THE Grey River Argus. THURSDAY, NOVERMBER 22, 1866.

Grey River Argus, Volume III, Issue 135, 22 November 1866, Page 2

THE Grey River Argus. THURSDAY, NOVERMBER 22, 1866.

AYe are ye,y g } ad find that some%H?g }* tp be aoiie: to regulate the practice of me.liciu^ iv this p.oVince. flip necessity f O , sp^ c legi^e' enactment to protect the public against the malpractices of indent professors of medicine luis keu^lavingly apparent m this poi-tiou ,;:of the province: Amongst other closes of adventurers which gold digginggare the means of bringing together, "|pne exc^d in the unblushing clwrac|ev of 'their deal' ings the quacksj and unqualified " doctors" will! w h|h every gold »s town is inundatedfelt is no exaggeration to say that Jl large proportion of those to whom suffering humanity has resort for veliof oif|he West Coast are as much entitled # practice the profession they follow, i|rthey are to be considered the disco vfrers of the circulation of the blood ; andjhiow as much of the principles of medicine aud surgery as a blind man doesjof the distinctions of colors. This is fa very serious matter, for human life not unfrequently falls a victim to the ignorance of these self s^y^^^^^:'P%c£itiouers. The com?B§BssßpwwMildXms: fact be very much better off without doctors at all than be exposed to the dangers of improper treatment. Nature heiself often is her own medical attendant, and many of those credulous sufferers who submit to be fleeced in pocket aud injured in constitution by any quack who chooses to dub himself " doctor," and hang, a red lamp outside his door, had much better allow their ailments to take their own course thau incur the risk of beiug killed systematically. It is quite evident however 'that the digging public will trust anyone who professes to be a medical man whether he be entitled to be regarded as oue 01; not. When, men are suffering in the flesh, it- is a relief to the mind if. to nothing else to consult a " doctor" of some sort, and., they take his prescriptions in^as much faith as if they knew himfto be the 1 most able member of the profession. It has been,, said, that it is one of the glorious privileges of a Briton to be " gulled," and no doubt* that blessing is most plentifully enjoyed by the West Coast community. So long as this disposition to be imposed up*on is confined to those comparatively iiiocuous materials patent medicines, no great harm will result. Holloway's pills and ointment Perry Davis' painkiller, and the fluid which has been bequeathed to ailing humanity by Old Doctor Jacob Town, send, may continue to enrich the vendors of those compounds Avithout doing much injury — nay, may possibly add another to the " ten million cures'' I which are registered in the archives o quackdom. But protect us against the living medical im posters, to whom the description of Sydney-Smith may literally be applied, " like the aucifent Scythians,- they slay, some on foot and some in chariots." The Bill brought into the Provincial Council by Mr Barff is a measure which' ought to have been j)assed long ago, and is only similar to the enactments with which in every civilised country the practice of medicine is hedged. It is not in any sense oppressive, it does not prescribe what shall constitute the professional qualification, but simply requires that every medical practitioner shall give satisfactory- proof that he holds diplomas from any acknowledged medical college, as a guarantee of his right to practise his profession. Mr Barff, iv supporting his Bill in the Council, mentioned several instances of unqualified surgeons making glaring errors in the diagnosis and treatment of certain cases. We could have given Mr Barff another " shocking example,'' in the shape of an ignorant Yorkshire blacksmith, who having had some success in his veterinary experiments was encouraged to try his hand on the higher order of creation, and forthwith dub himself " doctor," and as such actually did prescribe for and almost kill a child. Against such im posters we hope the new Ordinance will effectually, protect the public. It makes it illegal for any person within the.proviuce who shall not be registered under the Ordinance to pretend to be, or take or use the name or title of physician, doctor of medicine, licentiate in medicine and surgery, master in surgery, bachelor of medicine, doctor, surgeon, medical or general practitioner, or apothecary, or surgeon apothecary, accoucheur," or licentiate pr practitioner : , in : midwifery^ or any otherSmeclical" iiame or title, under a penalty of I'^ifty pounds for any

such offence. Nq person unregistered will be entitled tg recover charge jn any court gf law, and " if any person fraudulently or by false r.epres.entatipn obtain any certificate as a duly qualified medLeai practitioner, or shall forge, alter, flr counterfeit any such certificate, or shall utter aud use any such certificate knowiug the same to Lave been forged, altered, or .counterfeited, or shall falgely advertise or publish himself as having .obtained such certificate, he shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and being thereof duly convicted shall be liable to imprisonment with or without hai;d labor for any period not exceeding three years." The $ues and penalties are to be sued for and recoverable summarily before any Justice of the Peace.