* * 11 ' 0 0 Many Doctors ?
. It appears that there are no fewer than 57,496 doctors on the medical register, or more than one to every 1,000 of the populkition, a. figure which suggests to the British Medical Journal that the saturation-point has been reached and that there is a danger of the profession becoming over-stocked. The figure shows an increase Of 1,664 over the previous year, and 15,000 more than in 1914. But it has to be remembered that in the last. twenty years medical services—thanks to the intervention of the State—have been made available for the poorest classes as never before. Health insurance and medical inspection of school children have .provided new employ- ment for thousands of doctors. The Lancet, commenting on the same figures, does not think the profession is over- crowded. It has discovered that of the general prac- titioners who were registered five years ago nearly three- quarters have a gross income of £500. That is a small reward for a highly skilled practitioner, but not perhaps unreasonable for one who is still near the beginning of his career.
',
Previous page
