The House then passed the motion for the consideration of the bill, and took up clause-wise discussion.
Amendments Mored
An amendment mover by Mr. Jagannath Prasad (Cong.) to the effect that the chairman of the Homoeopathic Board be nominated from amongst the members of the Board, was accepted by the Minister and passed by the House.
The amendment of Kunwar Guru Narain, seeking to delete the provision for the nomination of the chairman, was opposed by the Minister and rejected by the House.
The House accepted another amendment moved by Mr. P.C. Azad (Cong.) providing that only qualified Homoeopaths should be appointed as inspectors of Homoeopathic dispensaries.
During the third reading of the Bill, Kunwar Guru Narain asked the Minister to take early steps to establish a well equipped homoeopathic college and hospital in Lucknow.
Dr. Ishwari Prasad (Ind.) welcomed the announcement of the Minister in the House about the systems of medicine, other than allopathy.
Mr. C.B. Gupta, the Health Minister, winding up the debate hoped that the Vaids and Hakims would work self-lessly to propagate and popularise their systems of medicines by serving the people.
The interest of Government was to see that all the systems developed so the practitioners of every system could serve the people. This, however, did not mean that government would remain indifferent to the modern science. They, would, at the same time, try their best to get all the advantages of modern science that it could provide.
The House then passed the Bill and rose to meet on Monday at 11 A.M.
The Pioneer, 17-9-55.
EDITORIAL COMMENT.
Dr. Menons letter quoting the statement of Sri Shetty, Health Minister of Madras, with regard to Homoeopathy; and the foregoing account of the debate in the U.P. Legislative Council in connection with the passing of the U.P. Homoeopathic Medicine (Amendment) Bill, 1955-just go to show how much clouded the reasoning of an educated man becomes when under the sway of passion, prejudice, dogmatism and a sectarian mentality of the stamp of a trade-guild. Sri C.B. gupta, the Health Minister of U.P. cannot be euologised enough for his very correct attitude towards the different systems of medical practice extant in our country.
Some of his remarks are real gems and should be taken note of by anybody, be he a science-man, a medical practitioner of any category, a politician or especially a legislator and/ or an administrator on the Governmental level in our country, e.g. (1) the Government would not be influenced by the opinions of allopaths in regard to other systems of medicine; (2) the objective of Government is to lead to a synthesis of all the important systems of treatment existing in our country: (3) to condemn everything off-hand as unscientific is an unscientific attitude in itself; and (4) the interest of the scientific attitude in itself; and (4) the interest of the Government was to see that all the systems developed so that practitioners of every could serve the people.
We thoroughly agree with what Sri Gupta remarks. It might have some justification that the state should encourage, support and rather identify itself with one system of medicine, which should be regarded neither as Eastern or Western, foreign or indigenous but as an integral corpus of scientific knowledge and practice belonging to the whole world and to which every country has made its contribution.
But the days are still far off for the ideal synthetic system of Medicine which will accomodate ad rightly assess the different methods will accomodate and rightly assess the different methods of approach to the study of diseases end consequential therapeutic practice- as are evident in Homoeopathy, (so-called) Allopathy and Ayurveda.
Each of these regular systems of medicines has its own interpretation and its own way of application of several fundamental principles of science; and it is these difference of approach which and interpretation and the practice growing out of them which give each system its individuality. The whole truth regarding Life and diseases and cure of sickness is not the monopoly of any system of medicine. Let the Govt. provide ways and means for the fullest development of each school of medicine.
We do claim that Homoeopathy has opened our eyes to a new field of drug-actions. We do claim that it is the bounden duty of the state and the people to see that this veritable heritage of mankind is not lost through dogmatism, secteranism, unscientific mental attitude and short-sighted policies of the government.
Calcutta