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Medical News MEDICAL NEWS DR MICHAEL DRURY for hypertensive patients using nurses DWCA, 3 Horwood Close, Heading- guided by computer programs. ton, Oxford. GENERAL PRACTITIONER TRAINING IN GENERAL RESEARCH CLUB PRACTITIONER HOSPITALS The next meeting of the club will be The Association of General Practitioner held on 4 April at the postgraduate Hospitals has asked us to bring to the medical centre in the Royal Infirmary, notice of trainees the possibility of Leicester. Professor M. Clarke will attachment for short periods to prac¬ speak on sampling methods, Dr Henry tices working with general practitioner Patterson on a negative audit of hyper¬ hospitals, since this gives a view of a tension, Dr Robin Fraser on the relia¬ different facet of general practitioner bility and validity of the age-sex work. The Association can provide a list of names and register, Dr W. O. Williams on the addresses of practices consequences of low immunization rates having such attachments: The Honorary in whooping cough, and Dr M. J. Secretary is Dr J. R. D. Brown, Saint Whitfield will take yet another look at Chad, Health Centre, The Dimbles, sore throats. The president, Dr John Lichfield, Staffs. WS13 7JP. Fry, will be in the chair. The meeting should be recognized under Section 63, and further details and applications can be made to the Honorary Secretary, Dr Dr Michael Drury has been appointed to R. C. Fraser, Department of Com¬ THE SOCIETY FOR a personal chair of general practice at munity Health, Clinical Sciences the University of Birmingham, which Building, Leicester Royal Infirmary, ENVIRONMENTAL THERAPY thus becomes the 12th medical school in PO Box 65, Leicester LE2 7LX. The Society for Environmental Therapy the British Isles to appoint a professor Telephone: 0533-551234. is an organization dedicated to research to its departments of general practice. into the original causes of disease. A Professor Drury, who is 54, was born project is being launched to try and and educated in Birmingham; his involve the great mass of the public that distinguished academic career began as has experienced some untoward effect an undergraduate, and has continued from food, drink, or other environ¬ with the long list of his publications and DOCTORS FOR A WOMAN'S mental agency. Anyone who has noticed research interests. In Britain and in an actual or possible reaction to some¬ South America he has advised govern¬ CHOICE ON ABORTION thing eaten, drunk, breathed, touched, ments and other bodies on many Doctors for a Woman's Choice on or experienced is invited to send a brief matters, including the education of Abortion (DWCA) is a group of doctors report of this to: general practitioners, prescribing, the who believe that the law should be The for Environmental training of receptionists and the side- changed to allow the woman herself to Society Therapy effects of drugs. He has been active in decide whether or not to have an (Research) the in 40 West Cromwell Road College both the Midlands abortion. London SW5 faculty, whose provost he was from Within the limits of the existing law, 9QL. 1973 to 1979, and nationally, as an DWCA is campaigning for better access In due course the evidence accumulated examiner for the past eight years, to pregnancy testing facilities, for non- will be presented in a forthcoming news- Chairman of the Practice Organization directive counselling to be made avail¬ sheet and promising items will be Committee from 1973 to 1975, and, at able to any pregnant woman who re¬ selected for scientific testing. the moment, Vice Chairman of Council. quests it, for improved facilities for He has published in the Lancet, the abortion, including day-care abortion, British Medical Journal and this in all parts of Britain, and for accurate, Journal, amongst others, on general comprehensible information on contra¬ practice, education, surgery and pre¬ ception, pregnancy diagnosis and abor¬ scribing. He is the author of Treatment: tion to be made available publicly in all QUEEN'S HONORARY A Handbook ofDrug Therapy and An areas. PHYSICIAN Introduction to General Practice. His DWCA believes that doctors should The London and Edinburgh Gazettes of Handbook for Medical Secretaries is not be expected to perform abortions 18 November 1980 announced the now in its 4th edition. His current re¬ against their will, but that women appointment of Dr F. J. Darby, mrcgp, search interests are in drug treatment, in should be informed that they are en¬ as Honorary Physician to the Queen. Dr a long-term study of the career aspir- titled to seek help elsewhere. Darby is a member of the College's ations of doctors and methods of caring Further information is available from South London Faculty. Journal oftheRoyal College ofGeneralPractitioners, March 1981 181 Letters to theEditor FORTHCOMING MEETINGS doctors, who are invited to write for this subject will be held at the details to The Secretary, Silver Jubilee Leeuwenhorst Congress Centre, jubilee meeting Meeting, Academy of Medicine, 4a Netherlands, from 22 to 26 June 1981. The Academy of Medicine, Singapore, College Road, Singapore 0316. Further details from the chairman of the will hold its silver jubilee meeting from planning committee, Dr P. J. McEwan, 19 to 23 July 1982, in Singapore. There Social Science and Medicine Glengarden, Ballater, Aberdeenshire will be activities of interest to all The 7th International Conference on AB3 5UB. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR CLINICAL MEDICAL OFFICERS members of a Royal College of We sent Professor Court's letter to Dr Physicians and yet 'authority' repeat- Donald, who replies asfollows: Sir, edly turns down requests from their The letter from John Forfar and paediatric and other colleagues for con- Sir, Alastair Donald (November Journal, p. sultant paediatric status. I am very pleased to know that Pro- 700) will encourage all those who have Most senior clinical medical officers fessor Donald Court supports the joint long sought a real and honourable sol- are without 'membership', and the pro- statement made by the Joint Paediatric ution to the needs of these doctors. fession's rigid attitude to intermediate Committee of the Royal Colleges of This would have carried greater specialist grades prevents them achiev- Physicians and our own College regard- weight if it had been signed by a senior ing a professional position from which ing the future training of doctors wish- clinical medical officer of experience they could work more effectively. In ing to become clinical medical officers. I and authority. However, while some in particular this rigidity has prevented hope that he will be further encouraged medicine wish to impose a solution, the any serious examination of named by the knowledge that we are proposing writers of this letter are not among personal appointments as clinical to set up a joint working party between them. It is certainly good news that the specialists in child health (Report of the the Joint Paediatric Committee of the Royal College of General Practitioners Committee on Child Health Services, Royal Colleges of Physicians, the and the British Paediatric Association 1976). British Paediatric Association, the can see a way forward through a pattern The graduate training for these ex- Faculty of Community Medicine and of vocational training which could be perienced doctors could lead either to ourselves in order to examine the edu- shared by clinical medical officers and the MRCP (UK) or possibly to an ad- cational content of a training pro- by general practitioners with a special vanced DCH on the lines of the gramme suitable for clinical medical interest in developmental, social and Advanced Certificate of Education. The officers and permitting these doctors to preventive paediatrics. Royal College of General Practitioners move into general practice or to under- Yet this prescription alone will not is adapting its vocational training to take more specialist training to enable produce the comprehensive integrated meet the needs of clinical medical them to become senior clinical medical health service for children which parents officers; it would be helpful to know officers or pursue a career in specialist want and to which both the present what steps the British Paediatric paediatrics. government and the opposition are Association is taking to ensure the fur- We are also planning a joint sym- committed. ther education and integration into posium in the College with the Central If clinical medical officers are to be paediatrics of senior clinical medical Committee for Community Medicine in trained with general practitioners they officers, which Professor Forfar and Dr order to consider the educational con- should work with them, either in Donald propose. tent of the training programme for partnership as general practitioners or A comprehensive integrated child clinical medical officers with particular in association as child health prac- health service requires a comprehensive reference to allowing this training to be titioners (Report of the Committee on and integrated education for senior compatible with the regulations regard- Child Health Services, 1976). clinical and clinical medical officers. ing vocational training in general General practitioners are slowly A second letter describing the practice. accepting responsibility for the child specialist aspect of this educational and My colleagues and I in the College health aspects of primary care. It will professional exercise would help. feel that we have now reached the point take time, however, before clinical where mutual co-operation between all medical officers are replaced by trained DONALD COURT the bodies concerned with the training general practitioners, and in the long 8 Towers Avenue of clinical medical officers and with interval they must make their contri- Jesmond their clinical responsibilities have bution in as close contact with general Newcastle upon Tyne 2 reached sufficient consensus for us to practice as general practice makes NE2 3QE. plan a training that will ensure the pro- possible.
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