EXPELLED.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 252, 23 October 1936, Page 8

EXPELLED.

I MEMBER OF B.M.A. DR. ULRIC WILLIAMS. OUTSPOKEN CRITICISMS. (By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent.) WANGANUI, this day. Dr. Ulric Williams, whose utterances and writings on what he considers the "lamentable futility" of the great majority of modern medical methods have made him known throughout New Zealand, has been expelled from membership of the British Medical Association. In a statement to-day Dr. Williams confirmed an earlier report, and said that the matter had been brought to a head last week at a meeting of the New Zealand Council of the association. Eighteen months ago, said Dr. Williams, in a public talk in Wellington, he had foretold that, anyone venturing opinions unacceptable to orthodoxy was liable to be misunderstood, misrepresented and even attacked. Six months later, at a meeting of the Wanganui branch of the British Medical Association, "Medical Ethics" had been one of the items on the agenda paper, and, knowing what that signified, he had attended and had been met with personal attacks. He added that one member had proposed that "since they dare not kick me out of the association, because to do so would be to give me the biggest advertisement I had ever had, they show their absolute contempt for me by ignoring me altogether." A motion to this effect had been carried unanimously. A few months later, at the instigation of the Wellington division of the association, the performance had been repeated. Later the Wanganui division had received a further message from the Wellington branch expressing alarm "at the failure of the Wanganui division" to cope with an errant member. When his case came under consideration at a meeting of the New Zealand Council last week Dr. Williams was asked to leave the room, and on his return he answered several questions.

This brought proceedings to a close, and later Dr. Williams received word from the council that it had been unanimously decided to expel him from membership.