342

" public " serves more clearly to distinguish the service fromalready existing "provident" associations which are onlyprovident in name-as, for example, the Coventry ProvidentDispensary, to combat which the Coventry Public MedicalService was successfully established. Having resided manyyears in Coventry, I am able to state that, at least until

lately, the service was working well, with satisfaction to thestaff and to the patients, and to the best of my knowledge itis still flourishing. What we now require is an amalgama-tion of the various public medical services into one largeassociation. I am, Sirs, yours faithfully,York-road, Ilford, Jan. 29th, 1900. MURTAUGH HOUGHTON.MURTAUGH HOUGHTON.

" THE UNIVERSITY OF LONDON ELECTION :THE CANDIDATURE OF DR. W. J.

COLLINS."

To the Editors of THE LANCET.

SIRS,-Dr. Savill is quite -correct in supposing that myletter of Jan. 13th was intended to indicate decided opposi-tion to the candidature of Dr. Collins, though whether it canbe called "virulent" or not must be a matter of opinion.He charges me with "at least one" misstatement of fact,but he does not say what even that one is. Dr. Savillmisses the point at issue, which is not whether Dr. Collins isa man of ’’ vast knowledge " or whether he took a distin-guished position at his university examinations. The latterstatement may be fully admitted and the former may also beconceded, for the sake of argument, without either of themweakening the position taken up in my letter. Indeed, they-strengthen it. For the vaster Dr. Collins’s knowledge and thehigher his academic distinctions the more they would seem toreflect on the intelligence of the great majority of the medicalgraduates whom he aspires to represent and who differ withhim so largely on one of the most vital questions on which themedical profession is brought into relations with the generalpublic. I would appeal to the I I hundreds" of Dr. Collins’s- Fellow graduates, and especially to the " large number ofmedical and surgical alumni" of the University of Londonwho are claimed as supporting his candidature, to considercarefully what his success will mean. It will mean that the

pertinacious emissaries of the National Anti-VaccinationLeague, who now put Dr. Collins forward as one of theirmost authoritative scientific patrons, and who quote the factof his having been Chairman of the London County Councilas evidence of his distinguished public position, will then bejustified in representing him as the acknowledged mouth-piece of the medical graduates of the University of London.How any London graduate who not only believes in vac-

cination, but who believes also in the importance of press-ing its adoption on the public, can lend himself to such acandidature is one of those curious problems in psychologyand morals which are an inexhaustible puzzle. Dr. Collinswould be as inappropriate a representative of the medicalgraduates of the University of London in Parliament as hewould be a fitting one for Leicester.

I am, Sirs, yours faithfully,M.D.LoND.

LITERARY INTELLIGENCE.-We are glad to knowthat the New Sydenham Society proposes to reprint in aforthcoming volume of selected papers an essay first pub-lished in 1840 by Mr. George Bodington, who organised at,Sutton Coldfield, in Warwickshire, an institution for the treat-ment of consumption on the liberal diet and open-air plan.He anticipated most completely all that has recently beenwritten abroad and at home on this topic. He published abooklet of some 60 pages describing his plans and hissuccess. The essay was referred to in THE LANCET ofNov. 26th, 1898, p. 1433, in a letter from Dr. A. Tucker Wise,but the matter was brought to the notice of the council of theSydenham Society through Dr. T. Barlow, by Dr. S. T. Pruenof Cheltenham. Apart from its intrinsic interest it is a

matter of justice to an English surgeon of the past genera-tion that it should at the present juncture be re-published.We understand that it will be accompanied by the originalpaper of Dr. Hodgkin describing the disease which now goesunder his name and by a selection from the eminentlypractical memoirs on obstetric subjects of the late Dr.Braxton Hicks.

THE

ORGANISATION OF THE PROFESSION.THE CORK MEDICAL PROFESSION ASSOCIATION :

THE HISTORY OF THE ORGANISATION AND OF THE FIVEYEARS’ STRIKE.

(FROM OUR SPECIAL COMMISSIONER.)

CORK holds an honourable position in the vanguard amongthose towns where the first efforts were made to organisemedical unions. It was here that one of the first, if not thefirst, medical strike occurred, and to a certain extent it maybe said that this strike is still continuing. Indeed, thisseems to be the way with medical strikes. There is a periodof sharp, acute struggle, certain positions are taken, othersare lost, then both parties remain facing each other for

years. The violent struggle is over, but peace is not madeand both sides wait passively for the slow process of dis-integration which in the course of time will graduallydisperse what power of resistance remained. From timeto time echoes of the struggle at Cork have reached ourshores, and paragraphs concerning various episodes inthe contention have appeared in the papers, but therehas been no systematic attempt to give a completehistory of the movement. So far as limited space will allowI shall attempt to supply this deficiency. This account willshow what organisation can do and will constitute an

encouraging example for the members of the professionpractising in other towns.Some 60 years ago the City and County of Cork Medical

and Surgical Society was founded. Practically it was

simply a medical social club. The members met anddined and read purely scientific papers. But on May 13th,1892, they held a meeting to consider the advisabilityof re-establishing the Cork branch of the BritishMedical Association, either to replace or to act in con-

junction with the Medical Society. For this purpose 11practitioners signed a circular convoking all the membersof the British Medical Association established in the localityto meet on June 4th. The object of this meeting was

not merely to resuscitate the Cork branch of the Associa-tion but to draw up a plan of action dealing with ethicalquestions that concern the medical profession. The meet-

ing was held and the following resolution was carried

unanimously :-That the branch be re-established and be peculiarly devoted to the

discussion of ethical questions and in no way to interfere with thework of the Medical Society.The meeting also elected a committee to draw up rules, and

a general meeting to approve the same was convoked forJune 18th. By that time 40 practitioners had alreadyjoined ; and even at this early date the questionof canvassing by the agents of benefit societies andmedical aid associations was raised. So quickly didthe interest in this question spread that the temporarycouncil of the newly re-constituted branch of the BritishMedical Association found itself impelled to convoke ameeting of the South of Ireland Branch Council to considerthe whole question of club practice or contract work. This

meeting was held on July 13th, 1892 ; and on that occasionDr. Ashley Cummins complained that the medical officers ofthe clubs were sometimes called upon to attend the countryrelatives of members though the latter had only come totown for a short visit. A few days later another meeting washeld, and then it was agreed to draw up a circular containing12 questions to be sent to all the members of the profession

, in Cork and its neighbourhood with a request that they. would answer the questions. On Oct. 12th following a, meeting was held to consider the replies that had been

received, and these replies supplied the basis of the rulesthat were ultimately drawn up. Thus it will be seen that

great care was taken to ascertain what were the needs and opinions of the profession before attempting to impose rules

and obligations. This is very important, for a constitution, that is workable, that is freely accepted even though it mayl have some defects, is better than a model constitution which3is not fully appreciated or approved.rWith some slight modifications and additions, the rules. then adopted have been maintained to the present day. The

most important are those which deal with contract work.