The Globe. FRIDAY, JUNE 2, 1876.

Globe, Volume VI, Issue 610, 2 June 1876, Page 2

The Globe. FRIDAY, JUNE 2, 1876.

At the time of our writing the article ia our issue of the 27i;h ultimo respecting the trades-unionism existing in the medical body of Oiiristchurch we were certainly not prepared to expect such a spontaneous and indignant outburst of public feeling as is disclosed in the several letters from correspondents which have for days past appeared in the local journals. In the article referred to, our principal object —as its tenor would denote to every reasonable and impartial reader —was to show to the community that " rattening" was not confined to a few only of the industrial classes, but that members of an honourable profession do not disdain to adopt, for their own interests, the same machinery as it is usual to condemn in their humbler fellow workmen. The guild of medicine is undoubtedly as honourable as the institutions which exist in law and commerce, and the members have a just right to guard jealously the rights and privileges of their respective orders. The medical gentlemen are perfectly justified in refusing to recognise an unqualified claimant to the honors and responsibilities of their profession, but we fail to see on what ground they can decently decline to meet in consultation a member of their craft who may possibly be as clever and as expert in his profession as any member of the clique. These gentlemen are probably unaware of the fact that the subject of their shortcomings is spoken of freely. The letters of the several correspondents in our late issues are pretty confirmatory of this statement. The professional bitterness shown to energetic and libe-ral-minded new comers, and the harsh recourse to the Court of Bequests for their little "bill" when an unfortunate patient despairingly calls in another medico, is common town talk, and the ominous silence of the brotherhood is understood to prove but too truly the charge laid at their door. If the medical gentlemen arrogate to themselves the assumption of superiority in their profession to all outside newly arrived qualified members of the faculty, we invite them to declare it, for the information and in the interests of the community. When, however, the public point to such instances of their skill as is said to have occurred lately, where a patient, after a trio of doctors advising him to make his will and " set his house in order," had finally left him without hope of recovery, and the poor man, as a last resoure, called in another medical gentleman who, by his skill effected a complete cure within a week, we repeat that when such things are common talk iu our midst, faith in the multitude of such counsellors must of necessity be considerably shaken.