A qualifying examination shall be an examination in medicine, surgery, and midwifery held for the purpose of granting a diploma or diplomas conferring the right of registration under the medical acts, by any of the following bodies:
(a) Any university in the United Kingdom, or any medical corporation legally qualified at the time of the passage of this act to grant such diploma or diplomas in respect of medicine or surgery; or
(b) Any combination of two or more medical corporations in the same part of the United Kingdom, who may agree to hold a joint examination in medicine, surgery, and midwifery, and of whom one at least is capable of granting such diploma as aforesaid in respect of medicine, and one at least is capable of granting such diploma in respect of surgery; or
(c) Any combination of any such university as aforesaid with any other such university or universities, or of any such university or universities with a medical corporation or corporations; the bodies forming such combination being in the same part of the United Kingdom (ib., s. 3 [1]).
The standard of proficiency at said examinations shall be such as suffices to guarantee the possession of knowledge and skill requisite for the efficient practice of medicine, surgery, and midwifery. It is the duty of the general council to secure the maintenance of such standard of proficiency, and it may appoint such number of inspectors as it may determine who shall attend at all or any of the said examinations (ib., s. 3 [2]).
The inspectors are not to interfere with the conduct of any examination, but to report to the general council their opinion as to the sufficiency or insufficiency of every examination which they attend, and such other matters in relation thereto as the general council may require (ib., s. 3 [3]).
If it appears to the general council that the standard of proficiency in medicine, surgery, and midwifery, or in any of those subjects or any branch thereof required at such examinations by any such body, is insufficient, the privy council, on a report from the general council after considering such report, and any objection thereto by any body to which it relates, may by order declare that the examination of such body or bodies shall not be deemed a qualifying examination for registration, and Her Majesty, with the advice of the privy council, may revoke such order if upon further report from the general council, or any body to which it relates, it seems to her expedient (ib., s. 4 [1]).
During the continuance of such order, the examinations held by the body or bodies to which it relates shall not be deemed qualifying examinations, and a diploma granted to a person passing such examinations shall not entitle such person to registration (ib., s. 4 [2]).
If a medical corporation represent to the general council that it is unable to enter into a combination for holding a qualifying examination, and the general council is satisfied that the said corporation has used its best endeavor to do so on reasonable terms, the general council may on the application of such corporation appoint any number of examiners to assist at the examinations for granting a diploma conferring on the holder the right of registration (ib., s. 5 [1]).
It is the duty of the said assistant examiners to secure at the said examinations the maintenance of such standard of proficiency in medicine, surgery, and midwifery as is required from candidates at qualifying examinations, and any examination held subject to this section shall be deemed a qualifying examination (ib., s. 5 [2]).