Case of the Royal College of Surgeons of England in relation to the medical Bills now before Parliament.
- Royal College of Surgeons of England
- Date:
- 1857
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Case of the Royal College of Surgeons of England in relation to the medical Bills now before Parliament. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.
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![1843, its present and reformed constitution was established, that is to say, its Council was made elective by the Fellows; a class instituted for the purpose. It may be added, that such powers as the Council possesses for the regulation of the depart- ment of the profession over which it presides are embodied in Bye-laws, the validity of which depends, not only upon the sanction of the legal authorities of the realm, but upon the express approval of Her Majesty’s Secretary of State for the Home Department. Since the period of 1800, the College of Surgeons has been the only body practically recognized in England for granting diplomas, or authorized letters testimonial, in Surgery. It is true, that in the absence of any legal restriction on the practice of unqualified persons, the examination for the Di])loma has been altogether voluntary. But the estimation of the Di])loma of the College, in connexion doubtless with the high charaeter of the Court of Examiners, has been such, that it has been voluntarily sought by the majority of the surgical practitioners of England, and by a large proportion of those practising in the colonies and dependencies of the Empire; that by the influence of public opinion it has become a necessary qualification for the public services; and that it has been recognized in Acts of Parliament, where a surgical qualification has been required and specified. And as proof and evidence of the high value attached to the Diploma of the College, in eonsequence of the celebrity of the names subscribed to the testimonial, it may be mentioned, that the average of the diplomas granted annually by the Collegse on examination during the last few years has been little less than five hundred, a number exceeding that of all the other ex- amining boards of the United Kingdom together, and indepen- dent of the rejection of about one-sixth of tl>e whole number of applicants. The revenue of the College is almost wholly derived from the fees accruing from the grant of surgical diplomas; and it is ex- pended, as may be seen by accounts published annually, on the various purposes which a College instituted for the advancement of Surgery and its eollateral sciences implies and requires, such as the fees of the Examiners, and the disbursements for the Museum, Library, Lectures, Prizes, and the maintenance of the establishment. In respect of the Court of Examiners, it has been already ex- plained that the character of the College mainly depends upon the estimation of its Diploma, and consequently on the reputa- tion of its Examiners; and it may be said, that as the post of Examiner is one of the highest distinction, and therefore a pre- vailing object of ambition, so it is the only place of profit which the College has to bestow. The payment to the Examiners is by](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b22460299_0004.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
