NEW SOCIETY OF DOCTORS

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27277, 18 February 1954, Page 10

NEW SOCIETY OF DOCTORS

BRITISH GENERAL PRACTITIONERS FACULTY ESTABLISHED IN AUCKLAND (New Zealand Press Association) AUCKLAND. February 17. A group of Auckland general medical practitioners has founded a faculty of the newly-formed College of General Practitioners of Great Britain. The British college, which was formed early last year, has accepted the group as a foundation faculty, and the hope has been expressed that similar faculties will be formed shortly in other university centres of New Zealand.

The faculty in Auckland had its beginning when 12 doctors of the Auckland district, who had enrolled as foundation members in London, met al the Auckland Hospital. Dr. A. Barrett Jameson was elected chairman.

“Support from family doctors in Britain produced more than 2000 members for the college within six months, and there were about 130 overseas members, including those from New Zealand.” said Dr. Jameson tonight. “They have been organised into 20 regional faculties. There are 20 foundation members in New Zealand.

“Medical groups such as consultant physicians and surgeons have their respective Royal colleges to further their academic interests.” said Dr. Jameson. “As a result, the education of the medical student is being shaped more and more along specialised lines, but the genius of British medicine has always been toward the family doctor and treatment of the individual in his home, rather than in organised clinics and wards.”

Dr. Jameson said that, in the Auckland health district, which included Thames and Tauranga, the interests of 206 of the 385 doctors in active work last September were chiefly in general practice. Virus Research

“The spotlight of research the world oyer Is focussing on the diseases of virus-infection origin,” said Dr. Jameson. “These are the very ones that he sees in the young folk, day by day. No dozen of them are exactly alike. Until there is a pooling organisation where he can voluntarily compare his observations and ideas with those of his fellows, each doctor's valuable ideas are likely to die with him. “There is a strong suspicion, for instance. that the virus of infection responsible for poliomyelitis masquerades among the simple influenza fevers at this time of the year, causing the young sufferer little more than the passing fever headache and vomiting." said Dr. Jameson. “Among 100 such cases, one disaster occurs where the virus breaks the barrier into the central nerves and the victim is paralysed. I “Why has it happened to this one and not to the other? The answer could well come from carefully collected observations of all the family doctors. They alone, and not health departments and hospitals, see and know the great number who were infected unharmed. “There are plenty of problems right at hand, on which the new college can employ its energy and enthusiasm.' said Dr. Jameson." He said there wert? three qualifications for membership of the college: the applicant must have been 20 years in genera] practice or its equivalent in the armed medical services: or he must have been five years in general practice and hold a higher post-graduate diploma: or he must have been five years in general practice and give an undertaking to devote a certain time each year to post-graduate instruction.