Medicine And The State By Thomas Jeeves Horder

The primary source, ‘Medicine and the State’, is a speech published in June of 1948 by the Society for Individual Freedom. It was delivered by Thomas Jeeves Horder, or Lord Horder, who in his speech protests against the ‘domination of Medicine by the State’ and its threat to personal liberty that is being caused by the development of the National Health Service. As a leading diagnostician and physician to multiple monarchs and prime ministers, Horder’s prominent role suggests that a record of what was said would have been widely circulated and was possibly influential.
Thomas Horder was the chairman to the group known as the Fellowship for Freedom in Medicine , a conservative organisation of doctors and those supporting the cause, which aimed to end state
This source in particular highlights the views held by those of conservative beliefs, and who formed the upper classes of Britain. Horder’s tone and use of language can be regarded as his speech being more than just a reprimand of this new system, but also an exhortation to the ordinary public; that medicine through the state would be an unpropitious endeavour. We can see this from the use of his phrasing “dragoon the doctors.” This being a passionate and embroidered choice of verb, which also holds archaic connotations, which suggests Horder used this to remind the people that he was comparing the welfare state to a disaster like those of the middle ages. His aggrandized use of the word ‘sinister’ also demonstrates Horder’s hyperbole tone, the word implying an evil or malicious intention. From this use of language, we can infer the passion with which Horder was speaking, also implying his subjectivity on the matter. This extract can therefore be useful in expressing to us the opinions and understandings of opposition to the welfare