§ COLONEL KING-HARMANasked the First Lord of the Treasury, If he has any objection to state whether it is true that he has advised Her Majesty graciously to confer the honour of Baronetcy upon two distinguished English gentlemen of groat medical and surgical skill; and, whether he has also advised Her Majesty to reward the services of an Irish gentleman, who has also attained to great and deserved eminence in the surgical profession, with the simple honour of a Knighthood?
MR. GLADSTONEI understand that this Question is not intended to elicit matters of fact, which the hon. and gallant Member knows as well as I do, but rather to elicit a short explanation. Well, I am informed that as the matter stands at present there is a Medical Profession in the three countries—one in England, one in Ireland, and one in Scotland. Viewed in that light, there has been recently conferred in England upon two distinguished gentlemen the honour of a Baronetcy, and upon one distinguished physician the honour of a Knighthood; in Ireland on one distinguished gentleman the honour of a Knighthood; and in Scotland there has been conferred no honour at all. That is the state of things, the Medical Profession being viewed as threefold in the three countries; but I own that state of things is not very satisfactory, and very great efforts are being made, and are in progress, in a Bill now before the House, to make the Profession in the three countries one—one in standard and one in authority. We attach great importance to the views embedied in that Bill; and, acting on that principle, we regard the Medical Profession as one. Questions of honours conferred on persons, whether in one country or the other, we regard as only secondary questions; and, therefore, we cannot give them more than a secondary importance. Of course, I am very well aware that in advising the Crown with respect to honours of this kind I am liable to err; but I need not tell the 1648 hon. and gallant Gentleman and the House that I do not proceed upon my own authority alone, but that I endeavour to inform myself by very full consultation with those who are regarded as the heads of the Medical and Surgical branches of the Profession, and not iu any formal sense, but as probably the most leading persons in both the Medical and Surgical branches of the Profession. It was after full consultation with them that I advised the Crown on a recent occasion; and I am quite sure the hon. and gallant Gentleman has no intention of disparaging the honour of Knighthood, which I deem to be a considerable honour, and cannot think meanly of a title which is berne by the Judges of the land and by the Law Officers of the Crown.
§ COLONEL KING-HARMANI wish to ask the right hon. Gentleman, if he is aware that a very strong feeling has been exhibited by the Medical Profession in Ireland owing to the conferring on their Profession of the lower honour of Knighthood, which, I admit, is no doubt a very great honour, while the higher honour of Baronetcy is bestowed on the English Medical Profession?
MR. GLADSTONEWhat I have endeavoured to convey is that upon ascertaining, as well as I could, the relative merits and degrees of these distinctions, my advice has been given to the Crown; and as the hon. and gallant Gentleman has referred to this subject, I must say that two gentlemen of very high position in the Irish Medical Profession have written to me stating that they regret very much that any notice indicative apparently of discontent should have been brought under my notice.
SIR TREVOR LAWRENCEAs this question is before the House, I wish to ask the right hon. Gentleman whether it is intended to proceed with the Medical Act Amendment Bill?
MR. GLADSTONEYes, Sir; it is the intention to proceed with it; and the reason for the delay in doing so is that the Bill having come down from the House of Lords, it was thought right to give precedence to other Bills which require to go before that House.