49. Dr. VERNON DAVIESasked the Secretary of State for Air if any youths under 21 years of age have been invalided out of the Air Force during the past seven years, for which statistics are available, for heart disease, the result of rheumatism during their period of service; and, if so, how many?
§ Sir P. SASSOONI regret that to furnish my hon. Friend with the statistics for which he asks would entail the scrutiny of a large number of records, and I do not think the time and labour involved would be justified.
51. Dr. DAVIESasked the First Lord of the Admiralty if any youths under 21 years of age have been invalided out of the Navy during the past seven years, for which statistics are available, for heart disease, the result of rheumatism, during their period of service; and, so, how many?
§ The PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY to the ADMIRALTY (Lieut.-Colonel Headlam)The numbers of officers and men under 21 years of age invalided from the Royal Navy and Royal Marines during the years 1921 to 1925 for organic heart disease were as follow:
| 1921 | … | … | … | … | 111 |
| 1922 | … | … | … | … | 67 |
| 1923 | … | … | … | … | 23 |
| 1924 | … | … | … | … | 28 |
| 1925 | … | … | … | … | 34 |
§ No figures are available for 1920, and those for 1926 are not vet available.
§ It is not known how many of these invalidings were the result of rheumatism, and to ascertain the number would involve 1649 a considerable expenditure of time and labour, which would not appear to be justified.
Dr. DAVIESWhile thanking the hon. and gallant Gentleman for the information, may I ask him if he would be kind enough to pass on to the Royal Air Force, the Admiralty's method of keeping medical statistics?
58. Dr. DAVIESasked the Secretary of State for War if any youths under 21 years of age have been invalided out of the Army during the past seven years, for which statistics are available for heart disease, the result of rheumatism, during their period of service; and, if so, how many?
§ The FINANCIAL SECRETARY to the WAR OFFICE (Captain Douglas King)I regret that I am unable to give this information, which could only be obtained by examination of the documents of all men invalided during the period.
Dr. DAVIESMay I call the hon. and gallant Gentleman's attention to the Admiralty's statistics, and ask if his Department cannot prepare their figures in a more "get-at-able" form?
§ Captain KINGI listened carefully to the answer of the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty to the hon. Member's question, and I notice that it did not give the information for which the hon. Member asked.
§ Mr. MACQUISTENHave the medical profession, so far, been unable to get a cure for rheumatism?