A general view of the establishment of physic as a science in England, by the incorporation of the College of Physicians, London : together with an inquiry into the nature of that incorporation : in which it is demonstrated, that the exclusion of all

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practisse, under the charter granted to them byJames I. carly in the last century, were not de-fned in explicit and decisive ternas; Vet the resistance of the physicians to the growing Custona, among the apothecaries, of Prescribing as weli asos dispensing medicines, was productive only of continued animosty and warfare, Whicli scarcelyen led with the century itselis it WaS, Proba-bly, in Contumelious resentinent that the college est listaed a by-law expressive of theis omnopisset e superiorib, but whicli Could never bejustified by any dispinionale, liberal minded,

or Wise man. Mucii test could that statute in the propos ed alterations of the Committer of the college, atready referred to, about the date1 68, ' whicli recommended the College, to Compei any one, who, having been a surgeon

or apothecary, sliould apply for permissio a to prastisse, to 'ear, is the president and cen-- sors siould thin fit, that he had not main- tainod himself by either of those professions for

sbly instigated the college to illiberal retallation. There

η See Appendix I.

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There certa in ly is not a school more eXCollent lycalcula ted for the attaininent of much of the mostus fui knowledge, that a physician silould posisss, than the shop of an intelligent apothecary. Besides a thorough proficiency in the peculiar bu- sinesse of investigating and judging of the comparative goodnesse of medicines, and of their vario has preparations and Compositions ; is a yo ungman, in such a sit uation, be permitte 1 to accom- pany his principat in his visits to patients, whichin most instances is the Case in the lalter years of his apprentices hip, perhaps to visit for him, hecommand S the Very best fource of medicat observation, information, and eXperience. He se os di ases at their Commencernent; he has it in his power to mark the progress of their sympionis, arid, with eXamples be fore hina, Can morere adily be taught to discriminate thos e symp- toms, whicli Characterige the nature of the dis- eas , and whicli indicate the remedies appropriate to iis cure. He antiCipales the adVantages of attending to the practice of hospitals He is early trained to habits of thinhing and conversing upon medicat subjects, and is as it were grammaticalty instructed in pharmaCy and iis application. He is there fore initia ted, by the bestos ali possibi e means, in a mosi essentiat branchos medicat science; and is weli prepared to continue

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tinue his studies With a luantage, Cognitis principiis multo facinus extrema intelliguntur It cannot be do ubted, notwit dian ling the Contumely,iwith whicli sonae men, who have notenjoyed iis a luantages, affect to treat such a planos medicat education; that 3 oung men so initia ted, is meli, though privates , educateii, withoquat talents for observation and with equat in

sicians, earlier in lise, stan any men Cain, WhO, Withthe best academicat education, are Without that knowledge, Whicli the apprentiCe of an eXperienCed apothecary has the opportunity of acquiring It has been known, and that too os late years, ahat academical physicians, who have risera to

election iis physicians to hospitais, been indebledio apothecaries for the knowledge of that essentiat branch of their profession, whiCh can onlybe weli acquired in the smops, and under the instruction offuci arti cers. What is there to prevent a maia os tolerable

capaci ty and of determined application, frona acquiring a respectable mare of any branch of nowledge, that lies Within the compassi os bu-

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man comprehension 8 What is there more peculiarly dissiculi in the science of physic to pre-vent the apprentice of an apothecary frona be- Coming an able and hono urable physician, thanthere is in the science of law, to prevent the Cierk of an altorney froni the future exercise of the functions os an advocate, or Dom acquiring the

the accident of his not having taken a degree at Oxford or Cambri lge. The following circumstance proves, that gradu-ation at Oxford or Cambridge was not insistodupon, as an essentiat preliminary to election into

the fellorumip of the College of Physicians, in

I 575, above fifty years after the Charier had been granted, and twenty posterior to the firsi esta-blissiment of an order of Permisi. The college conssisted at that time and be- fore, of such as were favo urers of popery, and ε were guilty of divers dis orders. V The list os iis members was presented to the Privy Councti, with a string of Complainis against the college, and with an earnest destre os reformation. Oneos the complaints was, that such as had gone beyond seas to talae the degree of doc- tor, be isse th ould avota the oath of sup ma ministered according to the statu te of

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No illistanding this proos, it is evident that the object of the college, in fabricating their by-laws of exclusion, has not only been perfectly di ferent frona that, whicli actualed the king and partiament to grant their Charier of incorporation ; but that, in the very design and effect of those byclaws, there is a palpabie sacrifice of the principie of that Charier, to the aggrandigementos the universities of England . In 1713, it Was enacted by the college', sincethat the permissi, or licentiates, etolo have not

versities, ei oy the sanae liberty of practiung in

- Maillaind)s Hist. of Lond. Fol. V. ii. p. 929.' See Appendix K.

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other degre es in Our numersities ; we thinii it just that they should pay to our College, at least, equat sums with these: there fore, on AC- count of the reasons before mentioned, and that we may obviate the jus complaints upon this subjecit, frequently made to iis Θ our 9 n aca- demian1, we enaei and ordain, that no licen- tiate smali be admitted, in future, to practi se physic in this city, untit he has firsi pald to the treas urer of this College, seυenb poun is of law- fui money of Great Britain, and whais ever other sums may be due, according to the sta- ς tutes of the College By the statutes of 1647, and of 1687, publistaedin I 693, the number of fellows of the college was limited to thirty '; beyond that determinate number, the ordinary physicians of the king, queen, and Prince, Were to be reCkoned, and admitted as honorar) p scians. By the statutes of 1736, and 1732, the number of fellows was limited to eighty; but in the printed statutes of 1763, there is no limitation of the Lind mentioned.

' April et ψ, 1718, a proposset made for the repent of this statute, Was rejected. lune 6, 1718, the repeat was Voted I 3to II, and at sonae future meeting of the college determine l

' See p. 9o of the printed statutes of 1693.

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By ali the statutes De Sochs, prior to those ofi 763, it was enafled, that no one should be admitted into the society of the College, vho h ad not been, for an entire year, of the number of candidates ; untes s he had publicly lectured on medicine, in sonae universi ty of Britalia, for three years; or had been a dOC- tor of the chair in sonae university of this se Lirigdom; or was the Ling's physician in ordi-

See Appendix L.

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by severat of the lea ling peopte in the college;

siderable majori ty; but that in the third it was rejected, as was supposed, through the influence of the Englisti universities Not illis anding the licentiates are Did to have

been neither active in promoting, nor in Conduct-ing this proposition, yet there, WaS very on ADter ardS, another statute enacted, whicli, stili morethan ever, diminished their expectation os candidand rea nable treat ment frona the college. The Matulum alterum De Candidatis, made iis si si appe arance among the statu teS of 1752, two years

after the proposition for admitting fore igit graduates had been agitated in the college. It states, as the statute concerning candidates, that it might be both consistent with itself, and with the statute concerning fellows, Clearly intended, that no one siouid be admitted into the orderV- of candidates, who was not a doctor of physic of either the Universiity of Oxford or Cambridge, although not so eXpressed in these very wordS :

lest any dispute mould ari se on this subject in

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Now let it be remembered, that, by those very statutes of 17set, it Was ali eady enafled, that, No one should be admitted into the order of candidates, who was not a doctor of physic, a

his degree in a foreigia university, he must pos- sese and produce testimony of his incorpora- tion, in ei ther the University of Oxford or Cambridge, prior to his eXamination . V Thenwhat could be the view of the Statutum a terum Is it simply meant to explain the intention of the former statute Concerning Candidates, it was,heyond ali doubi, superfluous; for not any thingcould be more plainly eXpressed, than the obligation had atready been, in the eXisting laws, of being incorporaled to a doctor's degree in physic in OXford or Cambridge, prior to admisiton into the order of candidates for the fellowship of the College of Physicians in London. Is it were intended to be any thing more than simply an eXPlanato statute, the objest could not be any other than to sanction, by a further stretch of power, a stili more insidiotas enCroaChment uponthe spirit and principie of that Charier, which

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alone the college thenaseives acknowledge as the

vital spring of ali their corporate authori ty and the motive may be justly suspected, is the facts alledged on the subject be founded in truth.

It is asserted, that there mere strong groundssor supposing, after the proposition for admittingsere igia graduates, made in 17so, had been assi sented to in two comitia of the college, That

with great earnesiness, sor assistance frona the Universities of OXford and Cambrid ge ; who sent up persons to prevent the college Dom asserting iis independency, and acting With that freedom whicli is iis right. And that they did this by voting against that meas ure, and by procuring the interposition offuch au in ence as had resolution enough to op- pose'. 'That the Statutum asterum de Candidatis Wasnot only the ostspring of this Controversy, butthat

fi Cum Regis Henrici oriasi privata gratia & parti amenti Decretis sancitum sit, ut Collegium perpetuum Do ctorum tagravium Virorum qui, &c. Visum est nobis Presidenti &Collegio, ut statuta quaedam & ordinationes pro salubri gubernatione, de C. fecundam potesatem auctoritare si lac tria concclam faciamus. Vide Statuta Collegii, fuc. 176s. - Leiter froni a Phys. in Town to his Friend in the Counio , I733. P. aQ-