MEDICAL PROFESSION

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 46, 24 February 1937, Page 9

MEDICAL PROFESSION

HIGHLY PLACED

POSITION IN DOMINION

.The view that the medical profe"Se :? ; sion today was as well educated,; as *;• progressive, and was making as great 5 advances in knowledge as it had ever done 'in the past was expressed by the •.-.* new" president-.of the New Zealand;, branch of the British Medical Associa- £ lion,' Dr. T.'d.'M..Stout, in his./presi-'; dential address last night. : v, .Dr. Stout said1 it was also hisibelief that; provided the profession retained ~ jits utmost independence and., freedom, < and had the support and sympathy of /; Governments and peoples throughput the'world, the future would see even '; greater' progress than . ever in the ; past. "I am also convinced that New , Zealand, in spite of our relatively i small population and isolation in the * world, shouldi and can, contribute a great deal to the progress of medicine, both scientifically and especially with £ regard to the improvement ; of the;.; health of the community," he con-.; tinued. "It is well known that New ; Zealand has the lowest mortality inthe world,, both as regards the general;, population and the babies, but we do ,': not rest content with that when we.;; know-that it is possible to improver our'position still further. ..., :;; ""We" have In New Zealand today a medical profession more highly'trained i and more experienced than.any similar. body of professional men in,;any-part -; of .the ; world. .This Jias been '.broughtv; about by a virile and active youth,-; benefiting'by the excellent. : training Z provided by the New Zealand medical school.,and..ambit;ous. enough to spend :• many years of study and -clinical'train- -^ ing in order to gain one of the higher v qualifications in medicine and surgery... The high percentage of our members'l who hold.these ; higher qualifications ".; has made it necessary for any young,-; man-.who, hopes to. rise'.hjgh' in his' pro-", ; fession to gain these ■. distin6t'ions.^yfe.;. hear-it often, said, and'-'evenisfee.-in-.the.':; riewspapers,; that theseshigtie? degrees;> are ■'merely useless." excrescences job- -.; tamed. by the more .wealthy; Hieittbf.r3 •; of the profession.. It seems unnecessary;to point out-to-.this-educated'audiehce, o-'''to''the intelligent people in' this ~ Dominion, ■ that these • distinctions are;; to be obtained only by natural ability, •• supplemented by much hard work, and ;■ extra study continued for several-; years 'after ordinary ' qualifications. % Once qualified, any,..able young man« can. finance,. and does ordinarily fin- ,r ancle,'' his period of extra study neces-;<: sary to-obtain these qualifications. It> willbea calamity toithe profession-in ;\ New Zealand if ability, and hard work:: are ,not given their due: and mediocrity ~ is, held' to' be its' superior."' ■'-- ; •: •. • \ ■:■'