563 
THE METEOrOLITAN POOH BILL, 
This Bill, wliich bas passed its third reading in the House of Commons, 
and is now before the Lords, contains, among other excellent provisions, re¬ 
gulations for “ Medical Out-door Belief,” which will be interesting to all 
persons in any way interested in the medical profession. Its primary object 
IS, of course, to benefit those unfortunate members of the community who 
are thrown on public resources for assistance in time of need. Whether 
justly or unjustly, complaints have long been made of the inefficiency of the 
means provided for relief of the sick poor. Those complaints seem to have 
culminated in the reports published last year in the Lancet/ and perhaps to 
the exertion made by that journal the public may be in no small degree in¬ 
debted for Mr. G-athorne Hardy’s amendments of the Poor Law Act. 
An important step in the right direction is now taken by dividing medical 
advice from the supply of medicines. Everybody knows how inadequate the 
pay of many “ parish doctors ” has been to the time and attention even re¬ 
quired for the patients, let alone the drugs. Mr. Hardy has wisely relieved 
these gentlemen both from the cost of medicines and the trouble of dispens¬ 
ing, thereby acknowledging and promoting the fast-growing opinion that, 
wherever practicable, the prescriber and dispenser should not be one and the 
same person. 
Each “union” or “parish” within the Metropolitan district (the present 
Bill goes no further than the Metropolis) will have to appoint a dispensary 
committee, part of whose duties it will be to supply medicines and appoint 
dispensers. This last appointment has given rise to some discussion in the 
House of Commons, and a very important addition was made to the clause in 
committee on the suggestion of Mr. Vanderbyl. The original clause stated 
that 'proper persons should be appointed, but Boards of Guardians are not 
always able to judge of a man’s fitness for professional duties, with the nature 
of which they are unacquainted, and it was consequently proposed that while 
the committee should decide on a candidate’s general fitness, it should be 
compulsory on all applicants for the appointments to give evidence of ^ro- 
qualification, that they should be either “persons on the general 
medical register, or duly qualified as competent under the Pharmacy Act, 
1852, or the Apothecaries Act, 1815.” 
In the discussion which followed Mr. Yanderbyl’s proposition of this 
amendment, its principle was fully confirmed, but the committee ultimately 
decided that the qualification should be kept in the hands of the Poor Law 
Board, and consequently added the word “ qualifications ” in the proper part 
of the clause, as indication that some should be required. 
SUBSCBIPTIONS TO THE BENEVOLENT FUND, 
Every one who shared in the late Festival for the Benevolent Fund must 
have been highly delighted at the result, and not a little credit must be given 
to the originators and those who took a most lively interest in it. It would 
be invidious to mention names, as every one must have been interested in so 
good an object; at the same time there were some half-dozen or more who 
were most conspicuous and active in their exertions, and to whom we are sure 
the great success obtained is more than sufficient recompense. 
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