Medical militants
Sir: In drawing attention to the unprofes- sional behaviour of teachers, your editorial (22 April) illustrated the point by stating: `They [the teachers] demand the status of members of the British Medical Associa- tion but the rights of the Transport and General Workers Union.' The point is well taken but deserves qualification for the fol- lowing reason: the British Medical Associa- tion (BMA) is in fact a trade union which has more in common with the Transport and General Workers Union than the lay- man might imagine.
The renegotiation of junior doctors' hours and contracts (by the BMA) has been designed to benefit only those members of the profession who are passing through hospital medicine en route to a career in general practice. The stridency of the advo- cates of this new deal has created, within the ranks of contemporary housemen and senior housemen, a generation of barrack room lawyers whose clock-watching and determination to 'fight for their rights' has more to do with the attitudes of 1970s shop stewards than the behaviour expected of members of a respected and responsible professional body.
Jullien Gaer
Flat 1, 3 Sinclair Gardens, London W14
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