§ DR. FARQUHARSON (Aberdeenshire, W.)asked the Secretary of State for War, Whether he has received from, the British Medical Association a statement containing an analysis of the opinions of nearly 1,200 Army medical 871 officers, with reference to the recent abolition of relative rank; whether a wide-spread feeling of dissatisfaction has thus been shown to exist throughout the Department; and, whether, under these circumstances, he will bring on Vote IV. of the Army Estimates at a time which will admit of full discussion?
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE (Mr. E. STANHOPE) (Lincolnshire, Horncastle)I have received a communication purporting to give the anonymous opinions of several hundred medical officers. These opinions must have been obtained and expressed in a manner altogether in contravention of military discipline. Medical officers, like other officers, have a proper channel through which they can be heard; and I am not prepared to accept any Civilian Association as their mouthpiece. On the general question of rank I can only repeat what I said several times last year—namely, that the status of medical officers is just as it was before; and that, as regards titular rank, they already hold professional titles for which the exchange to combatant titles, without combatant functions, would be a loss of personal influence.
§ DR. FARQUHARSONsaid, he would draw attention to this subject on the Medical Vote.