A barrier to medical treatment? British medical practitioners, medical appliances and the patent controversy, 1870–1920. Issue 4 (24th November 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: JONES, CLAIRE L.
• Editors: Stark, James F.
• Is Part Of: British journal for the history of science. Volume 49:Issue 4(2016)
• Page Start: 601
• Page End: 625
• Publication Date: 2016-11-24
• Subjects: Science -- History -- Periodicals; 509
• DOI: 10.1017/S000708741600114X
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0007-0874

Abstract

Abstract: From the late nineteenth century onwards there emerged an increasingly diverse response to escalating patenting activity. Inventors were generally supportive of legislation that made patenting more accessible, while others, especially manufacturers, saw patenting culture as an impediment. The medical profession claimed that patenting represented 'a barrier to medical treatment' and was thus detrimental to the nation's health, yet, as I argue, the profession's development of strict codes of conduct forbidding practitioners from patenting resulted in rebellion from some members, who increasingly sought protection for their inventions. Such polarized opinions within the medical trade continue to affect current medical practice today.