ON THE MENU CARD

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 56, 3 September 1926, Page 7

ON THE MENU CARD

♦— — TITLED SURGEON'S PHOTO PROFESSIONAL ETIQUETTE SHOCKED SIR ARBUTHNOT LANE QUITS B.M.A. (United Press Association.—Copyright.) LONDON, Ist September. Medical etiquette was rudely shocked by tho appearance of a photograph of tho famous surgeon, Sir Arbuthnot Lane, upon the menu cards of a chain of prominent tea shops. This was tho outcome of Sir Arbuthnot Lane's writing an article on athletes' diet in his capacity of president of tho new Health Society. This was printed on the back of the menu cards, with a photograph of the writer, supplied unknown to him. Three doctors, seeing the photograph, telephoned the British Medical Association and complained of the breach of medical etiquette. The proprietor was informed that he must destroy the menu cards. He said he could not destroy tho 40,000 printed and open his shops without menu cards. Eventually tho proprietor agreed to obliterate the photographs, by pasting over them slips of gum paper. This led to thousands of customers asking the reason for the pasting, the waitresses answering '' That's Sir Arbuthnot Lane.'' Following a, complaint ho received upon the subject, Sir Arbuthnot Lane resigned his membership of the British Medical Association, expressing regret that he should have been unwittingly involved in an incident against the etiquette of the profession. It now appears that the association regarded Sir Arbuthnot Lane's communication as. not wholly meeting the case, and asked for a definite disclaimer through tho tea shop firm. Sir Arbuthnot Lane has been strenuously advocating that doctors should be free from the disciplinary restraints.. of the 8.M.A., and also attacked its ruling that doctors must not write signed articles on medical'subjects.