AMBULANCE CLASSES

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 274, 12 August 1908, Page 7

AMBULANCE CLASSES

ATTITUDE OF THE DOCTORS. ? ' A FEE TO BE ASKED. ' ' SOME INTERESTING COMMENTS. At a recent meeting of tho local branch of the New Zealand AledjcarAssociation' a nieiftbcr brpko ne^' groMnd \yhen--he propped that no meniber of,,|jip. Association should givp lectures to St. - Jo!in"4.mbiiitiiice Association classes fpr "tho future'Tvithout' hoingpaid a fee pf £1 Is. per lecture. After gonw discussion, the matter was put into thp form of a motion, which,- on being "put' -to the mooting, was carried—not unanimously. On inquiry froia .the. secretary pf thp As : sooiation jn Wellington (Dr. Eurdy) an idea of whaj; tho aotion pf thp i Association mpant was gained. It appears; that the nodical view (not unanimous, of" bourse) Vas that so long as tho St, John Ambiance 'Association restricted its- \vork<-to'oharitablo acts and the aiding of injured or suffering hu* inanity vhon such aid 'was; needed,''the nicd]paj profession was only,'too filling to givp its services "without:.money and price," but now that tlib Government is making the .holding pf ambulance certificates a' sinp (Jim non iij'thg case pf'fhp psainiija: tipns of jiifiste.'ra animates, the.'nifm|ie,r? of tho police forcp, railway servants, ptc,,'the profession argues that it bocomea a business affair, and that beiii'g;'eb,''lect'itres''sji6uld be paid for." They also' state that pandifjates for oprtificatps pay tho St. John Association 7s. Qd. for a course of leoturei, .whipli aro provided -by members of tjie _Medical Association gratuitously. — ; ,?• A letter htjs begiVuSejit by Dr.' Eurdy'to Mr. J. p. Avery, secretary of :Sst.. John Association, advising him tlio motion passpd. at tlio last meeting of thp Medical 'Assocja-:. tion. ' ■ ■ • ■

T[}9 Qthsr Side. jiitofyiewpd pp. B. Fis||pr, irpasj}ref"*j)'f "iltyMjph' ;'!?? St- John Ambuianpe Association; and ail ardent upholder of tho movement, stato<l that lip Qpujd not understand how tho Medical Association In thp Old. Country the m ol ' '• 1 of tho pedical. profession camo to tlk Jof -tho' Association voluntarily, gratuitously, 1 and willingly, and in Australia'it was the samel Ho could not seo hqw suoli an action would do jihem any good, "As a matter of fact," said Mr. Fisher, "we (Jq pay tjipm, . .Wo pay them to instruct the police probationers, ,Tve pay them to instruct tho tramway employees,.' and it is our intention t'o' pay Jnedical'inen" to instruct masters and mates." ' All the-§t. John Ambulance Assooiation asked medical' men was that they should talsp in hand the instruction of ordinary classes <jf citrons— male and female—who evjneo an interest in tljo work. This was all. they were called upon" to do gratuitously.-' As far V s received Wore concerned, the charge to candidates was 7s. 6d. for a course of five lectures in the city, and ss. in the country,' which just about envied them to piiy esppijses—for the rent of rpoips, printing, an(? adyertising, am]n)]an<;o gear, etc. Tlie St. John Assqcjatipiv did not. want to make py profit. If' they' did* got subscfiptipns aiid donations from' time to time tlioy wore either esponded on ainbuipco appliance?, which wore at t]io disposal of the public at any %e, or.i.wpte dpyotctl to building up a fund for tho npkepp of the nursing sectjoii. They had two nurses engaged for the whqlq of tlteir;in nursing tjio poor, which was work no'one to . sap stopped. As far as any recompense to tho medical men went, 'ihosq "showing mi iioncst desire to help tlie good work jmd'jihoir. namep forwarded .to. hoadgwrfoyi;' jimf ; yef? ppjnih. times made' Jife meinbors ; of .the.: Association, a position that was covetcd by the profession jn' England- It was fromtheso that men wpro seloctpd for tjie'Ordb'r'tif' St: J6hi of Jerusalem, a valued hoijpur in the' King's gift oi)ly. Medical mep'woro'studied 'ih every possible way, and lip (jfr.' Fisher)' -cejtajjily' thought it was a queer sort r , of action; fpr the Medical Association to take, »U tho moro bo as it was unpspected, . ,