Report from the Select Committee on Medical Department (Army) : together with the proceedings of the Committee, minutes of evidence, appendix and index.
- Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Select Committee on the Medical Department of the Army.
- Date:
- 1856
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Report from the Select Committee on Medical Department (Army) : together with the proceedings of the Committee, minutes of evidence, appendix and index. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.
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![Report, 1856 — continued. Smith, Andrew, M.D. (Analysis of his Evidence)—continued. assistant surgeons to promote the senior, unless ordinarily unworthy, 108 Rule in the case of the higher officers to select for promotion according to merit, the case of the senior officer being first considered, 109, no. 180-182. Explanation relative to the appointment of Dr. Reid to fill a vacancy at Chatham, not- withstanding that when in Bulgaria he was considered to have been deficient in moral courage, 111-113. 131-136 Appointment of Dr. Dumbreck in witness's office adver- ted to, and explained, 114-117 Appointment of Dr. Menzies to the camp at Shorn- cliffe considered in connexion with liis conduct at Scutari, 118-124 Somewhat lower qualifications of medical candidates appointed during the latter part of the war, 125. Removal of Dr. Menzies from Shornc'iffe, in order to gratify his desire to go to a foreign station, and at the same time to make room for a senior officer returned from abroad, 127-130, 138, 139 Practice generally in regard to removal of officers from home stations, on the arrival of officers from foreign stations, 130. 146-151 Witness was not quite satisfied with the manner in which Dr. Menzies fulfilled his duties, 137-139 Doubt as to any difficulty at Shorncliffe through Dr. Menzies not being acquainted with the German language, 140-144—■—The reductions in the department will probably debar Dr. Menzies from further employment at present, 145. Appointments to hospitals at home are generally made for three years, 146-148 Disapproval of removals from hospitals at home merely to take the place of those return- ing from abroad; suggestion hereon, 148-151 Regulation in the case of all death vacancies to appoint the senior officer on the station, 152. 258 System of inquiry by medical officers, and of reduction to hall-pay, in the event of cases of mala praxis, 153- 161 Approval of the practice of requiring medical officers to keep books in explana- tion of their course of treatment of patients, 162-164. Appointment of Dr. Burrell as deputy inspector to the expeditionary army of 10,000 men, first ordered to Malta, 165. 172- Communication made to Dr. Burrell, that on the army proceeding to Turkey, he would be superseded by a senior officer as inspector- general, 166. 262. 267-269 Appointment subsequently of Dr. Hall, who was ordered from India lor the purpose, 167 Explanation and defence of the appointment of Dr. Hall as inspector-general, in lieu of the appointment of Dr. Burrell to that position, when it was known that the army might be increased to some four times the original number, 168-178. 257-269. Approval of the system of promotion by seniority, save in cases of established incom- petency, 180-182 Partial disapproval of the system of confidential reports; it is however a necessary system, 183, 184 Reference to some instances of distinguished conduct in the field, and to the propriety of rewarding such conduct by good service pensions rather than by promotion, 185-192. 207-211 Attention paid by witness to special recommendations from the East for promotions or reward, 188.258 Consi- derations given of late to the general question of service in the field to the effect that it should not count for more than service at home, 193-204 Advantage in retaining Dr. Dartnell at Chatham, instead of sending him to the East, 205, 206. Unlimited power of the Commander-in-Chief abroad over the medical officers, 212 Few instances of censures of medical men in general orders, 213 Censure of Dr. Dumbreck adverted to as having referred merely to his giving orders verbally, 213. 216. 238 Censure of Dr. Lawson considered in connexion with his subsequent appointment to the Second Division, 214,215. 217-222. 228-232. 239. 246-256. It would depend upon the nature and extent of the censure of the Commander-in- Chief whether witness recommended any officer for promotion or reward, 220-222. 233-245 Indirect character of the censure passed on Dr. Hall, 223-227 Consi- derable experience of Dr. Hall adverted to, 266 Circumstance of witness having offered Dr. Burrell an appointment in India far more lucrative than that of deputy inspector in the East, 262. 268-275. [Second Examination.]—Evidence in detail, and examination thereon, with reference to Dr. Lawson, and the several appointments held by him, 276-323 Extreme cases in which medical officers are sometimes cashiered, instead of being placed on half-pay, 324- 330 Reference to the answer by witness to a memorial from the surgeons of the army of the East, 331-336 Reason why witness did not lay before Lord Panmure a memo- rial from the assistant surgeons, 337,338. 341 Reply by Lord Panmure to a second memorial from the assistant surgeons, which did not pass through witness's department, 339-34»■ Evidence relative to confidential reports, and the mode in which witness acts upon them, 342-360 Further opinion in favour of witness's individual responsibility as pre- ferable to a Medical Board, 361 Instances of omission in the public despatches of the names of medical officers who have been highly commended by divisional or regimental officers; steps taken by witness to repair these omissions, 369-371.384-390 The medical officers who distinguished themselves during the war have not received any honours](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b24749540_0392.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
