Laws, list of officers for the year 1870-71, and of the honorary members and members : to which is added a report of the annual meeting ... July 13th, 1870 / Poor-Law Medical Officers' Association.

Date:: [1870]

Credit: Laws, list of officers for the year 1870-71, and of the honorary members and members : to which is added a report of the annual meeting ... July 13th, 1870 / Poor-Law Medical Officers' Association. 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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$,..wnys exhibited. [Loud cheers.] TFe bog,'.^d to move the following resoliil ion : That this meeting has hoard with groat regret of Dr. Dudlield's intent ioii to v s ■ m the olHce of Secretary, and dtssiies to express its deep eenso of the awi''.v energy which he has at all times brought to hear on the interests ot the Asso- ciation, and which have so largely contributod to its prosperity and mllnenoc. [Cheors.] Tlic resolution wris se.ionded by Mr. Matiikws, of Hor.sh.im, .supported in eulogistic terms by Ur. r.urcliell, iMr. J'.onsou Baker, Dr. Welch, and other.s, and carried by acclamation, great regret being expressed l>y all the speakers at the prospect of the Association losing the services of Dr. Dudfiold, who had taken so prominent a part in its foundation, organ- i.sation, and labours. Dr. DuDViKLD, whose rising was greeted with cheers, thanked Dr. Dixon for the very tlatlering terms in which he had proposed this most nne.x- pected resolution; and the meeting for the gratifying way in which it had been received. He said that the duties of the office made greater calls upon his time than his other avocations, public and private, allowed him to bestow upon them. 'ihe labour of organising and carrying on so large an Association was great, and it fell, of necessity, upon the Se- cretaries. He had had correspondents in all parts of the kingdom, and this alone entailed very heavy labour at times. (Hear, hear.) He had given his willing services for four years. The Association, when he called the fir^t meeting in June, 186G, comprised 2G members. Now, in round numbers, it was 000 strong; and it must be confessed that it had done good work, and had achieved, in principle at least, several of the objects f( r which it was established. He thanked his colleagues in Council for the generous confidence they had always placed in him—and the Association generally for the manner in which at the public meetings they had recognised his services by endorsing his reports. (Cheers.) Mr. Sleman, (Tavistock,) wished to make a few observations with regard to the union with which he was connected, to illustrate the present inetpialities of payment of Medical Officers, more particularly in tho.se Unions where the medical extras were commuted. He said if they examined the statistics of 121 agricultural unions in England, smaller in area than the Tavistock Union, with less population and with Medical llelicf varying in amount from £401 to ±955 per antmm, they would obtain the following results .— Acreage. Population. Out-door Relief. Medical Relief. Average of 121 Unions, 84112 20153 £7082 9.s. £ry^r) is. Tavistock, 158507 352G5 £7570 10s. £258 Os. Thus the average payment in the 121 Unions was actually more than double that of Tavistock, totally irrespective of Area and Population. If they examined the three Unions in England, which were as large as Tavistock, with that union, they would obtain the following results— Area in Acres. Population. Out-dnor Relief. Medical Relief. Union No. 432 183104 34291 £7158 £536 431 170708 33127 9943 523 433 105473 33759 10009 508 Tavistock 158567 35205 7507 258 Examination of smaller Agricultural Unions still fin'thcr illustrated the lowncss of the salaries in the Tavi.stock Union. Let them comi)arc No. 74 with a District of the Tavtstock Union. 'J'he comparison woulil be found very striking. Population. Area in .\crc?. Medical Hchef. Union No. 74 5437 46785 £310 Milton Abbot District) Tavistock Union) 5194 47010 43$