§ Mr. LAWSONasked the Minister of Pensions whether any instructions have been issued with reference to a continuous medical history in Article Nine claims; whether there is a schedule of diseases set forth, with periods during which a definite manifestation of the disease after cessation of service must have appeared to render the claim eligible; if so, what are the diseases; and what is the period in respect of each disease?
§ Major TRYONIn support of a claim made long after a man's discharge that a disability from which he is suffering is connected with his service, the best evidence is, for obvious reasons, evidence, whether medical or other, sufficient to establish the existence of the disability since discharge. But while this has always been pointed out by the Ministry in its instructions as an ordinary (though not by any means an absolute) requirement, it has been clearly laid down that there must be cases of latent disease which may not manifest themselves until very long after discharge, but which may nevertheless be reasonably held to have been present before that date. The diseases referred to by the hon. Member are of this class, and the list was drawn up on the advice of the highest independent medical authorities with the object of indicating that in the case of these diseases, specially long periods (ranging up to two years) after discharge could be allowed for the first known manifestation of the disease in order to establish a continuous history of it since discharge.
The following is a list of the diseases:
Pulmonary tuberculosis 12 months General paralysis of the insane 18 months Sub-acute infective endocarditis 2 years Diabetes 6 months Aneurism 1 year Chronic granular kidney occurring in a man under 45 years of age 2 years