Genre:

News-Commentary

Subjects:

Medical Practitioners, Hospitals

    Responds to a report in the British Medical Journal of a dispute between staff and governors at St Bartholomew's Hospital. According to the report the staff representative, Dr Mayo, complained of the excessive duties of a house physician, including the necessity of seeing 100 patients each hour every morning. Punch compares the physician who despatches 'so many patients in so short a time' to 'the historical dog Billy, celebrated for killing a hundred rats in five minutes'. Hopes this analogy will prompt the governors of St Bartholomew's to expand their staff so that all patients are adequately attended to.