A new scheme for the payment of medical men by the state, for free medical and surgical attendance for the public (not paupers) / by Frederick Henry Alderson.

Date:
[1893?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A new scheme for the payment of medical men by the state, for free medical and surgical attendance for the public (not paupers) / by Frederick Henry Alderson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

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    I? disease is but trifling and not serious there are too lavish opportunities for the procuring of medical advice but this is not always the case if illness occurs suddenly or in the night, grievous delay may not infrequently occur which materially increases the number of incurable cases, and adds much to the mortality rate, this delay occurs most frequently to the man with large family and small means, and with but limited credit, and with laudable anxiety to escape debt, is reluctant to call in medical aid, and to incur what he could ill afford to pay a. doctor's bill, especially is this the case if the duration of the illness is long, the labouring classes have done much to prevent this delay in procuring medical aid by their clubs, but too often at the expense of the doctor, allowing what was intended solely for the wage earning class to be participated in by tradesmen and many others able to pay the ordinary fees of the general practitioner, but there is still a numerous class of persons who do and who are compelled perhaps to put off procuring medical assistance till the most favourable time for aiding recovery has ])assed, such as the poor clerk, the daily governess, the poor artist, the unskilled artizan, and the unbeneficed clergy; hence, no doubt, is the cause and origin of the quickly developing and too flourishing dispensaries, medical aid associations, and private sick clubs, which have done much to bring medical treatment into contempt and so tended to depreciate surgical aid. (3) Under the proposed State medical appointments these ill-conceived and often worthless attempts to provide in sickness for the deserving jjoor would disappear, for with free medicine they would no longer be required, and quackery would be at le^st diminished and with the advancing education and the iate exposures perhaps ultimately dis- appear. (4) These appointments would stimulate ambition, for promotion and increased income would only follow useful, successful, and praiseworthy work. The valuable posts of distinction, with their comparatively large incomes, would prove valuable prizes and certainly develop the science and skill both of our learned physicians and of our most skilful surgeons. (5) The competent general practitioner of good repute, the learned physician, nor the talented surgeon would any