THE DOCTORS.

Globe, Volume VI, Issue 609, 1 June 1876, Page 3

THE DOCTORS.

To the Editor of the Globe.

Sir, —Through the medium of your valuable columns, can you inform me if there is any law in existence which compels a medical man to attend in caseß of emergency, and where human life is at stake. Being myself one of the unfortunate sufferers through the petty jealousy which exists amongst the medical men of Christchurch, I was compelled in a case of emergency on Sunday evening to seek the attendance of a member of the profession, to attend for my own doctor as he was not in, and met with a positive refusal to attend in a case of emergency for another doctor. Surely Burns' words apply well to this —" Man's inhumanity to man makes'countless thousands mourn." Now. Mr Editor, if no law exists to compel a doctor to attend in cases like this, then all I can Bay is the sooner we have more Dr Townends the better, it would make our high minded doctors more humble, and show more humanity to their fellotv beings, besides being a great Loon to the community at large ; in fact, as it is at present, it reminds us of two school boys playing marbles, " I won't play with you again, you stuck to tny glassey yesterday." Just so with our Christ church doctors, if a patient leaves one doctor and goes to another, it causes petty jealousy directly. Just like the school boy with the marbles. "I won't attend a patient of yours as one of my patients has approved of your skill in preference to mine." So much for a body of professional men, showing petty jealousy of each other, and allowing those who have unfortunately come withiu their grasp to be the sufferers. Hoping the doctors will cease such petty jealousy, if not altogether, at least until the next transit of Venus.

Apologising for trespassing on your valuable paper. Yours, &c, A CITIZEN.