B.M.A. EDICT.

Hokitika Guardian, 3 September 1926, Page 1

B.M.A. EDICT.

AGAINST FAMOUS SURGEON. [Australian & N.Z. Cable Association.] LONDON, Sept. •1. Medical etiquette was rudely shocked by the appearance of a photograph of the famous surgeon, Sir Arbuthnot Lane, upon tho menu cards of a chain of prominent team shops. This was tho outcome of Sir A. Lane’s writing an article on athletes’ diet, in his capacitv of President of the New Health Society. This was printed on the back of the menu cards, with Sir A. Lane’s photograph, which hail been supplied unknown to him. Three doctors, on seeing the photograph, phoned to the British Medical Association and complained of this as a. broach of medical etiquette. The proprietor of tho tea shops was informed that he must destroy the menu cards. He said that ho could not destroy the forty thousand cards that were printed and open his shops without any menu cards. Eventually the proprietor agreed to obliterate the photographs by pasting over them slips of gum paper. This then led to thousands of customers asking the reason for the pasting of tho gum paper over the cards. The waitresses answered : “That’s Sir Arbuthnot Lane.”

Following upon a complaint which ho reecivod upon the subject, Sir Arbuthnot Lane resignd his membership of the British Medical Association, at the same time expressing his regret that, he should have been unwittingly involved in this incident against the etiquette of the profession. It now appears that the Medical Association , regarded Sir Arbuthnot Lane’s communication as not wholly meeting tho case, and then asked for a definite disclaimer through the shop firm.

Sir Arbuthnot Lane has been strenuously advocating that doctors should he free from the disciplinary restraints of the British Medical Asociation, and ho lias also attacked the 'Association’s ruling that doctors 'must not write signed articles on medical subjects.