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98
9 February, 1920.]
COLONIAL MEDICAL SERVICES COMMITTEE.
MR. E. R. Darniky.
Then, a great deal of anti-malarial work has been done, but much remains to be done in that direction; and it would be a very big business to exterminate malaria from the coast districts of British Guiana where it is a constant trouble. The cost of extermi- nation seems prohibitive.
3036A. The International Commission has done work on ankylostomiasis?—Yes, a great deal, but we can only regard that as being in its infancy. Still, a good deal has been done in some districts, but I imagine little
3037. Chairman:. That is because the conditions that spread ankylostomiasis have not been got rid of. They cure the population, and then they all promptly get infected again?—It is a question of the habits of the population, of the provision of latrine accommodation, and getting them to use it-which is no small part of the business.
The Chairman: I think if you could provide sufficient latrine accommodation you would get them to use it.
9038. Dr. Hood: Which Colonies have passed Ordinances to authorise the employment of American medical mon? Is it British Guiana alone?-I could not tell you offhand; they are all temporary Ordinances for the war. The Leeward Islands have done so.
3039. If they cannot get medical men at the salaries they offer, will they continue to employ Americans?— Wo might be pressed to allow the continuance of the system, but hitherto we have quite refused to contem- plate it as a permanent matter. We have not allowed any of these men to be placed on the permanent establishment although we have been pressed to do so. 9040. So if the British Medical Journal advised men not to go it would result in the appointment of those men on the Medical Staff?-It might, Of course, there is a certain supply of local Medical Officers who probably would not be affected by such a warning. They know the conditions, and they might be willing to accept them nevertheless
3041. Sir William Leishman: Which of these Colonies you mention has the largest number of local- born practitioners? They would form a large pro- portion in Jamaica, Guiana, and the Leeward Islands. 1 cannot give you the figures offhand. If there are any of these points on which the Committee would desire information we would endeavour to get it for another meeting, but, in these cases, I do not know that I have exact information.
3042. Could you say what the proportion was; two to one, or three to one, in these cases-I should think not as high as that. More like half.
[Continued.
3043. Where did they come from on the whole? Where have they received their medical training ?—— Usually in this country, sometimes in Canada, but Most of them are West Indians trained over here.
9044. There is no Medical School in the West Indies anywhere?-No, there is not. We have a suggestion that a medical school should be established in Jamaica. 3045. ilave any of those locally-born Medical Officers attained administrative rank, are they employed anywhers in administrative posts?—We had one acting as Surgeon-General in Trinidad.
3046. Is that the only case ?-There have been a good many in smaller administrative posts, such as health officers. And I should like to take the oppor- tunity of saying that I do not, for a moment, think that we can, or should, dispense with the local-born medical men in the West Indies, and that we have bad some conspicuously good man of this class. But 1 think that we should avoid the other extreme of allowing them to form the great majority of the Medical Service.
3047. Do you know that they have any sense of grievance themselves that they do not get appointed to these administrative posts as quickly as officers from outside; are they agitating for it? It is very likely they have some such feeling, but they have not given expression to it in any definite way, so far as i
am aware.
3018. Sir James Fouler: From whom did the sug- gration to found a Medical School in Jamaica come?
From Sir Leslie Probyn.
8049. The Governor?—Yes.
3050 And is it going forward? It is not likely that it will be possible to proceed with it for con- riderable time. The proposal was for a University_in Jamaica with a Medical faculty amongst others. We Lave lately received the report of a Committee on the question of establishing a College of Tropical Agri- culture in the West Indies. We do not wûnt to have tuo many irons in the fire, and it is likely that all other schemes for education of a vade bigher than secondary will be postponed until we have got the College of Tropical Agriculture which seems to be the most urgent thing.
3051. When was the suggestion made by Sir Leslie Probyn Last year. The suggestion has found favour in other quarters, but from the financial point of view, it does appear formidable.
3062 What is the estimated cost of it? No esti- mate has been prepared, and I am afraid that I could not suggest a figure. It might draw its students from outside the British West Indies-from Central America and the Northern Provincos of South America and that would be of some financial assist-
ance.
Chairman: Thank you.
(The Witness withdrew.)
(Adjourned till Monday next the 16th February, 1920, at 3 p.m.)
16 February, 1920.]
MINUTES OF EVIDENCE.
DR. O. M. PRICHARD,
TWELFTH DAY. Monday, 16th February, 1920.
PRESENT:
SIR WALTER EGERTON, K.O.M.G. (Chairman). LIEUTENANT-COLONEL SIE HARRY VERNEY,
Bart., D.S.O.
SURGEON REAR-ADMIRAL SIR HUMPHRY D. ROLLESTON, K.C.B., M.D., F.R.C.P. MAJOR-GENERAL SIR W. B. LEISHMAN, K.C.M.G., C.B., M.B., F.R.C.P., F.R.S., K.H.P., A.M.8.
170
99
[Continued.
LIBUT-COLONEL SIR JAMES KINGSTON
FOWLER, K.C.V.O.. C.M.G., D.Sc., F.B.C.P., R.A.M.O. (T.),
M.D.,
Mn. T. HOOD, C.M.G., M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P. MR. A. FIDDIAN.
Mr. J. E. W. FLOOD (Secretary).
Dr. O. M. PRICHARD, called in and examined.
3053. Chairman: You are in the East African Medical Bervice? Yes, that is what we call it; we called it that during the War, really.
3054. You have been stationed in Uganda recently. have you not? No, Sir, in East Africa. I have been in Uganda, but it is some years ago since I was in Uganda. When I was in Uganda, the two Services were united, and that is about 10 years ago.
3055. You first joined the Colonial Medical Service in Uganda? No, I joined in East Africa; it was then East Africa and Uganda Medical Service.
3056. And you were stationed in Uganda?--I wen for a short time, yes, Sir.
3057. After that? After that I have been every- where; in Somaliland, in Jubaland which is really Southern Somaliland, in Nairobi, and, during the War, I have been in German East Africa.
3058. On military duty?--On military duty. 3050. You know something of the scope of the inquiry being held by this Committee?--Yes, I have had a memorandum from the Colonial Office.
3060. What would you like to say on the subject? Well, what I bave endeavoured to do is to answer some of the questions that were sent me, Sir. You ask about the organization; that is the first question.
3061. Yes: well, I do not know that we need troubla you on that; we are fairly familiar with that. How is the Service recruited ?The Service is recruited in England, with the exception of one or two local practitioners who were engaged temporarily for the period of the War, but owing to the very short personnel we have had to retain them. These people are not pensionable.
3062. They are all white? They are all white. I think it is essential in East Africa that they should all be white, owing to the large South African element.
3069. You think it is essential that they should be? Yes; in fact I think the same rule should apply to the East African Medical Service, that applies to the Army, that the candidate should be of unmixed Euro- pean blood.
3064. Did you learn any language out there?- You, Sir, I learned Swahili.
3065. Do you think it is desirable for a medical officer? I think it is absolutely essential.
3060. He should be compelled to learn? He should be compelled to learn and pass in Swahili. For medical officers of health, as we have a compara- tively large Indian community, I think a knowledge of Hindustani, a colloquial knowledge of Hindustani, would be very useful, but certainly Swahili.
3067. Did you learn it of your own free will, or wore you called upon to learn it? When I went there. I was called upon to learn it.
3068. That is the rule of the Service? That is the rule of the Service, every Administrative Officer, everyone learns Swahili.
3009. Who learn Hindustani? That is optional. 3070. Is it encouraged in any way? There was a bonus given. I do not know whether it is still con- tinued, for Hindustani,
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3071. You have no knowledge of any other tropical country beside Tropical East Afrien?--Somaliland and Uganda and German East Africa.
3072. That is all East Africa?-I have been in South Africa,
3073. Was the Service contented when you were there? No, they were discontented, sir.
3074. Why are you speaking of 10 years ago, or recently, before the war? I am talking of the present time, sir. One thing we always want is study leave. We maintain that salaries should be such as would enable all medical men to keep up to date by leave study and research work without having to suffer from a pecuniary point of view. At present, any ex- tension of leave is granted on half pay. The result is.
a man comes home, and if he wants take a special course, which takes longer than his leave will permit, he has to go on half pay, and suffer pecuniarily. Speaking as a Senior Medical Officer of the Colony, I think study leave should be something entirely apart from ordinary leave, and while the man is doing it he should be granted full pay. At present, if he gets any extension of leave for study work, he goes on half pay.
3075. When you come home on leave you are on full pay? Yes, six months on full pay.
3076. Does that include the passager-Exclusive of passage.
3077. Six months in England and passage, all on Full pay? Yes, six months on full pay.
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3078. Do you pay your own passago-No, we du not; we pay our wives' passages.
3079. Your passage is given by the Government?--- Yea.
3080. Both ways?-Both ways. 3081. Then
con save something on the voyages? Yes, he might, but if he is married he has to pay his wife's passage. Then he has to send his children home to be educated. He cannot keep them out there, if they are too small to send to school, ho has to pay someone to look after them. Another thing is, there is no widows and orphans pension; he has to ensure his life fairly heavily in case of any. thing happening to him out there,
3082. What amount of study leave do you recon mend do you consider desirable P-It depends on what he is going to do; I think he should have three months on full pay.
3083. That is when he first comes home?-I main- tain that he should constantly have study leave.
3084. Each time he comes home? Well, every alternato leave.
9085. What courses do you think are specially desirable for a medical officer there to take up? At present he does go to the Tropical School.
3098. Before he goes out?-Before he goes out; ho is supposed to go there before he goes out to us. I think course of general medicine is very essen- tial in East Africa, medicine and surgery,
3087. Medicine and surgery, or medicine or surgery? Both, Sir. A man out there is called upon
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