HC Deb 02 September 1886 vol 308 cc1065-6
DR. FARQUHARSON (Aberdeenshire, W.)

asked the Secretary of State for War, Whether he is aware that considerable dissatisfaction exists in the Army Medical Department by recent changes in the publication of the annual value of Statistical, Sanitary, and Medical Reports; whether it is the case that, for several years past, instead of a single copy of each Annual Report, two copies of each have been printed, one in a blue paper cover with, and one in a yellow paper cover without, the Special Reports by Army Medical Officers; the copy without the Appendix of Special Reports has been presented to Parliament and has been purchasable, the price being marked upon it; the copy with the Special Reports has not had a price marked on it, and has not been obtainable by purchase; and, whether he will consider the advisability of returning to the original form of publication, which was suggested by the Royal Sanitary Commissioners as stimulating professional zeal by inducing medical officers to make observations of a record in the departmental volume?

THE SECRETARY OF STATE (Mr. W. H. SMITH) (Strand, Westminster)

, in reply, said, the present form of publication of the Army Medical Reports was approved on the recommendation of a Committee on Official Statistics. No expressions of dissatisfaction in regard to it have reached the War Office. It was held to be sufficient to include the Report by Departmental officers in the Departmental volume which is supplied to station hospitals for the use of medical officers doing duty in those hospitals. He would consider whether there would be any objection to placing the Departmental volume on sale.