J R Army Med Corps: first published as 10.1136/jramc-95-06-09 on 1 December 1950. Downloaded from

371

Matters of Interest

AT Netley on Saturday, Oc~ober 14, 29 General H~spita1, unde.r the com­ mand of Lieut.-Colonel Snow, RAM.C., was ,on paradebefore,its departure for Japan, for inspection by the Director-General. . ~ . The General Hospital was drawn up in companies under the command of Major Mackay-Dick, RA.M.C.,' and Major W,atts, R.A.M.C., the, Q.A.R.A.N.C. Nursing Officers under the command of Major Hinchley, ' Q.ARA.N.C; After' the inspection. the unit marched past, and were then addressed by the D.-G. who expressed his good wishes for their far journey and a safe· return.

THELonqon Hospital Old Students' Dinner was held at the TrocaderoRest­ 2021 by guest. Protected copyright. aurant on October 10, 1950, the Direct()r-General being ,invited to attend.

AN Exercise on Civil Defence at Weymouth, which 'Was held under the,direc. tion of Colonel F. Langmaid, O.B.E.,AD.M.S., 43. Wessex Division, was visited by the Director-General. The attendance of medical officers of 43 Divi­ sion amqunted to ~O per cent, and the O.C. and many officers of 19 (Southern} General Hospital, Bath, also attended. Other officers present were Major­ General G. C. TyndaII, D.D.M.S., Southern Command, Brigadier Escritt, Inspec- tor 'of Training, and Colonel Sandford. ' Demonstrations were given by Lieut,-Colonel Crosse, of the Field Training School and Major Whitcher from, the Combined Gas School .

•, THE D.G.AM.S. attended the R.A.S.C. Officers' Club Annual Dinnet; at the Trocadero Restaurant on Friday, October 13, 1950.

H.RH., The Princess Royal opened the Hostel forTube~culous Ex-Service­ http://militaryhealth.bmj.com/ . men at the Centre at Enham-Alamein on October 23, 1950. The Director­ Genel1al was present. He also attended an At Home given by the Empire , Medical Advisory Bureau for Overseas Medkal Vi'Sitors at B.M.A House on , Monday, October 23, 1950. ' .

ALEXANDER MEMORIAL PRIZE 1949 The Alexander Memorial Prize perpetuates the memory of Thomas Alexander, C.B., F.R.C.S., who joined the service in'< 1834 and was Director­ General, 1858-60. He was a member of Mr.' Sidney Herbert's (later Lord on September 29, Herbertof Lea) Commission which effected the foundation of the Army Medi~ cal School and many imnrov~mentsin Military Hospitals and the pay and relative ranks of Army Medical Officers.

, , J R Army Med Corps: first published as 10.1136/jramc-95-06-09 on 1 December 1950. Downloaded from 372 Matters of lnte,rest

. This prize is awarded annually to the Regular Medical Officer of the Royat Army Medical Corps on full pay, or Officer -removed from the Corps but still on the Active List, who, by professional work of outstanding merit, has done: m?~t. to promote the study an~ improvement of either Military Medicine, MIlitary Surgery, Military Hygiene or Military Pathology. - . For 1949 'the prize, a silver gilt Medal and cheque for £70, was awarded· to Colonel W. A. D. Drummond, O.B.~., F.R.C.S., late RA.M.C.,for his work in connexion with ma1ign~nt disease in ,the -Army.

:REGIMENTAL GUEST NIGHT, HEADQUARTER OFFICERS' MESS A Regimental Guest Night was held.in the Headquarter, Officers' Mess on: Thursday, October 26, 1950, to which the following guests were invited,:

General Sir John Crocker, Adjut;mt~General. Lieut.-General N. C. D. Brownjohn, V.C.I.G.S. Major-General J. A. Gascoigne, G.O.C. London District. 2021 by guest. Protected copyright. , Canon F.Lloyd Hughes, Chaplain General. Colonel E. M. Eo 'nyson, Commandant, Q.A.RA.N.C. Depot. Lt.-Col. E. M. E. Dawe, Principal Matron, Q.A. Military Hospital. Dr. H. L. Marriott. -- The Orchestra of the Band of the Welsh Guards played during dinner. The Director-General, in a short speech, welcomed the guests. He presep.ted, on .behalf of ,rhe Officers RAM.C., a -bronze statuette to the Headquarter Officers' Mess, Q.A.RA.N.C., and a. silver cup to the Depot, Q.A.RA.N.C. The bronze statuette entitled "Bombed" is the work of Mr. Benjamin Clemeil~, who was a serjeant in the Royal Army Medical' Corps inWodd) -­ War 1. Th~ statuette formed part of an R.A.M.C. collection assembled in 1919 by the Committee for the Medical History of the War. It is now inscribed: "Presented by the Officers, RAM. C., to The Headquarter Mess, Q.A.RAN.G., 1950." . The silver cup is a "Tennis Cup" presented to the RA.M.C. Officers' Mess, http://militaryhealth.bmj.com/ Rawalpindi, in 1907 by a group of distinguished loc~l Indian gentlemen. It is now' inscribed: "Presented by the Officers, R.A.M.C., to the bflkers, Q.AR.A.N.C., 1950." . The Director~General, then presented the Alexander Memorial Medal fot 1949 to Colonel W. A. D. prurnmond f()r his work in connexion with malignant disease in the Army.

, SPECIAL QUALIFICATIONS on September 29, THE following list should he of interest to many in and retired from the ~orpsand :a stirrlUlus to ambitions or on-coming junior officers. __ The list shows the high qualifications obtained -since the end _of World J R Army Med Corps: first published as 10.1136/jramc-95-06-09 on 1 December 1950. Downloaded from

Matters of Interest 373

War II by Specialists in the Corps. This does not include Officers who are at . present under instruction on courses 47, 48 and 49. .' , MR:C.P. 15 F.R.e.S. 12 D.P.H. 13 D.T.M.&H. 10 D.C.H;. 4 C.P.H. .., 8 D.P.M. 5 D.L.O. , ... 5 D.R:C.O;G. 8 M.Ch.(Orth.) 1 D.O. . 1 D.O.M.S. 3 D.A. 3 'D.Phys.M. 1 D.M.R.D. 3 2021 by guest. Protected copyright. ,D.C.P. 0 0 •• 1

Total 93

In, recent' months th~ following Army. Health Officers have obtained the Post-Graduate qualifications noted against their names. Major F. J. Ingham. C.P.H. and D.PB.(London). Major,M. M. Lewis. C.P.H. and D.PIH. (London), D.T.M.&H. (England) .., Major H. L. W olfe. C.P.H. (England).

COURSES ON MEDICAL ASPECTS OF ATOMIC WARFARE AT THE R.N.MEDICAL SCHOOL ' . COURSES of instr.uction on "Medical aspects' of Atomic Warfare" at the 'Royal Naval Medical School, Alverlltoke, Hants, originally started for Medica] Officers of th,e Royal Navy, have been made available to W.ardmaster Officers in the Royal Navy, to Medical Officers oftheRN.v.R. and to certain civilian

members of the nursing profession. . http://militaryhealth.bmj.com/ Thes~ courses were initiated in October 1948. At first they' were intended only for Naval Medical Officers but soon it wa$ decided that Medical Officers

of the RA.M.C. and _RA.F.should attend. In January 1949 the doors ~ere d thrown open to civilian medical officer~ nominated by the Ministry of Health. The mediCal officerssta~dard course lasts five and ahalf days and the subjects dealt with include Atomic Physics, Effects: of Radiation in the Human Body, , Monitoring and Defence Organisation, Treatment ot Casualties. The lectures.

are supplemented bytalkie films .. ' . ! Early this year, shorter courses, lasting three days for Nursing Officers of on September 29, the three fighting Service~, were initiated and these were also thrown opep to members of civilian nursing, profession nominated by theMinistry of Health. In August the Admiralty decided that it was desirable that medical officers of the R.N.V.R. should be given an opportunity of attending similar courses J R Army Med Corps: first published as 10.1136/jramc-95-06-09 on 1 December 1950. Downloaded from

, " 374 Historical Accounts

of instruction, and these started in September. About the same time it was decided that Dental Offieers of the RN. and RN.V.R, who, especially in war- , . time, play an important part in all medical defence orga~izations, should attend these short cou,rses., And finally, it was. decided that Wardmaster Officers ~hould also attend. '\ There is a perman~nt staff of lecturers at the Royal Naval M~dical School a~d, in addition, lectures are frequently- given on special subjects by outside lecturers. ' , The staff at RN.M.S. keep themselves up to ,date in . their' subjects by frequent visits to other teaching and research centres and by attendance at international conferences. ' • Historical Accounts 2021 by guest. Protected copyright. o ' HISTORY OF THE ROYAL ARMY MEDICAL COLL~GEl 'THE formation of an army medical school was the result of a recomwenda.. tion made by a Royal Commission, which was appointed in May 1857, for the' purpose of inquiring into the "regulations affecting the sanitary condition of the army, the organization of military hospitals, and the \treatment of the sick and wounded." This ComIllission was presided over by the Right Honourable ,Sidney Herbert, afterwards Lord Herbert of. Lea, who was, in fact: the founder of. the school, and in Whose memory a: prize was instituted to r,eward the best work done in the school during each session. The report of the Commission was presented to Parliament early in 1858. ' As far back as 1798,Mr. Johh Bell, the eminent Edinburgh surgeon, who, . had been employed a~ Great Yarmouth to treat the sick ,and wounded after the, naval battle of Camperdown, proposed the establishment of a "great school of militarY'surgery." Later, in 1805, the. famous army surgeon~ Dr. Robert Jackson, in his work on the medical'department of armies, advised the organ­ ization of an "army medical practical school," and laid down in detail the sub­ http://militaryhealth.bmj.com/ jects which he considered ought to be taught in it. In 1806a Chair of Military Surgery was founded in Edinburgh, and filled by Dr. Thomson, who wrote a book on the,hospitals in Belgium after the Battle of Waterloo. ,He was succeeded in 1882 by Sir George Ballingal, the author of the wen-known~'Out- liries.of Military Surgery." , In 1846, Mr. Tuffnell, a retired army surgeon, began to lecture on military surgery in Dublin, and collected a museum of appliances for the transport and treatment of the wounded, which was transferred to Netley in ,1863. Both

the Edinburgh and Dublin, Chairs of Military Surgery were endowed by the , on September 29, State. It had also ~eeh the custom to attach officers selected for the medical

, lThis history has been published in The Ca~endar of the .Royal Army Medical College 1950,5Iand~s reproduced by per~ission of the Commandant.