The Evening Mail. THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 1878.

Oamaru Mail, Volume II, Issue 545, 30 January 1878, Page 2

The Evening Mail. THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 1878.

To-xight, at tbt* mating of the subscribers to the Huspi'.-'l, Hi- following motion will be brought foi -.> .ad by Mr. Gibbs : "That it is advisable to increa-e the number of the medical staff, and to give to tiie patients the right of selecting their own medical attendant, and also to make such alteration in the rules as shall be deemed necessary to carry out the wishes of the meeting in respect of the proposed change." The question of hospital management is a j large and important one, and it behoves j everyone concerned to be careful uhatdeci- ; sion they arrive at in regard to Mr. Gibbs' ! resolution. So far as we can learn, it is a I matter that entirely rests with the medical gentlemen of this town. The Hospital authorities cannot afford the luxn-y of a ! resident medical man ; if they could, all doubt as to the best method of working the Hospital would be at an end. They have adopted a plan which suits the length of their purse, and, because of lack of funds, whatever may be the drawbacks of that plan, they will probably favour an adherence to it, unless some more advantageous, but not more expensive, system can be substituted. The question is, what is the feeling of the honorary medical officers upon this matter I for with them, to a very great extent, rests the efficiency of the system at present in operation ; indeed, we might go so far as to assert that the Hospital could not be properly attended to by a medical superintendent alone. A medical practitioner, with a large privite practice in a extensive district like this, is liable to be called away or to be absent just at a moment when his Hospital duties require his special attention. He could not, of course, be expected to sacrifice a practice worth a clear thousand a year to attend to duties for which he receives but a small salary. This difficulty has been surmounted through the liberality of Drs. DeLautohr and FlemiXw, who have always been willing to co-operate with Dr. Garland, the medical superintendent, in cases of emergency, and when that gentleman has heen absent from town attending to his private patients. The thanks of the committee are due to these gentlemen for their gratuitous services. We were surprised that, while the medical superintendent, by virtue of his connection with the Hospital, profits directly and indirectly—for a certain amount of prestige always attaches to medical men in such positions —and obtains kudos for everythin" that is done beneatli the roof of the Hospital, the honorary medical gentlemen seem to be forgotten, not a word of praise or thanks having been accorded to them in Dr. Gakivsd's report. Be it far from us to ferment a quarrel between the medical gentlemen of this district. But it has come to our knowledge that such conduct has engendered dis satisfaction, which threatens to culminate in the alienation of tiie honorary medical attendants from the Hospital, except under some new and more satisfactory arrangement. It has been suggested, as more efficient and equitable, that the Hospital should be thrown open to all medical men residing in Oamaru, who should give their services gratuitously. Objections have been raised to this idea which have a considerable show of reason in them : but the old system is by no means in favour, and if those who are at present doing a portion of the work gratuitously should deem it their duty to discontinue such favors, it would be unworkable. Under such circumstances there would be three alternatives open—either to adopt a purely gratuitous system, such as that suggested by our correspondent ; to pay those gentlemen called in from time to time in cases of emeruency or to assist the medical superintendent ; or to appoint a resident medical officer at a respectable salary. We have no doubt that the question will be well argued on both sides to-night, and that a wise decision will be the result.