Medical Editor Sees New Duty For Press

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30055, 13 February 1963, Page 15

Medical Editor Sees New Duty For Press

(New Zealand Press Association)

DUNEDIN, February 12.

Social security and national medical schemes have introduced a new factor in the relationship between the medical press and newspapers, Dr. J. O. Mercer, of Wellington, said yesterday when he gave the inaugural address to the British Medical Association conference.

Dr. Mercer, who has been editor of the New Zealand Medical Journal for 24 years, said that whereas in former years patient and doctor were a complete and self-sufficient unit, now the State intervened and took the patient’s fee in the form of tax to pay the doctor.

“The general taxpayer, who is the patient, has a strong personal interest in understanding medical policy and broad measures both in the therapeutic and preventive field. It may determine how he will cast his votes,” said Dr. Mercer.

“The press has a duty to satisfy this need and, among other things, medical journals

are scanned on the day of publication for lively news. "The press has a perfect right to abstract anything it considers of interest from professional journals, no matter how much this conflicts with our tradition of a silent profession.

“I believe that with few exceptions the press reports with wise selection and in a restrained and responsible manner,” he said.

There was a “general public eager for information but, unfortunately, too apt to accept the most unlikely statements without verifying them,” said Dr. Mercer.