§ 53. Mr. Sorensenasked the Minister of Health to what extent trilene has replaced the use of analgesia in respect of 827 confinements in hospitals and by midwives; what is the particular advantage of trilene; and what is the difference in cost.
§ Miss Hornsby-SmithMy right hon. Friend has no information about the extent of its use in hospitals, and it is too early yet to assess its use in domiciliary practice. Its chief advantage over gas-and-air in the domiciliary field is that the apparatus is more easily transportable. The costs of administration contain a number of highly variable factors, and we have not yet enough experience to make comparisons.
§ Mr. SorensenWill the hon. Lady see what is being done to ensure that trilene, if it is so superior to the other methods of analgesia, is now being much more widely used than before?
§ Miss Hornsby-SmithIt is only recently that it came to be in general use by midwives, and it is a little too early to make an accurate comparison, but we are watching the matter very closely.
§ Dr. SummerskillCan the hon. Lady say why hospital authorities are not asked to make a return on this subject?
§ Miss Hornsby-SmithIf the right hon. Lady likes to put down that Question, I shall be delighted to deal with it.
§ Dr. SummerskillWill the hon. Lady not recall that I asked it about a year ago?