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Controversial Issues Surrounding The Professional Life Of James Fitzjames Fraser West
Geraldine M. GOODMAN*
* 82, Oakfield Road Selly Park, BIRMINGHAM B29 7EG
In this article, controversial issues surrounding the professional life of West, ethical principles of medical men and Lister's treatment of wounds that was supported by West are discussed.When West entered Queen's Hospital, Birmingham to take up his post as surgeon in October 1857, he was assaulted by two of the institutions senior professors, William Sands Cox and John Birt Davies. Their preference was for Josesp Sampson Gamgee and yet the predominantly lay council who responsible for the election disagreed and elected West instead. Gamgee was several years older than West and had experience both here and abroad. West's achievents, on the other hand, were not brillant. The professors, declared West's election "null and avoid", and appointed Gamgee insteated. Furious letters and articles appeared in the local press and the medical journals. The Lancet, the British Medical Journal and Medical Times and Gazetta all covered the dispute, but accusations can be found in virtually every issue of Birmingham Weekly newspaper, Aris's Gazetta from the middle of October to the end o March, 1858. The Lancet was to support the professors. The other newspapers gave West their backing from the start. Students of the college joined in the controversy. A letter send by them to the medical journals and the press for supporting West.The Reverend Dr.Miller, Rector of St. Martins was a key player in the dispute. He formed to urge subscribers to with-hold their subscriptions to the hospital, soon became a vehicle of protest. These powerful men, backed by the public were expressed their outrage with the help of press.The incident was resolved thanks to a compromise in the end with both Gamgee and West being appointed on equal terms. In a paper written by West in 1875 West refers to Gam-gee as an "esteemed collague" and when West died in May 1883, Gamgee was among the mourners at his funeral.West may have got off to a difficult start in 1857, but by the time he died, he was a well respected and muck liked man. He always saw himself as a student. He was a very strong of Lister's method.Keywords: J. West, Ethical principles, Professional lifeTurkiye Klinikleri J Med Ethics 2002, 10:168-177
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