324 STATE AND THE MEDICAL PROFESSION xiii 



of which the Bill was founded, and I did my best 

 to oppose and nullify that report. 



That the question must be taken up again 

 and linally dealt with by the Legislature before 

 long cannot be doubted; but in the meanwhile 

 there is time for reflection, and 1 think that the 

 non-medical public would be wise if they paid a 

 lilile attention to a subject which is really of con- 

 siderable importance to them. 



The first question which a plain man is dis- 

 posed to ask himself is, Why should the State in- 

 terfere with the profession of medicine any more 

 than it docs, say, with the profession of engineer- 

 ing? Anybody who pleases may cull himself an 

 engineer, and many practice as such. The State 

 confers no title upon engineers, and does not pro- 

 fess to tell the public that one man is a qualilicd 

 engineer and that another is not so. 



The answers which are given to the question 

 are various, and most of them, I think, are bad. 

 A large number of persons seem to be of opinion 

 that the State is bound no less to take care of the 

 general public, than to see that it is protected 

 against incompetent persons, against quacks and 

 medical impostors in general. I do not take that 

 view of the case. I think it is very much whole- 

 somer for the public to take care of itself in this 

 as in all other matters; and although I am not 

 such a fanatic for the liberty of the subject as to 

 plead that interfering with the way in which a 



