SCOTLAND

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public-house and had fallen through the trapdoor ofthe cellar (which ought not to have been loft open)and had thus met his death. The barman of the

public-house, possibly afraid of being scolded for

not having closed the trapdoor, disposed of the bodyby hiding it in the cellar. There was this to be saidfor the barman-he had just had to give evidenceabout another accidental death at the public-houseand, being perhaps of a more sensitive nature thanothers who follow the same calling, he had flinchedfrom repeating the experience of being a witness at asecond inquest. The medical evidence establishedthat Ellis’s death was due to the accidental fall

through the trapdoor ; there was no suggestion offoul play. When Ellis’s body was at length discovered,the barman made a full and frank statement whichthe police were able to accept as true. He wasindicted for unlawfully disposing of Ellis’s body withintent to prevent a coroner’s inquest, when suchinquest ought to have been held. He pleaded"guilty" and received the nominal sentence ofthree days’ imprisonment, which, in the circumstances,meant that he was forthwith released from custody.The particular offence with which the barman was

charged is not committed unless an inquest oughtto have been held on the body. This point wasbrought out in R. v. Purcy,3 where members of ahomeless family left in a hedge the body of a child.The child had been ailing and ill-nourished, but therewas nothing to indicate that the death had beendue to criminal negligence. The death would con-

sequently not have been one for investigation by thecoroner. In the Court of Criminal Appeal the LordChief Justice seemed to hold that the Purcy familyhad not committed the crime with which they werecharged, because an inquest would not necessarilyhave been held. In the recent case of the barman,an inquest would presumably have been held upon thedeath of Ellis who fell through the trapdoor, but itlooks as though the barman had an excellent defence.The Recorder accepted the statement that the barmanhad no real intention of committing any offence. Anunlawful intention to prevent the inquest was, how-ever, an indispensable ingredient of the crime. If thebarman had no such intention-if, for instance, hehid the body to escape being scolded about the trap-door-he was entitled to be acquitted, and he neednot have pleaded "guilty."

SCOTLAND

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT)

THE OUTLOOK FOR NEW MEDICAL GRADUATES

NEARLY 200 degrees were conferred at the medicalgraduation at Edinburgh University last week, andProf. R. W. Johnstone, F.C.O.G., in his address aspromotor, was able to provide some interestinginformation and comments on the prospects of pro-fessional success at the present day.The State, having made itself partly responsible

for the health of the people, is, he said, finding itselfmore and more deeply committed, and future extensionof the National Health Insurance Acts will probablylead to 90 per cent. of the population of the countrybeing either " on the panel " or under public assistanceschemes. The field of private practice is likely,therefore, to become greatly restricted, but as an

offset to this there will be a considerable and probably8 Ibid., 1933, i., 1035.

disproportionate increase in the number of salariedappointments. The position of the voluntary hospitals,will inevitably be effected ; the change is already inprocess, and the outcome is a matter of deep concern.The present system of providing free medical attentionand accommodation for those who are in no realsense in the category of the necessitous poor mustcall for revision.

In success or failure, Prof. Johnstone said, characterand personality counted for more than intellectual

ability and still more than mere knowledge. Hewent on to give the results of his investigations

‘

concerning the degree of professional success achievedby the 1766 men and women who graduated as.

bachelors of medicine and surgery at Edinburgh from1900 to 1909. Of these, 53 were killed or died in theWar, and 268 have dropped out of the live roll, mainlyby death ; the Medical Directory still contains 1445-of the 1766 names. From his analysis Prof. Johnstoneestimates that just under 3 per cent. have achieveddistinguished success, 31 per cent. considerablesuccess, and 55 per cent. a fair degree of success.There remain 11 per cent. who cannot be traced,many of whom are probably failures. One-third ofthe total, therefore, have achieved more than justa moderate degree of professional success. Eightyper cent. have entered general practice, and only 30per cent. have taken the degree of M.D. One or moreof the higher diplomas have been taken by 26 per cent.and the fellowship of one or other of the RoyalColleges by 16 per cent. One man is an F.R.S., 38have become professors, and 68 are lecturers inuniversities of the Empire or in America. Fifty-fiveare on the staffs of teaching hospitals, and doublethat number on the staffs of large non-teachinghospitals in Great Britain. A total of 62 have becomemedical officers of health of large cities or counties,and 30 are superintendents of asylums. The regularImperial Services have absorbed 192, two-thirds ofthem in the Army Medical Services. Of 100 womenon the list, 60 have married.The promotor pointed out that there is an impending

glut in the medical market, but he did not thinkthere was any occasion for alarm, since the supplywas likely to adjust itself to the demand. Inconclusion he said that the doctor whose aim is

simply to do as much good to his patients and fellowmen as he can, may thereby gain a serenity of mindwhich will make his life a complete and roundedsuccess, quite independently of such matters as

professional distinction and financial prosperity.

VIENNA

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT)

THE NEW DISPENSATION IN MEDICINE

THE Government has long promised fresh legis-lation on health insurance and old age pensions aspart of its reorganisation programme. Particularsof the new law were not made public in advance, forthe present " autocratic " system of government hasdone away with parliamentary institutions, and thefederal council can do no more than accept or rejectthe Bills presented to them by the government orministries. It is even likely that the representativesof the medical profession sitting on this council (whowere elected as well as nominated by the govern-ment) were neither asked nor allowed to expresstheir opinion. The law came into force on July 1st