The Reports of Mr. Brodrick's Committee on the organisa- tion
of the Medical and Nursing Services of the Army were published. on Monday. The recommendations of this Com- mittee may be briefly summarised as follows :—(1) The estab- lishment of an Advisory Board of ten persons, including at least four highly qualified civilian representatives and the matron-in-chief, which will be charged with most. of the duties- at present entrusted to the Director-General alone; (2) the remodelling of the entrance examination; (3) the adoption of a system of promotion by which at every stage continuance in theServiee will depend on compliance with regu- lations providing for the acquisition of further professional knowledge, to be tested by examination; (4) the establishment as soon as possible of a Medical Staff College in connection with a large military hospital in London ; (5) special recogni- tion of the claims of bacteriology,-the science of hygiene, sani- tation, &c.; (6) a substantial increase of pay to all ranks of the corps, so that a Lieutenant will receive from the first 2323 10s. a year, and the Director-General 22,000. As regards the Nursing Service, the Committee recommend that its control be vested in a Board, of which the Queen shall be president, composed of the Director-General and two members (one a civilian) of the Advisory Board of the Army, the matron-in- chief, three matrons of large civil hospitals, one representa- tive of the India Office, to be appointed by the Secretary of state, and two members to be nominated by her Majesty. Without mitering into detailed criticism of this serious and valuable effort to remedy the deficiencies and grievances of th„Royal Army Medical Corps, we may be allowed to ex- press a confident hope that the Advisory Board will lose no tirne in devising and enforcing regulations for the prevention of water-bonie epidemics in the field.
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