Medical Jurisprudence, Volume 3 (of 3)Paris, John Ayrton
Science
Medical Jurisprudence, Volume 3 (of 3)
Paris, John Ayrton
Medical laws and legislation -- Great Britain
In this case it is admitted that a licentiate does not _de facto_ become
a fellow of the college: it is admitted that he must be first examined,
and that those who are called the College of Physicians are to judge of
his fitness. It seems that the appeal here is rather made _ad
verecundiam_, and that Dr. _Stanger_ could not be rejected if he were
examined. If the college are not judges of the fitness of the person
examined, I do not know who is. Then is this a reasonable test of the
fitness of the party? possibly they might have framed a better, though I
do not say that they could; but the question here is whether this is a
reasonable bye-law? According to the concurrent opinions of all mankind
it is. The Legislature have considered that persons who have taken their
degrees in our universities are entitled to certain privileges in the
church. So if we look into our own profession, those who have been
educated at our universities have particular privileges; and though the
inns of court are not corporations, yet their regulations shew that this
has been considered as reasonable. It is not that a person becomes
qualified from keeping his commons within the walls of the inns of court
or the universities, but living with those of the profession will
probably advance him in the knowledge of that profession for which he is
a candidate. Again in the civil law; however competent any particular
individual may be from extraordinary endowments or the exertion of
superior talents, he must first take his degrees at one of our
universities, and afterwards continue a year in a state of probation
before he can practise. Those regulations that are adapted to the common
race of men are the best: it does not follow that all institutions
calculated for the ordinary classes are to be prostrated merely because
they stand in the way of some few individuals of superior talents. Then
the question is whether this is a reasonable bye-law that requires a
degree to be taken at one of our universities, which in general is
supposed to be conferred as a reward for talents and learning. If indeed
this had been a _sine qua non_, and it had operated as a total exclusion
of every other mode of gaining access to the college, it would have been
a bad bye-law: but these bye-laws point out other modes of gaining
admission into the college. If Dr. _Stanger_ has all those requisites
that qualify a person for that high station, any one of the fellows may
now propose him; he may apply to the honourable feelings of the college,
to the very same tribunal to which this mandamus (if it were granted)
would refer him; for in all events he must submit to their examination
and determination. In the profession of the church, we find that the
bishops insist on having a testimonial of the person to be ordained
signed by a certain number of clergymen; and though the bishops
themselves may have the power of judging of the fitness of the person to
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