View report page

26
real cause of death may be ascertained. Provisions of this sort
would cut both ways. The unregistered practitioner would be
chary of certifying the cause of death for fear of the penalty, and
his patients would soon become acquainted with the fact of his
disqualification—a fact of which, seeing from what class the patients
are drawn, they may fairly be supposed to be ignorant.
The unregistered practitioner cannot recover fees for attendance,
etc.: but this difficulty is got over by a system of cash
payments, which, I doubt not, the registered practitionej would
be very pleased to adopt were it practicable. It should be
added that something has been done within the last few months
by the profession for its own protection and for the public
good. An association has been formed for the prosecution of persons
practising medicine irregularly, and convictions have been obtained
in many cases. Once or twice the offence charged has been
that of falsely pretending to be registered under the Medical
Act, but more frequently proceedings have been instituted under
the Apothecaries' Act, which affords a more simple and easy
method of procedure. The principal objection to the working of
the latter Act is, as I understand, that the Apothecaries' Company,
which will not institute proceedings, takes the penalties, the
burden of proving the case and the attendant expenses falling
on the Association. The penalties go to the Medical Council,
when the proceedings are framed under the Medical Act, but
the Council in successful cases invariably make an allowance to the
prosecutor sufficient to cover the expenses of the proceedings. It is to
be hoped that by an alteration of the law, and by the appointment
of a public prosecutor, these matters will be rectified—the public
having an infinitely greater interest in them than the profession.
The "not certified" deaths in this parish form about 1.2 per
cent, of all the deaths. The proportion is far greater in some
other parts of the metropolis (especially south of the Thames),
and in all England.
"NO MEDICAL ATTENDANT."
The deaths of persons who had no medical attendance in thenlast
illness were nine in number, six infants and three aged people.
The cause of death as registered was in the case of the children as
follows:-One newly born "premature birth and debility;" two
children of one day old, ditto ; a child five weeks old, " diarrhoea;"
another of eleven weeks (illegitimate) "thrush, convulsions;" another
one year old, " whooping-cough, convulsions." The assigned cause
of death in the aged people was as follows:- a female of 64, and
another of 73 years, " heart disease;" a male of 82 years, " natural
decay."
METEOROLOGY.
The mean temperature of the air at Greenwich during the year
was 49°4 Fahr, the average of 36 years being 49°,3. The averages
of the four quarters were 40°.l, 53°.9, 60°.7, and 42°.9. The