MEDICAL REFORM.
Tax variety of conflicting interests both of individuals and corpo- rate bodies in the medical profession, will not only add to the labours of the Committee appointed by the House of Commons to inquire into the present state of the laws which govern it, but will render more difficult the task of correcting abuses, remodelling old institutions, and adapting the reforms to the circumstances of society. The old monopolies, though numbering among their supporters many names deservedly high in the profession, are ac- knowledged to be injurious to the interests of the great body of students and practitioners; and calculated to retard rather than advance the progress of medical science. With a view to assist the labours of the Committee, a small society, called the Medical Reform Association, has been voluntarily formed, composed of me- dical reformers both in and out of the profession, and numbering among them two or three members of the Committee. This As- sociation has instituted three prizes, of 501. 301. and 201. respec- tively, to be given for the three best essays "on the Present State of the Medical Science and Practice in the United Kingdom, and the most advisable and efficient mode of promoting the Advance- ment and the Improvement of both in all their branches." The competition is open to all persons, whether Englishmen or foreigners, and whether of the medical profession or not; and the essays may be written either in English, French or Latin. The award is to be made in public. The amount of the three prizes has been lodged in the hands of Mr. HOME, the Treasurer. The essays are to be transmitted to Dr. EPPS, the Honorary Secretary, on.or before the 1st of March 1834 ; in order that the successful on may be printed in time to place in the hands of the Committee.
The object of the Association being to throw a strong and clear light upon the hitherto occult subject of medical reform, we would suggest, that in addition to the publication of the successful essays, etabular synopsis of the various plans proposed by the unsuccess-
ful candidates should be prepared, with a brief running commen- tary on each of the principal points of detail, by the adjudicators of the prizes. The defects of a bad plan would thus be converted into the tests of a good one.
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