Physician - Definition - Law Dictionary Home Dictionary Definition physician

Definition :

Physician, one who professes the art of healing.

The necessity of placing under supervision the practitioners of physic and surgery appears early in the statute-book; for by the still unrepealed 3 Hen. 8, c. 11, it is enacted, that no person within London or seven miles thereof, shall practise as a physician or surgeon without examination and licence of the Bishop of London or Dean of St. Paul's (duly assisted by the faculty); or beyond these limits without licence from the bishop of his diocese or his vicar-general similarly assisted, sav-ing the privileges of the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford. The superintendence of the bishops was taken away by a royal charter dated 23rd September, 1858 (10 Hen. 8), which incorporated the physicians. By 14 & 15 Hen. 8, c. 5, this charter was confirmed, and a perpetual college of physicians established with a constitution of eight elects, etc. The subsequent history of the college is sufficiently traced in 23 & 24 Vict. c. 66, which provides for the style of the new charters allowed to be granted by the (English) Medical Act, 1858, s. 47. And see Davies v. Makuna, (1885) 29 Ch D 596. The Act of 1858 was amended by the (English) Medical Act, 1886 (49 & 50 Vict. c. 48); by s. 6 of this Act a physician may recover his fees by action unless he is a fellow of a college of physicians prohibited by bye-law from so doing; bye-law 170 of the Royal College of Physicians forbids such recovery. See MEDICAL PRACTITIONERS.