AUSTRALIAN.

Hokitika Guardian, 22 December 1922, Page 4

AUSTRALIAN.

AUSTRALIAN' AND N.Z. CABLt) ASSOCIATION. ‘ SPIRITUAL HEALING. j OPINION OF MEDICAL PEOFES- . SION. SYDNEY, Dec. 11. j There has been considerable discussion in church and medical circles regarding the forthcoming visit to, Australia bv Mr ,T. M..Hickson, who claims, the power of healing by tho laying on, of hands. The attitude of the medical proles- 1 sion is defined in a leading article in; the current issue of,the “Medical Jour-: uni of Australia.” They state the opinion of the medical profession its fol-J lows: “Tho fact is that no instance has: been recorded in which an organic: disease, proved by pathological ex--, animation to exist., lias been cured bys suggestion. No practitioner of medi- | cine' will deny that suggestion is a j verv powerful agent in the treatment of disease, particularly of a functional I character. Every practitioner uses it when he gives,« hopeful prognosis with the object of otieoriug a patient strickcn with a dire disease. That certain co-operation is sometimes desirable between physician and priest is equally obvious, and the,former will he glad to invoke Hie aid of . the latter when his administrations can he helpful. The physician, however, is the person responsible for the treatment of disease. He has been trained to that end. Diagnosis and treatment, whether by the "knife, bv phvsic or by suggestion, can he safely left in his hands. There is a distinct danger that in tho hands of untrained persons irrepirable haim imiv he done to the patients. “The danger of delay in seeking medical aid is no small one. and the present 'preparations’ for Mr Hickson’s visit to Australia arc in this regard potentially dangerous.” A conference in Sydney of over 1(K) clergymen of the Anglican Church has just decided that Mr Hickson’s visit means very much more, than the , mere results of aliv spiritual healing. Tt was considered that his methods were essentially spiritual, and as regards healing. were in no sense antagonistic' to medical science.

MEDICAL PR A CTITI ONE HS. Pl?OTectton in AVSTABLTA. SYDNEY. Dec. 14. Probably arising out of the recent case in Sydney when a prominent practitioner was removed from the register for infamous conduct in a professional respect, a suggestion has now been put forward bv the official organ of the British Medical Association that action should he taken .by the Federal Government to protect the public from unsii'innlous medical practitioners. Tlio opinion put forward is as follows: “For a considerable time the medical profession lias demanded the removal of the six different _ medical Acts in the Commonwealth. Never before has it been more apparent to the public than now that this reform is imperative. The States have nothing to oain in preserving their sovereign HMit- in regard to the registration ot medical practitioners. The Govern ments in each of the States should lose no time in intimating that they aic prepared to surrender their sovereign redits in this connexion to the Com monweakh. The latter should take immediate steps to enact a measure not 1... s s trill "on t than the most stringent „l the existing Acts. When this is done, one registration will serve for the whole of the Commonwealth, amt ,1m possibility of a repetition of many of ill, scandals of the past when a disreputable person has secured registration bv virtue of a stolen or torge'.l certificate in a State where he was unknown would he practically ohmimiiUl ‘ TASMANIAN SHIPS. SYDNEY. December 21.

Despite the Union Company’s request IVj. crews for Tasmanian vessels, t’e Seamen's Union has not officially ro- ! lied. Following on a decision of the Full Industrial Court that there will be no reduction in wages, the steel works at Newcastle are closing down, five hundred men being dismissed.

PATERSON NOT CHALLENGING. SYDNEY, December 21. Paterson states owing to an injury to Tilden’s finger he will not he a party to challenging the United States for the Davis Gup next year. Hicks, secretiny of tin; Australasian Association, states tlio Association alone will decide whether the challenge ho issued. A decision will lie arrived at after February. B.A.W.R.A. MELBOURNE. December 21 The B.A.W.R.A. has decided to post cheques immediately to shareholders, respecting the' distribution of six millions to lie paid on fourteenth '-A.mil. 1923. MOUNT MORGAN CO. BRISBANE, December 21. Ti:e Mount Morgan Cov's operations, resulted in a loss of £25,174. duo chiefly to the reduced value of blister copper. TRADE WITH CANADA . PERTH December 21. Asked if Canada was prepared to grant preference to Australian fruit. Mr Rob-li answered that Canada was prepared to give Australia the full benefit of British preference tariff, in return for Australia’s preference. federal elections. HOBART, December 21. \ All-Williams, leader of the Country Party, is definitely defeated for Franklin.