On slight ailments, and on treating disease / by Lionel S. Beale.

  • Lionel Smith Beale
Date:
1896
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: On slight ailments, and on treating disease / by Lionel S. Beale. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    operates against us, and diminishes our influence, but prevents the introduction of many reforms which would be of great advantage to the community. Indeed it would be more in accordance with the public interests if the influence of the medical profession were much greater than it is at this time. What is very serious for us is that ignorance of our methods and even prejudice against doctors sometimes exist in high quarters, and too often find expression in remarks unreasonable and undeserved on the part of men holding high and responsible public positions. In many cases I am convinced that observations to our disparagement would never have been uttered if the speaker had made himself acquainted with the actual facts. There is unfortunately great and widely spread ignorance concerning us and our aims and works, and it is most important that better knowledge should prevail. Medical methods are by some regarded with doubt and mistrust, and some of our enquiries into the facts of living beings have been so successfully opposed of late years that they have even been stopped by the passing of prohibitory laws, enforcing heavy fines for disobedience. Investigations upon the lower animals are now practically forbidden in England, and those who advocate experiments even upon frogs are denounced as cruel and worthy of severe punishment. But with glaring inconsistency the interests of the frog in its tadpole state are still uncared for. Some aspirant to political renown might, perhaps, soon rise to popularity and win power by eloquent appeals to the people in favour of the protection of tadpoles, and compel the Commons to pass a short tadpole rights protection bill. For the present we must submit as best we may to the unpleasant- ness of not being a very popular or a very influential body. We are tolerated and by some considered as a sort of necessary evil, and it is no doubt generally admitted we are sometimes useful in relieving pain, and suffering, and occasionally, especially in serious cases, we may even be regarded as a comfort. Politically the profession has little power,, and in this respect our interests rank considerably below those of cotton, iron, beer, spirit, and many other industries. Legal and medical Methods.—Legislation has been introduced! with reference to the examination and certifying of lunatics, which seems to show how little is thought of our action and judgment,, and which certainly is not considerate to the unfortunate patients. The new laws imply a doubt on the part of those who framed them, whether the majority of practitioners ought to be trusted to place under restraint those persons who according to medical judgment, based upon well ascertained facts, are insane. The reasoning by which the conclusion in favour of the new procedure has been reached seems to be very curious. It looks as if it had been concluded that honest, intelligent, straightforward medical practitioners were largely