Abstract
DR. COLIN LINDSAY presided at the one hundred and sixth annual meeting of the British Medical Association, held at Plymouth on July 19 and following days. “The Profession and the Public” was the title of the address of Dr. Lindsay, who pointed out that his remarks were based upon an experience of forty years as general practitioner and consulting physician. He emphasized the need for continued education both for the public and for the practitioner, and the necessity that exists for a specialist service to supplement the service of the family doctor, for medicine has grown so enormously that it is quite impossible for any one person to be proficient in every branch. He reminded the public of the unity and equality of the three main branches of the profession—the general practitioners, the consultants and the members of the public health service—which are essentially complementary, each requiring for its proper performance attainments of the highest order. He desires to see more attention paid to the treatment of the so-called 'minor ailments', for it has been estimated that forty per cent of all sickness is due to the patient's own action. The principle of 'free choice of doctor' under National Health Insurance was stressed, and the Association's proposals for a general medical service for the nation were outlined, by which members of families within an income limit of £250 a year would be included. Other topics dealt with were the fees to be paid for consultative work, the education of the public in the use of the doctor, and the countering of credulity on the part of the public.
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The British Medical Association: Plymouth Meeting. Nature 142, 245 (1938). https://doi.org/10.1038/142245a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/142245a0