As we write the situation of the medical profession with
regard to the administration of the Insurance Act is so uncertain that we propose to postpone all comment until next Saturday ; we will here only give a short summary of the course of events during the week. Last Saturday a representative meeting of the Association was held. It was then announced that at the meetings of " divisions" throughout the country 9,331 members had voted against service under the Act and 1,963 for service, while of non-members 1,888 had voted against, and 445 for service. (It must be noted here that, although there was thus an overwhelming majority of votes given against service, the voters themselves form less than half of the total number who might have voted. It is argued on the one hand that these abstentions show that the resistance to the Act has become lukewarm, and on the other that the abstainers, having already signed the earlier pledge against service, felt it unnecessary to renew it.) A resolution rejecting the Govern- ment's proposals and finally declining service was then carried by 182 votes to 21. The meeting next proceeded to adopt an alternative scheme for working the Act. This scheme accepts Mr. Lloyd George's proposed capitation rate of 8s. 6d. per annum inclusive of drugs, but declares that the arrangements for service must in all cases be made directly between the insured persons or their representatives and a committee of local doctors. The point of difference between the Govern- ment and Association is thus reduced to a question of administration, the doctors being unwilling to be placed upon a panel under the control of the local Insurance Committees.
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