§ Colonel Stoddart-Scottasked the First Lord of the Admiralty the present ratio of medical officers in the Navy to naval personnel; and how' does this compare with the present proportion of doctors in this country to the civilian population.
Mr. AlexanderThe present ratio of medical officers in the Navy to personnel is nearly three per 1,000. I understand that the present proportion of doctors of all kinds in this country to the civil population is 0.74 per 1,000. I should, however, point out that circumstances and conditions in the Royal Navy are so different from those in civil life that a true comparison is impossible. It should be added, however, that the duties of naval doctors include the treatment of Merchant Navy personnel at certain ports.