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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-
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8 December, 1919.]
COLONIAL MEDICAL SERVICES COMMITTEE,
LIKUT. COL. R. E. DRAKK-BROCKMAN, D.8.0., M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P.
788. When were you sent to Somaliland ?-In 1904 789. You soon got well then ?—Yes.
790. You stayed in Somaliland till?-Till I was invalided in 1915.
791. And since then?-Since then, I have been serving in the War.
792. You wish to give evidence before the Com- mittee, I think, about the conditions of cervice in the Colonial Medical Service?—Yes.
799. Are they satisfactory now, in your opinion?— Well, not when I left; I do not know whether there has been any improvement since 1915.
794. That is speaking of Somaliland and East Africa? Somaliland and East Africa.
795. In what points do you think they require amelioration P-Particularly the pay is too low all the way through; there was no chance of promotion; I started at the pay of £450 and I rose to £500 in 16 years.
796. You started at £450 P—£450.
797. And rose to?-£500.
798. In 15 years? In 16 years.
799. That is not rapid promotion.--No.
800. And otherwise than pay? Well, in certain parts, in certain of the Protectorates, you get a chance of private practice; in others you do not. Those who are lucky enough to get into those stations usually stop there for the greater part of their service. I think that ought to be more equally divided among the officers.
801. That is rather a difficulty?--I do not think so; it is a question of seniority. Really, to a large extent, you very often find junior en occupying these positions and senior men relegated to the Hinterland.
802. And as regards quarters? Well, as far as I was concerned, I think the quarters were quite good on the whole. Of course, I was latterly in a country where you could not get quarters; it was chiefly camp life; I was in the interior of Somaliland most of the time. As far as the coast is concerned, the houses for Medical Officers are quite good.
809. You say, when you were first appointed, you got £450P-That was under the Foreign Offico.
804. That was a satisfactory commencing salary in those days? In those days, yes.
805. Do you think it is now ?-No, I do not.
806. What would you say it should be about?--I would put it at £800 now, at the least.
807. Do you think that would attract people?—I do not know about attracting people, it is one of the things that might attract them. There are so many other things to be taken into consideration. Out in France I have had several Officers nak me about the prospects in the Colonial Service and I have recom- mended one or two to go in for it. The two that I did recommend quite latterly have withdrawn now,
808. Do you know why?--I do not know the reason why. I have not met one, but I have heard he has accepted a Commission, which he did not want to accept I know when he was under my Command, in the R.A.M.C. I suppose he has made inquiries and some- body has put hire off. I have not met him. The other has gone out and taken land in East Africa.
809. You know nothing of West Africa?—I know nothing of West Africa.
810. How is it considered amongst medical men in East Africa; do they prefer East P-I do not know about that; I have never heard them express an opinion on that, but I think on promotion that one would be only too pleased to go anywhere-another rung of the ladder. The trouble in the Colonial Service is, you never see the next rung of the ladder, There seems to be no hope, once you get into it, whether you are to get promotion or not.
811. Supposing the East and West African Medica! Services were amalgamated and there was such promotion, do you consider that would deter people going out? If people wanted to go to East Africa, would they say, "I will not go now, because I may be sent to West Africa afterwards "P-I think those who said that would probably have a view to other things. They probably want to go to East Africa to see the land. From the various expressious of opinion
[Continued.
I have heard, I think there is a very large percentage of men doing that, and I think that, if a man esked me directly what the Medical prospects in East Africa were, he would have that at the lack of his mind.
812 But if they wanted to stick to their profession, would they be deterred by the thought that they might be transferred to West Africa? If there was promotion, I do not think they would; they would object to it if there was not promotion.
818. You mentioned study leave?—Yes, I think that is a very important thing. There are a lot of men who want to better themselves. For instance, I never had a chance of taking any other degree. After leaving my hospital, I went out to the South African War straight away; I never had a chance after that time of taking any further degree,
814. The members of the East African Medic-1 Staff get no inducement in the way of study?—No ; I was on one occasion working for my Fellowship and I could not get the extra leave to study for my examination, which I think is quite wrong.
815. I think the West African Officers have oppor- tunities?—They have longer leave at home and that has, of course, assisted them. In East Africa, we sometimes had to stop over our time for leave, as there was always some shortage of officers. I had to take the duty of two officers, because when they were sick they had to go. One had very little opportunity of going in for private study at all.
816. Do you think that the system of promotion that obtaina in the Colonies now a good one, the method of recommending for promotion ?-I do not know what the method is; I have never discovered it. 817. What system would you recommend P-I recommend that men should be judged on their merits. 818. By whom P--First of all, they would have to be brought to the notice of the Colonial Office by the Governor, who would be able to soo whether officers were doing good work. The Principal Medical Officer would also recommend them.
819. Is not that done now ?—I do not know whether it is done or not.
820. Are not reporta sent home from the Colony? -Confidential Reports that one knows nothing what- evor about. The Reports should be shown to Officers so that they may see how they stand,
821. But reports are sent now?-They may be; I do not know."
822. Furnished by the Chief Medical Officer and sent home by the Governor?-I suppose there is such a system.
823. You complain that reports are not shown to Medical Officers before they are sent?-I think they certainly should be shown to Medical Officers, because then they would know whether any reports that were being sent were derogatory or not.
824. You approve of the system that there should be a report by the Chief Medical Officer of the Colony sent through the Governor to the Secretary of State? -Certainly; and then here it could come before a Board of Medical Men,
825. When it reaches here?--Yes.
826. And the Secretary of State should be guided by their opinion?-By their opinion.
827. You wish a complete revision of pay and pensions, which, at present, are far too low?—Yes.
828. That you have indicated already P-Yes. Looking at it from the point of view, and with regard tus Officers who have been 16 to 20 years out in those countries they have spent the best years of their lives out there they are compelled for health or other reasons to leave the Service, with the result that they may be invalided or leave the Service on a small pension on which they simply cannot carry on. They cannot live on it, and they have to seek other work. There are very few openings in this country for people who have specialised in Tropion! diseason.
829. I suppose you are drawing a pension?—I am drawing a pension, yes.
890. Of what amount?-£200 a year. 831. That is after 15 years' service?-16 years.
MINUTES OF EVIDENCE.
8 December, 1919.] LIEUT. COL. R. E. DRAKE BROCKMAN, D.S.O., M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P.
832. Sir James Fowler: I understand that you think that the preference that is shown for East Africa over West is in some cases not founded on climatic reasons, though in others it is assumed that the East African climate is better?-It may be to a certain extent, because they have heard so much about the highlands. That started about the time soon after Sir Harry Johnstone's book came out, and then Sir Charles Elliott sent Mr. Marsden down to South Africa and he spoke about its beauty, its health resorts, and one thing and another. It got a great name, but there is only a very small portion of the country which is healthy; the rest of the country is just as unhealthy as West Africa, and pro- bably more so in parts. I know in the early days, in the place I landed at, on the shores of Victoria Nyanza, there were three Medical Officers in charge of a country about the size of France. I no sooner landed than two walked out of the country, one with blackwater fever, and the third was killed. I took over the work of three of them; that was my first introduction to the country. I found it very unhealthy. I stayed there for about two years. After about a year I got blackwater fever there. It was a very unhealthy place. I should not think you would find anything very much worse on the West Coast from what I have board.
839. Your opinion is that there is no foundation for this greater excellence of climate?—As far as I can gather, DO, Officers I have known, Major Laurance, Mr. Corfield and others, who have gono out to Northern Nigeria, I remember gave us a very favourable idea of the country out there in regard to climate and so on, but that is the only knowledge I have of West Africa; I know nothing more. I have known many men in the West African Service who hare come back. I should not think the mortality among Medical Officers is any greater in West Africa than it is in Uganda and the source of the Nile.
834. Sir Harry Verney: Forgive me being very personal; if it is too personal we need not go on with it I want to look at it from your point of view; nothing could be more wretched than the story you have given us. How could the Medical Service be buttered? You went to Uganda in 1900?—Yes.
895. What would have been reasonable promotion and when I consider, after a man has worked, in a country like that, where two years is reckoned as three for pension, that at least in six years he might have been promoted Senior Medical Officer, consider- ing the number of officers invalided.
836. May I take that point: In your case, by 1903, that is, in three years, you were invalided ?—I was invalided, yes.
837. When you started again, you started, as it were, at the bottom, in a new Colony. From the point of view of promotion was that reasonable?— No, I consider that unreasonable.
838. When you were put into Somaliland, you con- aider you should have been put in there as if you had served there since 1900P-Yes.
839. In Somaliland there seem to be only two grades, the Medical Officer and one Senior Medical Officer?--Yes, that is all.
840. You think in 1908 or 1907 you ought to have become the Sonior Medical Officer in Somaliland f Certainly. Where the trouble came in that case, I might mention, was that General Swayne-I will have to go into personalities-
841. Do not, unless you wish to P-I do not mind; the officers have all left the Colonial Medical Service. The Senior Medical Officer did not wish to remain in the country any longer, and he told him so. He went out of the country, and he changed places with an officer in East Africa whom he know wanted to get out of East Africa; he offered to change with hin, and I think that was fixed up unknown to General Swayne at the Foreign Office, who thought one officer is as good as another medically. Suddenly this
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officer was sent from East Africa straight into the country where I should naturally have received pro- motion as Senior Medical Officer. If the Senior Medical Officer leaves, it ought to be given to the next senior officer to him in the country, unless there was something against him.
842. Was not that an exceptional case?—I suppose it was an exceptional case.
813. Supposing you had become Senior Medical Officer, as you think reasonably, in 1006, you would have remained there until 1915P-Yes.
844. When did the noxt man to you get into Somaliland; perhaps in 1902 --Oh, no. Dr. Paget was the nort; he came into Somaliland as Senior Modical Officer.
845. I was only trying to see how one could work it? The next officers who came after him only
stopped a matter of a few weeks or months, or loss than a year; they would not stay any longer.
816. As a man who is prepared to give up his whole time to it, you would have held the post of Principal
Medical Officer for nine years, making the man below you very discontented. How would you meet that?
Promote him to another Colony.
847. Assuming you were Senior Medical Officer P-- I did not expect to stay there as Senior Medical Officer. I do not think a man like the Senior Medical Officer in Somaliland should be allowed to remain there anything like twelve years, as the climate affects your whole nervous system as well as your general health.
848. Supposing you went on to Nigeria, are there not too many juniors in the West African or any other Service to admit of the promotion you aro speaking off-I expect there would be. The only post that a Senior Medical Officer, we will say, of country like Somaliland would accept would be a Senior Medical Officer in Nigeria, and then he might suddently find himself over the heads of men who had been in the Colonial Bervice longer than him- self.
849. That is the real difficulty ?-That is the real difficulty.
850. Your particular case was a hard one. Is it not difficult to get anything like the promotion you would think reasonable, 1900 to 1906, and then some- where else, unless the Medical Service were all under one system -That is the whole point, you would have more chance if you had it all under one system. 851. Chairman: That is the worst of a small Service, you may get very rapid promotion, or stay? -Still, there are a lot of officers who would not go out to another country on promotion, even with increase of pay. I know a lot of cases of that kind.
852. Sir Harry Verney: You think it would facilitate promotion?-By having an entire Colonial Medical Service, not only for East, but for West Africa.
853. Have it interchangeable with the West Indies in the junior appointments-Under the Colonial Office. They are all tropical; there is nothing against it, everything in its favour.
854. Chairman: Would medical men serving in the West Indies, in Ceylon or the Straits Settlements be willing to go to East or West Africa? Thero is o prejudice against that?-They would have to, if the Service were run on those lines, it would be com- pulsory.
856. Sir Harry Verney: Would they ever join?-- Certainly. What a fan is out for is a reasonable salary, with a prospect of promotion, whereas if ho gets into a backwater he has no prospect of pronio tion at all. What hope has man got in the Gilbert Islands, a place where you only get about three ships a year?
856. Sir Humphry Rulleston: Supposing you had served four more years and completed 20 years' service, what would your pension have been?-
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