§ Order for Consideration of Lords' Amendments read.
MR. COWPERsaid, that all the Amendments were verbal, with two exceptions. The first of these was a clause introduced by the House of Lords for the protection of homœopathists. Recently, the officers of the University of Aberdeen, in examining a candidate, asked whether, if he obtained his degree, he was prepared utterly and solemnly to renounce the practice of homœopathy. The candidate declined to 2278 give such a pledge, and a clause had been introduced in the other House, providing that if any college of physicians or surgeons, or any university, should impose any tests or conditions upon any person who presented himself for examination, the Privy Council should be empowered to issue an order restricting the degrees or diplomas of such body from entitling any person to be registered under this Act so long as those conditions were maintained. The other Amendment related to the registration fee, which it proposed to make £5 in the case of persons becoming entitled to registration after the passing of the Act, and £2 in the case of persons already entitled.
§ LORD ELCHOsaid, that he wished to say, before the Bill left the House, that he believed the measure to be, on the whole, a very liberal one. The subject had for thirty years been under the consideration of Parliament, and if they had now succeeded in passing a good Bill into a law it would, in a great degree, be owing to the just and conciliatory spirit displayed by the right hon. Gentleman the Home Secretary.
§ MR. BRADYsaid, he wished to express his belief that the conduct of the right hon. Gentleman the Home Secretary deserved the warmest thanks of the profession, who, he was sure, would reward with gratitude the efforts of the right hon. Gentleman to settle a question which had puzzled so many statesmen for the last quarter of a century.
§ Lords' Amendments agreed to.