Report as to the practice of medicine and surgery by unqualified persons in the United Kingdom.

  • Great Britain. Local Government Board.
Date:
1910
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Report as to the practice of medicine and surgery by unqualified persons in the United Kingdom. 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.

    5/92 (page 3)
    PRA.CTICE OF MEDICINE AND SURGERY BY UN- QUA.LIFIED PERSONS IN ENGLAND AND WALES. In 1909 the Local Governmont Board were requested by the Lord President of the Council to ascertain from Medical Officers of Health in England and Wales whether the practice of medicine and surgery by unqualified persons is assuming larger proportions in their districts and Avhat effects are produced by such practice on the health of their districts. The Board addressed a circular letter making these enquiries to all Medical Officers of Health. Replies were received from over 1,600 officers ; some of them men who give their whole time to public duties, others engaged also in general practice. In many cases these officers had been at considerable pains to obtain as full information as possible, and had written to all the general practitioners in the district, or had called in the aid of the local division of the British Medical Association or of the local Medical Society. The replies may therefore be taken to represent the opinion not only of Medical Officers of Health, but also of a large number of general practitioners throughout the country. A summary has been made from these replies which is divided into sections corresponding to the various kinds of unqualified practice found to exist, and a few specimens of advertisements forwarded by Medical Officers of Health to illustrate their replies are appended to it. The information given hy the Medical Officers of Health of towns with a population at the Census of 1901 of over 20,000 is printed in an Appendix which appears on page 29. The second column of this Appendix gives particulars of the unregistered practice which the Medical Officer of Health has found to exist, and of the evidence he has collected as to its increase or otherwise, while the third column gives his opinion of the effect of that practice on health. The Circular asked for information as to the effect on public health, but in many cases the injury observed can only be said to have affected the health of the individual. It is difficult to say, categorically, whether the practice of medicine and surgery by unqualified persons is increasing. In some districts the evidence is distinctly in this direction, while in others there seems to be very little of such practice. Taking the 217 towns in the Appendix, it appears that in 82 unqualified practice in one form or another is stated either to be increasing or to be large in amount ; in 75 such practice is stated to exist to some extent; in 27 there is reported to be very little : (17009—21.) Wt. 11543—24 & 11509—35. 1000 if 85, 11/10. D & S,