Genre:

News-Commentary

Subjects:

Medical Practitioners, Commerce, Education, Quackery, Surgery

People mentioned:

John Abernethy , Thomas Holloway

    Attacks a parliamentary bill brought in by 'Messrs. Headlam, Brady, and Craufurd' that will levy a tax of £10 on all those in 'lawful' medical practice. Notes that failure to submit to this 'spoilation' will result in disqualification. Sarcastically notes how the poor law union medical officer, a professional who gains a pittance for seeing 'thousands' of patients, 'will bless Headlam and his confederates', and points out that taxing 'pauper' medical practitioners will be like trying to subtract 'one from nought'. Explains that the tax has been designed to raise money for 'greasing' a 'Medical Council' organized by the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal College of Surgeons. Challenges the new council's proposal to include 'classics' in student examinations by pointing out that John Hunter was 'unclassical', and ridicules proposals to set a 'statutable age' for physicians and to distinguish between 'the science of "Surgery" and that of "Medicine"'. Urges Headlam to spend his energies on suppressing patent medicines rather than 'harassing and plaguing medical men with fines'.