Army Medical Service and the Army Estimates.?-A is before us. The copy of the Army Estimates for 1870-71 first and most important thing which will at once strike

evil, the regimental thing of the past. No system and staff for regimental medical made separate provision is officers in the present estimates. In the appendix, containing medical officers is the fact

that,

for

good

of medical administration is

the details of the

or

a

pay and allowances of tha the establishment of a corps, the

regimental

different officers included

on

of surgeon and assistant:surgeon are conspicuous by their absence. Even in the detail of the Foot Guards the names

have been informed inquiry, same may be observed; but, that the Guard regiments will continue to retain their medical officers on the strength of the regiment to which on

we

they belong.

We have also reason to believe that the so-called unification scheme will not have a cal officers at

retrospective bearing, but that all medipresent belonging to regiments will be permitted

THE INDIAN MEDICAL GAZETTE.

gg to remain in that

administration

capacity being only

for fire years; the new plan of made applicable to all new ap-

pointments. The difficulties attending the administration of the department on the double staff and regimental system were yearly increasing, and the hardships attending it were more especially felt by the officers composing the medical staff, whose time of home service was so short as to amount to a decided grievance. On the other hand, those officers who were so fortunate as to belong to corps almost exclusively engaged at home practically escaped foreign service. Great changes have ensued, and are still taking place, in everything appertaining to soldiering. The average service of medical officers with particular regiments has not of late much exceeded about three years, and on the present system they will be attached for at least the same period, if not longer; and there is no reason, we presume, why the term should culties

not be renewable.

attending

memory of the old

the

transition

system

is

Whatever may be the diffiperiod during which the

fading

away, the ultimate advan-

tages to the public service and the department itself will, in the

opinion

of many of its ablest

years since we first advocated its

officers, be great. It is many adoption. England is almost

the

only first-rate power in which the double system of medical administration has an existence. In America and Eussia

the medical services like

are

modelled

on

a

single system, and service,

every other scientific branch of the and distinct separate body.? The Lancet.

medical,

the is

a

[April 1,

1870.