HC Deb 25 May 1883 vol 279 cc894-5
DR. CAMERON

asked the Secretary of State for War, Whether, in view of the aspersions cast upon certain medical officers through the premature publication in the "Times" of portions of the evidence given before Lord Morley's Commission, he will be good enough to say whether or not Lord Wolseley's evidence regarding his conversation with Drs. Beath and Veale is contradicted by the evidence of these gentlemen; whether, after his visits to the field hospitals at Ismailia and Cairo, referred to in the "Times," Lord Wolseley telegraphed home on September 30th, "The Medical Department is working to my entire satisfaction;" and, whether, with regard to the severe strictures passed on Dr. O'Leary in the extract from the evidence of General Sir Drury-Lowe, there has not been a mistake of identity, and the charges thus irregularly published were, in fact, brought against the wrong man; also whether, in view of the aspersions cast upon the Army Medical Department through the premature publication in the "Times" of certain portions of the Report of Lord Morley's Commission, and of the evidence on which it is founded, he will have the goodness to say whether the Commissioners unanimously state— That they doubt whether on any previous occasion the wounded were so quickly collected from the field of battle, so well treated in the field hospitals, or removed to the rear with so little suffering, as was the case after Tel-el-Kebir; That the allegations that there was a deficiency in the supplies of medicines and medical comforts to the front refer exclusively to the first week of the campaign, when there was the greatest difficulty in providing troops in advance with food or even ammunition?

SIR ARTHUR HAYTER

Sir, I venture to make an appeal to my lion. Friend to postpone this and the following' Question, on the ground that they will be answered by the Report itself. The Report and the Evidence will be, we hope, in Members' hands on Tuesday next. I am, however, in a position to state that there is evidence in conflict with the extracts which have been already published. We can only hope that the public will suspend their judgment until the whole of the case is before them.