PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
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23 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
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PROFESSOR HALDANE: For ordinary every-day work microscopes, I should have said you would get a good enough one for much less than £10. You do not want to have a heavy thing to carry about; I should never think of taking a £10 microscope about.
MR. READ: If they have the microscope they have tested in the States, and which is said to be quite efficient for this work, I should think the best plan would be to get them to supply some of these microscopes to the West Indian Islands. I suppose there would be no objection to that?
PROFESSOR HALDANE: They have had a lot of experience, but for the micros- copists a very simple microscope is enough. They would be travelling about, and they would require something light. They do not want a heavy microscope. MR. GRINDLE: They would have to have a better one in each island. PROFESSOR HALDANE: Yes, the head man must have the very best.
MR. READ: I think that is an item which might be reduced; I think they could be supplied from the States.
MR. WICKLIFFE ROSE: Might I suggest this. I have gone over these budgets very carefully, and I find that the price of the microscopes varies so very much that two things seem to me probably important; first, it is important for you to have English microscopes, so that the men will have an instrument they are accustomed to; if we did send one down from the States it would be a new thing, and probably would not be so satisfactory.
THE SECRETARY: That only applies to the microscopes for the Medical Officers, I take it.
MR. WICKLIFFE ROSE: You will find they are providing two types of micros- copes; one is evidently the one for the Chief Medical Officer, and I think it impor- tant that he should be well equipped, so that he could take up anything which came to his attention. As to the others, they have provided a less expensive micro- scope. It seemed to me that if the Committee could find out what a good micro- scope would really cost, and then make that uniform for the Chief Medical Officer of each Colony, and they then found a type of instrument of a cheaper variety for the routine work and made that uniform in all these budgets, that would solve the question. Just adopt one instrument: that is what we have done in the States. We have two types of instrument we buy.
CHAIRMAN: At what sort of price for the better and the second class? MR. WICKLIFFE ROSE: Speaking from memory the cheaper microscope costs about 55 dollars, and the other about 85.
MR. READ: That is about £10.
CHAIRMAN: Are they really dearer in this country than they are in the United States-microscopes of the same excellence?
DR. SHIPLEY: I should think they are much the same; there is not any very great difference.
PROFESSOR HALDANE: I should think they were cheaper here. A lot of them are German or Austrian really.
DR. SHIPLEY: Or French; you want the ordinary clever medical student his- tologist's microscope for about 6 or 8 guineas, and then you want a better machine at about £15 to £20.
MR. READ: I think it is a very good suggestion, and I think we might well adopt that.
THE SECRETARY: Perhaps Dr. Shipley and Dr. Bagshawe would look into the
matter.
DR. BAGSHAWE; Yes, one could find out what was used at the School of Tropi- cal Medicine at the Docks, and that instrument would probably do very well.
MR. WICKLIFFE ROSE: When you get particulars of these two microscopes whenever any budgets come in, you can fill them in and see exactly what they will be, and you will feel perfectly free, whatever the local budget may be, to adjust the cost of the instrument. In that same connexion I find, with regard to the lantern. the cost in these budgets varies very much, and one puts the lantern at a figure so
I think the lan far from any knowledge that I have, that I wonder what it is.
In the States we have been accustomed to use a tern is priced there at £70. lantern which we can take into country places, where we are not dependent on the electrical current, with acetylene gas and a tank. I suppose you have some instru- ments similar to that here.
MR. READ: You know about lanterns, Dr. Shipley?
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DR. SHIPLEY: I have never used anything but an electric one myself, but I am quite certain that £35 is an exorbitant price.
MR. READ: I suppose you will get a good one for less than half of that. DR. SHIPLEY: Yes, you will get a good one for twelve guineas.
MR. GRINDLE: I should have thought you would.
DR. SHIPLEY: Perhaps that might be left to Dr. Bagshawe and myself.
THE SECRETARY: That may be treated in the same way as the microscopes.
MR. WICKLIFFE ROSE: The lantern we use in the States costs about £10; that
is an acetylene lantern, with tank, and you can use the electric current if you are in
a place where you have it. You have both attachments.
CHAIRMAN: Is there any other item in the estimates?
You
MR. WICKLIFFE ROSE: There is this item I wanted to call attention to. observe in some cases, as in Trinidad, Grenada, and St. Lucia, the Government is going to provide drugs, stationery, and so forth, and in some places it is not. I was just wondering whether it would be advisable to undertake to have uniformity of practice there.
THE SECRETARY: In the draft estimate I have been drawing up as a model, I have assumed throughout that the Government would undertake the cost of drugs, accounting, and audit, as in Trinidad, it being understood that you had agreed with individual Governments that that should be the case, and that it would be better to have uniformity. The outlay is not a very large one, and even the West Indian Colonies could afford it.
MR. READ: I think it is a good thing to have some of the expenses paid. THE SECRETARY: And they could order their drugs in connexion with their ordinary medical stores.
SIR F. HODGSON: I do not think there will be any difficulty whatsoever in the Colonies undertaking all expenses.
SIR HENRY MCCALLUM: If I might say a word about Ceylon in connexion with the estimates, although it is not before the Committee now, and I cannot any longer speak for Ceylon, having given up the Government; if I was the Governor of the Colony, recognising the noble way in which we have been treated by the Rockefeller Institute, I would ask my Legislative Council to provide all the expenses, and I feel certain the expense would be met by the Government, leaving it to the Commission to have free scope to work at their labour-what I call a labour of love and humanity. I am certain there would not be any difficulty
I
am no longer in a position to speak on the matter, but I think it would be quite a question upon which the Colonial Office could approach the Government and ascertain their views.
THE SECRETARY: The position is somewhat different in the West Indies, owing to their comparative poverty.
SIR HENRY MCCALLUM: Yes, but Ceylon is quite well off, and so are the Straits Settlements; the Malay States do not know what to do with their money.
CHAIRMAN: Is there any other point, Mr. Rose?
MR. WICKLIFFE ROSE: There was one more point I had noted in connexion with the salary of the Medical Officers. This was brought out in the discussion was, from their point at Grenada especially, and the Governors seemed to think
of view, rather better to employ a man on a given salary and let it be understood that there would be an increase for an effective man at the end of the year, say. I submit that for whatever it may be worth; I do not know whether that would be helpful in the administration of the matter.
SIR HENRY MCCALLUM: With an engagement of three years it is not usual to have any increase.
SIR F. HODGSON: Would it not be better to give the Medical Officer a salary, and duty allowance while on the spot, because from time to time his place will have to be taken by a substitute, who would look to some additional emoluments, which could be given in the shape of the duty allowance. He would draw the duty allow- ance while out there, and draw his salary if he was on leave. I suppose. If a man is engaged for three years, he will want some leave at the end of that time. is only a detail, I admit, but it is a matter for consideration.
That
MR. WICKLIFFE ROSE: I think those were the only points I have to raise. THE SECRETARY: Would it not be better to leave it that it would be open to the Governor to recommend an increase in the salary to a well qualified man, and not only for efficient work, but for additional work.
SIR TIENRY MCCALLUM: And an additional salary if he carries on.