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The criterion for the establishment of a true families hospital should
however be the ability of the garrison to bear the cost of maintenance,
apart from the easier question of initial cost.
In addition to the provision of welfare centres and family hospitals
greater amenities for women and children are being progressively provided
in the form of children's playgrounds and schools, purdah gardens for the
women and even hot water bathing establishments. At one station, Roorkee,
a school opened for 20 children was inundated at once with 50 applicants.
In all there are some 80 centres now established—Northern Command
22, Southern Command 27, Eastern Command 26, and Western Ind. Dis-
trict 5.
(e) Staffs.—There are in all 18 lady sub-assistant surgeons and one male
sub-assistant surgeon employed on this work and paid from funds controlled
by Army Headquarters, 12 from Government funds and the remainder from
the Indian Expeditionary Force Canteen Profits Fund. The difficulty
experienced in several stations in obtaining reliefs for lady sub-assistant
surgeons during the year have already been noted.
In addition, in all stations trained nurses and assistants, health workers
and trained dais are employed according to the funds available. In more
than one station civilian lady doctors give their services and in every station
the wives of officers voluntarily do an immense amount of work for the main-
tenance of these centres.
(f) Funds .—In the majority of centres subscriptions from the men, from
unit funds and from officers and their wives form approximately two-thirds
to three-quarters of their resources. Grants-in-aid are given proportionately
from the Indian Red Cross Society central association to the limit of the
funds available.
(g) Confinements.—Where centres have beds available, reports indicate
that women are tending more freely to use such accommodation for their
confinements and comment is made on the improvements observed from this
practice. The degree to which centres are used for confinements depends
to a great extent on the capabilities and personality of the nurse in charge.
(h) Principal diseases—General.—Comment is made that diagnoses are
often merely on clinical grounds and are probably inaccurate, being based
on the nurses' knowledge or imagination ; but with greater supervision and
registration of cases improvements are observed.
Malaria.—Cases of this disease form a large proportion of the patients
and where laboratory facilities exist or a clinical side room is available many
cases are diagnosed on microscopical findings. For example at Jubbulpore
of 220 cases with no deaths, 50 were proved by blood examination, at Multan
all cases treated were examined by blood slides, at Abbottabad 139 of which
94 -were admitted, at Rawalpindi nearly all cases were examined by blood
films.
Spleen examination of children is a routine measure in some stations and
positive cases are placed on treatment.
In several instances a direct correlation between malaria in the soldier
and his family has been established.
Dysentery and Diarrhœa .—Considerable numbers of these are reported
as having been treated. Amongst young children a tendency for parents