xiii STATE AND THE MEDICAL PROFESSION 337 



and still are, extremely valuable, without any ques- 

 tion of compensation arising, and by an extremely 

 simple operation. It is only necessary in fact to 

 add a couple of clauses to the Medical Act to 

 this effect: (1) That from and after such a date 

 no person shall be placed upon the Medical Reg- 

 ister unless he possesses the threefold qualifica- 

 tion. (2) That from and after this date no ex- 

 amination shall be accepted as satisfactory from 

 any licensing body except such as has been carried 

 on in part by examiners appointed by the licens- 

 ing body, and in part by coadjutor-examiners of 

 equal authority appointed by the Medical Council 

 or other central authority, and acting under their 

 instructions. 



In la3dng down a rule of this kind the State 

 confiscates nothing, and meddles with nobody, 

 but simply acts within its undoubted right of 

 laying down the conditions under which it will 

 confer certain privileges upon medical practi- 

 tioners. Xo one can say that the State has not 

 the right to do this; no one can say that the 

 Sate interferes with any private enterprise or 

 corporate interest unjustly, in laying down its 

 own conditions for its own service. The plan 

 would have the further advantage that all those 

 corporate bodies which have obtained (as many of 

 them have) a great and just prestige by the ad- 

 mirable wav in wliich thev have done their work, 

 would reap their just reward in the thronging 



