The public are our employers, and it is only just that the question should be discussed from their point of view. The laity have a keen interest – sometimes morbid, sometimes otherwise – in all that pertains to things medical and surgical. And it is essential from a humanitarian standpoint that the public should be instructed and enlightened on many of the various methods which are adopted in the fight against disease. For instance, the Public Health Department would lose much power without the Press, which has, with few exceptions, throughout the colony given such energetic and spontaneous assistance. And, from time to time, this Association may wish to put themselves in touch with the public through the same medium. In such cases the reading matter should be intelligible to the average intellect, and thereby insuring that no wrong impressions are conveyed. In such circumstances I trust that the relation of the profession to the lay Press will always be that of two powers engaged in a common fight against a powerful enemy. But with technical discussions it is another story; let us be content with publishing our opinions and resolutions in our much neglected journal. To sum up, let us give the public only what is good for them and what they can easily digest.

From the professional point of view I strongly feel that, unless some vigorous stand is taken against the practice of puffing paragraphs and reporting of medical discussions, a day will come when the few men who have remained true to the noble traditions of their universities will find their position untenable, and will perforce have to join or starve, or adopt similar tactics to their advertising competitors.

It has been easy to briefly bring before you an evil state of things which you are all aware of, but it is difficult indeed to think of appropriate remedies. Why we have departed from the excellent standard so strictly enforced in the United Kingdom I shall expect some senior practitioner to explain; but I shall appeal to you all to say whether it is not possible to recover ourselves in time, and to make that standard our ideal for the future. I suggest, as a first step in that direction, that our Association should adopt a rule something to this effect, viz.: That no Press reporters be admitted to any meeting of the Association; but that the President’s address, if of a non-technical nature, may be published if the members present so direct, and that other resolutions may from time to time be similarly dealt with. With such a rule carried and enforced, and our own house thereby put in order, it would be then be possible for us collectively and individually to endeavour to discourage the puffing paragraphs to which I have alluded.