QUESTION. (Hansard, 18 March 1858)

§ LORD TALBOT DE MALAHIDE

asked the First Lord of the Treasury what are the intentions of Her Majesty's Government with respect to Medical Reform and the Sale of Poisons. The question was one of vast social importance, and in which not only large classes of professional men, but the public itself were concerned. In his own opinion, acting from the information he had received, the medical profes- 320 sion were better prepared for legislation on the subject at the present moment than they had been for many years past. There were several important questions of medical reform which they generally thought ought to be taken up by the Government, especially those which had reference to giving greater security for testing the capacity of Members of the different branches of the profession, and putting all those who possessed the necessary attainments in an equally favourable position, while they removed all artificial difficulties in the way of the most talented and experienced men obtaining the highest possible status to which they could attain in the profession. It was also desirable to provide, as far as possible, against the evil arising from incompetent men, such as quacks and impostors, carrying on their practices under the shelter of the profession. No doubt there would be great difficulty in legislating upon this subject; but he thought some attempt should at least be made to obtain these objects, though the medical profession itself were not quite agreed as to what should be done. He would take the liberty of asking what were the intentions of the Government upon the subject. Their Lordships were aware that two Bills were introduced last Session, but neither of them under the direct sanction of the Government; and he thought it was obvious that unless the Bills, notice of the introduction of which had been given this Session, had the concurrence and assistance of Government, there was little chance of their passing. With reference to the sale of poisons, their Lordships were aware that a Committee of their Lordships' House inquired into that question last Session, at which many witnesses were examined; and, although there was some division of opinion upon the subject, he thought that evidence enough had been given to show, that the question deserved the immediate attention of the Government.

§ THE EARL OF DERBY

said, that the noble Lord had very properly brought under their Lordships' attention two subjects of importance, to which the noble Lord had, he knew, given much attention. At the same time, he must remind him that there was a certain class of cases with regard to which every one was agreed that something ought to be done; but when they came to consider the details of a measure, very few agreed upon what ought to be done. There was no stronger exemplification of the truth of this remark than 321 was afforded by the question of medical reform; for the members of the medical profession were not altogether agreed upon what was wanted, and their disagreement rendered it almost impossible to pass any satisfactory measure. He might mention, as an analogous case, that, when he was a Member of the House of Commons, he hardly recollected one year in which some Member—generally a young and enthusiastic Member—did not bring in a Will for the reform of the laws regulating the salmon fishery. They were always told that there was a necessity for immediate legislation on the subject, and Parliament was induced to interfere; but, as surely as a Bill was passed in one Session, another had to be passed in the next to amend it. He would not say that the same fate which had attended all attempts to improve the salmon fishery laws would necessarily await any effort to deal with the question of medical reform; but the latter subject, as well as the former, appeared unquestionably to be involved in considerable difficulty as regarded its permanent settlement. The law as it stood was certainly not creditable to the country, and therefore he thought something ought to be done. The noble Lord had not, however, done justice to the efforts which had been made in the House of Commons to amend the law. It was true that, last year, two Bills were introduced; but this year, so great was the excitement on the subject, that no fewer than three Bills had been brought into the other House by three different Members. Amid such a conflict of opinion, he was not prepared to say that the Government were ready to enter into the lists, and bring forward a fourth Bill on their own responsibility; but, considering the intimate acquaintance with the Subject possessed by those three Gentlemen, it was the intention of his colleagues in the other House to give their best attention to the Bills which had been introduced, and to endeavour, by some amicable arrangement with the different parties, to frame such a measure as would be most generally approved, and as would meet the views of the profession at large and of the public. As to the sale of poisons, the noble Lord was aware that a Bill was introduced on that subject last year by his noble Friend the late President of the Council (Earl Granville). That Bill was sent to a Committee, which suggested several Amendments, and he (the Karl of Derby) had lately communicated with his right hon. 322 Friend the Secretary for the Home Department, calling his attention to the Bill so amended, and requesting him to communicate with professional men and professional bodies, more especially with the Pharmaceutical Society, on the subject. If it was found that there was any chance of a Bill being so framed as to receive the approbation of Parliament, it would be introduced into the other House.