Poor LaAV Board on tlie subject of their inadequate remuneration. A public memorial, numerously signed and agreed to at a meeting over Avhich the Right Hon. the Earl of Shaftesbury presided, and other memorials from numerous Unions have been pi-eseuted to the I*oor LaAv Board, and many hundred petitions to the ILuise of Commons; notAA'ithstanding all these appeals, no redress has been obtained. The Medical Officers have, therefore, no alternative but to apply to you, my Lords and Gentlemen, to pass an Act in their faA^our, making it compulsory