AILING MONARCHS.

Press, Volume L, Issue 14969, 16 May 1914, Page 5

AILING MONARCHS.

THE ROYAL FAMILY'S CORPS>* DOCTORS. ..

-COST 'OP LOOKING AFTEE'THE

• (rSOJI.A COBEESPONBE>"r.) • m' , *LQNDOX, <• April ; 16.. Of late years*there"Has been .a.very among" European _• rulers. -In tho little more than a 'decade

£tace tie death of Queen Victoria-no fewer than nine Soveroign> hare .'passed away—the KLpg "of Norway . and Sweden, King Leopold of Belgium, King Carl'ce of Portugal. King Alexander of Servia, King Edward of'Ensland, two Kings of Denmark, and two Grand Dukes .Extraordinary precautions aio taken to maintain the health of all European monarchs, hundreds of thousands of pounds being spent ererj year m retaining .the best doctors and surgeons m the world in almost djv-to-day attendance u£on tlio kings d.nd qiipert, The several S<>,creigna take no chances, and. see it.,tbat the; aro hea\ilj. insured. Thus, the'Cfcarvof Rusda b insured for '£800,000;■ an Enghsfi' .company, wb,ich in \ turn '.the amount of risk 1 , among, other, leading-cbmpanies. The Czar lies paid, a heavy annual pro'nnumi on' this policy ever since be 'was Ijorn. ' When the Grand jiuchcts Otga, 'his first ;child,.,v.-afeborn,'tho Czar imniediately. iuaured her fiie distributing ..the '.risk among British, French,- and .Russian 'companies. ..'Toe -Czarina is insured for-Iwr that amount. .Iho-German Emperor i≤ said to carry close*to. £r,OOO,Cfco;insurance', while the late' King , Humbert of • Italy was-'in-for. a lilro ■ amount. King i^m"manuel is said .io bo satisfied with £7oo;coo.•'-■■; .'••■■.■..'■■ .. Soniei idea of >tlic claborato -efforts 'th'afc are lha'de" to shic-M ''these- precious •men fromvsicknes*. may t»o gained, by an examination of. the conditions at the 'Erjglishi Cqurfc.- -Recently." King George has attempted". Jnc' enormous coat. of .th'e . ujedical 'stair attached .to his.hdusefiold. irbioh In numbers is oilt of all: proportion, to tbfi. v> ork'. they arp rpejuired to perform, but his Ma jest j-has,T)uite-faijed- to'effect , any economy in 'tHiS -particular: 'directidn* - : At' the time'of- his- accession' aU the existing I'me'dicnl appoiiitmeuts in the "KoVal household .';■ wore ..-.contirmed, .and several ' voungj doctors, and' ■ Burgeons A'jth•;infyiojij:p'- v at recqire'd appoiatmonta. and "none"'of "fhtso officials' can.be discliargcd without liberal compensatioiv.jjnJc&i, for some \miich weightier reason .than .that their scr.vices dre , not .required-.■..." ', During the years the ptaff in, ; tho Royal 'houselfold hasvsrown':bho;.mou£ly.'."in. the beginning of the■ reign of Queen' Victoria there,.were-but"£re.physicians and "two< surgeons cm,'.V"tM©-; staff. y .When ' King Edward ""came , t.o- : tbcJ;tßi>>ne this niimh ?~ had- increased'to .eighteen, and T~ng.Edvi-ard', "during" his feign, raised it. : fo_twehtyrfo|ir. Now there are/actuaKy :tliirty-threc.physiciaris, ; ' surgeons, dentists^, :. and ; othei-7 snecialistg oh tlie medical itaff. .''.The! physician's indirect chargo,-of. the, heal.th: of * the j King aro five mi.number.; They are selected from the' of. the medical profession,, and Veach*.receives - a -'salary of £IQOO per. .annum.- ... The ; chiefj;6f theso; is'Sir-Francis'Laking,'and-either he',or-,ono physicians, as ihey ,axe King" every day.'iii xegard to bis health". The apd -oneTof his.physicians'.lasts but- a,- few minuses, ail , ! could, oJ'cohrscs' t be ca-sily"dispensed witlv, : l ;biit -it : is v one; of -the antiquatea cuitonis^of'the.iGotirt , that the medical profession events.is , interesfed t in

mairitainirijg-v'' '':■■ ' >"' : '..-. .■■;■'':-:..'. - , '£ l 'Y^^ :, ■'Palace,;,tKere'-is",no'". riEyijcian in" fesi•'He.rtde;,.[. ihh!' '■ in ... att "simply calls;at.tbe^Palace in the ; - ; morn----7%' r to"'^eo ? ' KingV;"But '-iwhen theory.any orv.any 'thq; R<iTal*fesiilences tout; 0f..-. London, oho- of .the King's must be-in residen6e., With' , .the. Sovereign, and anotSor must^hpM , himself ;in :- readiness %o tfoines Colirt at any- mbmeht 'if r.ejquired--tovdp 1 so:'■'...'. • j :'"'■. "Thus £6XK3O a- year is s^ent-in simply ascertaining' the" fact' every day the. King is';in : good "health. But lest the monarch; should, be attacked by some complaint-requiring- the aid/of a surgeon J.-the services of five of vtJie most distinguished^en^in; 1 their calling aro retained at even largeV salaries ' than those, paid to. the..doctors. 3Gacli of tho King's surgeons .receives £1500 per annum, and: none, <>f'them, when the King is in good \ healthy evex< sees his '3lajesty unless as one'of his gueste. One of the surgeon^. has, however, always to" hold' himself in ' readiness to go to the Sovereign, , and each takes it in : turn-to be what is-called" in attendance on the King,.which simply means that he must not "be out, of .London duriiig ihe time, he'iis in ' attendance. The - five surgeons attached to the Royal s household ! are Sir Frederick Treves, Sir-Hayelock Charles,. Sir Rickman Goldee, Sir Alfred Fripp, and Sir William Cheyne. -Thus between,doctors and surgeons £12.500 jper annum, is spent in eecuriiig. medical and surgical attendance for the Sovereign that could certainly -be quite efficiently provided for about £5.00' a year. ,Iv the /physicians rand surgeons thereV is a surgeon dentist and' surgeon. obulist attachedi\to : " the- njedical-. staff ;* the first mentioned ,:receives per annum,.- and tho second £1000 per annum. The : pay to these • two men exceeds the salary • paid to the Dlivsi9ians,-the reason b'einßtiat they do much more.-for their money. than the doctors. The dentist loots after v.the, teeth .not only of the King aria Queen, but also of the Royal" children, -and-the-oculist -gives his -services not only to the Royal family, but to tho 'members of the Royal Household. Jlombers of the household who employ thfi_dantist..hava_to_r>ay..lum ? however, they require, his services. There- is also a lary.ngolcgist at a salary of £800 per annum, a bacteriologist , at £500-.-per • anmiiu. and an anaesthetist, theonlr unpaid official in the Royal medical staff. "Sir William Hewitt,-the anresthetist. would be naid £21. for attocdancc on the King or rvnv members of the' Royal fajrily were his services required. ■ . • But in addition to all-these medical men there axe a. number, of younc doctors and surjjeons'.ittaehcd to the Rovql medical staff. - Theee apj>ointments wjere .first made in the reign of. Queen' Victoria, Tvhcn a few young doctors who had influourc at Court, -were given positions on the medical staft. .but • they wore then unpaid. Their, duties were and are practically nil. though some of them are occasionally called upon to attend the Royal servants or employees. Now, however, they are paid salaries varying, from £250 to £500 t>er year. At the present time the junior medical staff attached to the Royal household numbers eighteen, ard taking their salaries on an average of £300, they cost the country £54Q0 a year. As medical attendant to the Rwal household. Sir Robert Burnett receives a salary of £1000 per annum, but no member.of the Royal establiehnient. if he'(or she) were ill. -wonld dream of calling upon Sir Robert to attend him without paying him his ordinai 7 fee. As a matter of fact, two members of the Royal honsehoH are amonc fae distipjraished physician's best Dayine,patients. . ~ , .Thecost of the whole medical staff of toe Royal establishment works out at mor e than £22 000 per annum. But, tae truly remarkable thine is that even Jf this rather considerable sum Kins iioorpe dees not. when he is ill. receive or surgical attendance without narinc to pay for it. When the late. r> ,T !?."» - as taken ill with append at tnc tpne of hi& Coronation, sir Freder- I ■

ick Treyesand the. other'doctors of the Hoyal household who attended His Majesty, wre paid .substantial fees. Moreover,*- if ■the "monarch- wero to-be .taken seriously, ill, it-is long odds that some newly risen star or stars in the medical profcfision.'who are not on the Ro-a r * medical staff, callod into consultation with iio.King's ohrsidiane: and they-would", of courser be paid bujtfees:-" FurtHer.- physicians "■ and.' surgeons are -paid for attendance on the Queen and .family if their services are required.