THE SALE OF MEDICAL PRACTICES

795

of Government attending him such fee as he things 1it. The offermade will he reported by the medical officer through the politicalagent or other officer of Government exercising political functionsin the state of which the said chief, noble, or gentleman is a residentfor the consideration of the local government within w liose jurisdictionthe native state is situated. In reporting the offer the medical officerwill state, so far as he is able to do so consistently with his position asa medical adviser, the nature and the extent of relief afforded, the

importance of the case from a professional point of view, and the cir-cumstances under which he attended the patient. The political agentor officer forwarding the report will submit it, with such remarks as lieconsiders necessary. The local government will have authority tosanction the acceptance of any fee so reported unless the amountappears to be out of proportion to the relief afforded and to the circum-stances of the case, in which event the matter will be submitted withthe local governments opinion for the consideration and orders of theGovernment of India.

4. The report prescribed in the preceding paragraph will not berequired from a medical ofHcer in the following cases: (1) when theofficer names his own charges in accordance w ith a scale which lie hasfixed for his patients generally who are not native princes, or chiefs,and when such charge is accepted by the patients ; and (2) when theofficer and patient reside in the same station and the fee does notexceed Us. 50 for each visit or Ills. 1000 in the aggregate for repeatedvisits during the course of a year.

5. For the purpose of this notification the term Local Government"will be held to include an agent to the Governor-General and aresident of the first class.

No. 438-439.

ForeignCopy forwarded to the Foreign Department for information inMilitary

continuation of the indorsement from this Department.814

No. 816 -Date,l the 18th December, 1888.By Order

(Sd.) P. G. MELLITUS,Deputy Secy. to the Government of India.

Circular No. 33 of 1893.Dated Lucknow, the 18th December, 1893.

Copy forwarded to the Civil Surgeon at Bijnour for his informationand guidance.

(Sd.) J. G. PILCHER, F.R.C.S., Surgeon-Colonel,Offg. Inspector-General, Civil Hospitals, N.-W. P. and Oudh.

I am sure that the question of fees to medical officers inIndia from native chiefs, nobles, and gentlemen is one whichit would be wise not to interfere with, for it is in manycases a religious institution among some of the families ofthe chiefs and nobles in that country, and it would beregarded as i,nfra dig. for a rajah that his medical attendantshould receive his fee doled out in so many rupees per visitas prescribed. While I was civil surgeon of the Prince ofWales’s Hospital and superintendent of the Ishwair Hospitalin Benares a rajah paid me in " gold mohur fees (the goldmohur being the sum in professional and commercial trans-actions which is still current) and in tending me the goldcoin he gave familv reasons and asked me to accept thesame as it was an old family custom not to fee in rupees.Would it not be wise to encourage such a custom, whichgives pleasure to the donor, who feels proud to maintainwhat has been handed down by his forefathers, to one whohas saved the life of a child or cured it of epilepsy andplaced him in a position to inherit the throne instead of

being consigned to a lunatic asylum ? The educated nativesof India are educated enough to perceive a want of "fellow-countrymanism " in the social atmosphere, hence the orderhas an element of danger about it, since it savours of a

selfishness and doubts the integrity as well as the honestyof the donor and receiver of the fee.

Consider the offence such an order would give the wholeof society, and particularly the English nobleman, ifthe Premier of England prescribed so many shillingsper visit, and limited a fee to £200 in the yearfor the Duke of Westminster or Baron Rothschild to

present as a mark ot his gratitude to his medicalattendant for saving his or his child’s life, and also that theHome Secretary required a report of the case if the feeexceeded the prescribed amount, with the full particulars ofthe case from a " professional point of view"! A medicalman is not to be feed according to his skill, experience, 01his devotion to his duties, but purely to satisfy the curiosityof a Home Secretary in India from the views of a laymember and not the liberality and large-heartedness of hisdonor. Why conceal such enlightened selfishness under thecloud of an order to give it a different rainbow hue of purityto receive any colour which it pleases the Home Secretary tcpaint his donor and the receiver in and consign to the sealeccover of Confidential Reports under lock and key? Lord Curzorwould do India, his countrymen and women, as well as alHis Majesty’s subjects-white, brown, or black-in India andthe British dominions throughout the world a lasting benefiif he removed the blot which now exists by inquiring full;

ito the merits of every case, for this would ever live in theearts of people and cause the British nation and empire toe loved and admired by all right-thinking people. Such anrder in its present construction neither appeals to Britishonour, large-heartedness, nor sense of justice, and I writehis with no desire to make it private or coniidential butwith the object of raising the breeze of healthy publicpinion about the question and in the interests of fair playnd justice T am Sirs voiir.,; faithfully

Sept. 6th,1904. MAJOR, I.M.S. (retired).

THE SALE OF MEDICAL PRACTICES.l’o the Editors of THE LANCET.

SIRS,-In THE LANCET of August 27th, p. 629, you reportthe case of a medical man who had sold no less than 29 or30 practices during the same space of years and you givesome wise words of warning anent the buying of practices.Now it has been my unfortunate experience to meet anotherclass of medical man who seems to have made his livelihoodor at least added to his income by taking in (!) partners.His own son when writing to me on hearing of the dis-solution described his "governor as a regular Bluebeard asregards partners," and so I have since heard from othermedical men. I believe my late partner actually has hadnearly 20 partners in about 30 years. Unfortunatelymen in the position I was never learn these factsuntil it is too late, and if only some association could beformed for would-be buyers to obtain advice from, or whichcould privately make inquiries and keep records for theprotection of would-be buyers, it would doubtless fill awant. None at present exists, and I beg to suggest thatyou open your columns to receiving the experiences of menwho have been " done " and thus give an opportunity for thedrawing up a series of rules whereby the inexperienctd buyerwould avoid the pitfalls dug by such men as my late partr erand the over-frequent vendor of practices to whom youalluded recently.-I am, Sirs, yours faithfully,

Sept. 4th, 1904. A LATE PARTNER OF BLUEBEARD.

NOTES FROM INDIA.

(FROM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.)

The Simla Improvement Scheme.-English Medical Men forIiccbu,l.-The Uselessness of " Ocimum Viride " againstMosquitoes.-Items of Plague News.-The Re-marriage of1Hclows in India.

THE many who know Simla will be glad to hear of theactive steps which are being taken for its extension and

improvement. Fresh land has been acquired in the vicinityof Simla by exchange of land at Kotkai with the Rani ofKoti. The installation for the electric lighting of thisstation is to be commenced shortly. The proposals forcertain broad driving roads are being pushed along and theSanjauli tunnel is to be widened. This latter scheme isestimated to cost Rs.50.000 and will be commenced at theend of the season. Very naturally the Government of Indiais taking a prominent part in all matters connected withthe improvements and on the return of certain Governmentofficials accelerated progress may be anticipated, more

particularly during the next few months.It was hardly to be expected after the skilled surgical

assistance rendered to the Amir of Afghanistan for his recentaccident that he would be content to rely on his own

Afghan medical men in the future and it is now reportedthat he has intimated his desire for expert English medicalmen to be stationed at Kabul. The staff suggested is onemedical officer, one lady doctor, and three hospital assist-ants with a small compounding staff. The Government ofIndia has the matter under consideration.The vaunted value of the plant ’’ocimum viride" for

keeping off mosquitoes and as an effective destroyer ofthese insects has been put to the test at the Lucknowhorticultural gardens. The plant is found in East Africaand some seed was imported last year. Numerous plantswere raised and experiments conducted, but it is very clearthat the plant is valueless for the purpose stated. It

possesses a strong aromatic odour, especially when bruised.. The plant belongs to the Casir or Tulsi family, several

species of which, particularly ocimum sanctum, are wellknown in India.