XIII STATE AND THE MEDICAL PROFESSION 335 



According to this plan the power of granting a 

 licence to practise is to be taken away from all 

 the existing bodies, whether they have done well 

 or ill, and to be placed in the hands of a body 

 of delegates (divisional boards), one for each of 

 the three kingdoms. The licence to practise is to 

 be conferred by passing the delegate examination. 

 The licensee may afterwards, if he pleases, go 

 before any of the existing bodies and indulge in the 

 luxury of another examination and the payment 

 of another fee in order to obtain a title, which 

 does not legally place him in any better position 

 than that which he would occupy without it. 



Under these circumstances, of course, the only 

 motive for obtaining the degree of a University or 

 the licence of a medical corporation would be the 

 prestige of these bodies. Hence the " black 

 sheep " would certainly be deserted, while those 

 bodies which have acquired a reputation by doing 

 their duty would suffer less. 



But, as the majority report proposes that the 

 existing bodies should be compensated for any 

 loss they might suffer out of the fees of the ex- 

 aminers for the State licence, the curious result 

 would be brought about that the profession of the 

 future would be taxed, for all time, for the purpose 

 of handing over to wholly irresponsible bodies a 

 sum, the amount of which would be large for 

 those who had failed in their duty and small for 

 those who had done it. 



