The Sun.
London, England, 1858-10-15 00:00:00

1883 85 87

RANK OF ARMY' SURGEONS,

The following warrant was issued yesterday
morning :
" VICTORIA R.

" Whereas we have taken into our consideration
the recommendations of the commissioners ap-
pointed by our authority to inquire into the regu-
lations affecting the sanitary condition of our mili-
tary forces and the medical treatment of the sick
and wounded of our army, our will and pleasure is
that from and after the date of this warrant the
following rules shall be established for the future
admission, promotion, and retirement, and the pay,
half-pay, relative rank and allowances of the medi-
cal officers of our army, and that by these rules our
Commander-in-Chief shall govern himself in recom-
mending officers for admission, promotion, and
retirement.

" The grades of medical officers in our army shall
be four in number, viz.:—

" 1. Inspector-general of hospitals.
" 2. Deputy-inspector-general of hospitals.
" 3. Staff or regimental surgeon, who after 20
years' full-pay service in any rank shall be styled
surgeon-mai or.
" (4.) Staff or regimental assistant-surgeon.
" 2. No candidate shall be admitted to the com-
petitive examination for a commission in the Medi-
cal Department of our army who does not possess
such a certificate or certificates as would qualify a
civilian to practise medicine and surgery ; and no
such candidate shall receive a commission as assist-
ant-surgeon until he shall have satisfactorily passed
an examination in military medicine, surgery, and
hygiene, after attending the authorised course in a
general military hospital.
" 3. No assistant-surgeon shall be eligible for
promotion to the rank of surgeon until he shall
have passed such examination as our principal
Secretary of State for War may require, and shall
have served on full-pay with the commission of
assistant-surgeon for five years, of which two shall
have been passed in or with a regiment.
"4. A surgeon, whether on the Staff or attached
to regiments, must have served 10 years in the
army, with a commission of full-pay, of which two
must have been passed with the rank of surgeon in
or with a regiment, before he will be eligible for
promotion to the rank of deputy-inspector-general
of hospitals.
~ 5. A deputy-inspector-general of hospitals
must have served five years at home, or three
abroad, in that rank before he shall be eligible for
promotion to the rank of inspector-general.
i, In cases, however, of emergency, or when the
good of the service renders such alteration desir-
able, it shall be competent for our Secretary of
State for War to shorten the several periods of ser-
vice above-mentioned, in such manner as he shall
deem fit and expedient.
" 6. Assistant-surgeons shall, as a general rule,
be promoted to the rank of surgeon in the order of
their seniority in the service unless unfit for the
discharge of their duties from physical or profes-
sional incompetence or misconduct. In cases of dis-
tinguished service, however, an assistant-surgeon
may be promoted without reference to seniority ;
and in such cases, with a view to insure the respon-
sibility attaching to an appointment made out of
the regular course of promotion, the recommenda-
tion, in which the services of the officer shall be
detailed, shall be published in the General Orders
of the Army and in the Gazette in which his pro-
motion appears.
"7. All promotion from the rank of surgeon- to
that of deputy-inspector, and from the rank of
deputy-inspector to that of inspector, shall be given
by selection for ability and merit ; and the grounds
of such selection shall be stated to us in writing,
and recorded in the office of our Commander-in-
Chief, the selection being made from the whole rank
of surgeons, whether styled surgeons or surgeon-
majors.
" 8. The rates of pay of the medical officers of
our army shall be in accordance with the following
schedule :

,
r-4
7-4 115 5 cow
,-_; ,ce ."
tr'l '2D
ce U.) ed 0 C 2, oft tO cd 0 ,
t t
r`l2' r,.§118
s. d. £s.d.£ s. d. s. d. s. d s. d. s. d.
Inspector-General 2 502 5020 0*
Deputy - Inspector-
General ll4OllOOl 8 0*
Surgeon-Major 1501 2 0*
Otilrgeon — 18 0 15 o*
Assistant-Surgeon — 13 0* 11 610 0

* Or on promotion, should these periods of service not be

already completed.

"9. In addition to the pay of their ranks, offi-
cers at the head of the medical department on
foreign stations shall receive allowances at the un-
dermentioned rates, when serving under the follow-
ing circumstances, viz. :
"If with an army in the field of 10,000 men or
upwards, 20s. per day.
"If with an army in the field of '5,000 men or
upwards, 15s. per day.
' If with an army in the field of any less number,
10s. per day.
" If serving in a colony where the forces consist
of 1,500 men or upwards, ss. per day.
" 10. After the date of this warrant every medi-
cal officer placed on half-pay by reduction of esta-
blishment, or on the report of a medical board, in
consequence of being incapacitated by reason of ill-
health, caused by wounds, or brought on by the
discharge of his duties, shall be allowed the half-
pay to which his
_period of full-pay service may
entitle him, according to the following schedule :

g fr., ii 44 y 4 g N ii, 44 f, g-4,
>4g.1.11g.„g11,,,?.,'-gi,l "84'3'''''' ri.4
l' ,72 -42 :71Y2 -7, '"> . 1
';'
1X s. d. Zs. d. Xs. d. s. d. s.— _d. s. :d. s d
Inspector-General 1 17 61 13 61 10 0 '
Deputy - inspector-
General.
Surgeon-Major__ 01860 16 6
Surgeon _. 13 6 11 0
_, 10 0 B'o 6 0
Assistant-Surgeon..

" 11. With a view to maintain the efficiency of
the service all medical officers of the rank of
surgeon-major, surgeon, or assistant-surgeon shall
be placed on the retired list when they shall have
attained the age of 55 years, and all inspectors-
general when they shall have attained the age of
65 years.
" Officers thus superannuated shall be entitled to
the rates of half-pay stated in the preceding sche-
dule.
" 12. Every medical officer who shall have served
upon full pay for 25 years and upwards shall have
the right to retire upon half-pay, at the rate of
seven-tenths of the daily pay he was in receipt of
when thus retiring, provided he shall have served
three years in the rank from which he retires, or
shall have served in any rank for ten years in the
colonies, or five years with an army in the field.
But if he shall not have complied with any of these
conditions he shall be entitled only to half-pay at
the rate of seven-tenths of the daily pay he was in
receipt of before his last promotion.
"13. Every medical officer thus claiming to re-
tire must give six months' notice to the head of his
department of his intention to claim this right prior
to his being allowed to retire ; and no medical offi-
cer shall have a right to give such notice after he
shall be under orders to proceed to any foreign sta-
tion, until he shall have served at such station for
one month.
" 14. If a medical officer is placed on half-pay
from any other cause than those hereinbefore named
he shall only be alloWed a temporary rate of half-
pay (not exceeding the rates stated in clause 10) for
such period and at such rate as shall be assigned to
him by our Secretary of State for War, on a consi-
deration of the length and character of the services
rendered to the public by such medical officers.
" 15. On reduction of establishment the surgeon
and assistant-surgeon who are junior in rank shall
be the first reduced, and on restoration to full-pay
the reduced officers who are senior in their ranks
of the medical officers of
shall
16 b.e
Thet he filre
ls
at
triNe,set ored.
rank
ourg, asrtmaffy
esrharellgbinie
eanstafolllolvs
:—assistant-surgeon as lieute-
nant, according to the date of his commission ; and
after six years full-pay service as captain, accord-
ing to the date of the completion of such service.
" Staff or regimental surgeon as major, according
tos
itiutheedeantaenof.f its commission ; and surgeon-major
a
colonel, but junior of that rank.
n n lonel
a it:co
Deputy-inspector-general of hospitals as liente-
oi inspector-general stpheec tor according to the date of his commis-
sion ; and after five years' full-pay service as deputy
completionra oafssuceohlonseerc, accordingee. to the date
" Inspector-general of hospitals as brigadier_
general, according to the date of his commission, if
with an army in the field, or after three years' full
pay service as inspector-general as a major general,
from the date of his joining such army in the field,
or according to the date of the completion of such
service.

" 17. Such relative rank shall carry with it all
precedence and advantages attaching to the rank
with which it corresponds (except as regards tha
presidency of courts-martial, where our will and
pleasure is, that the- senior combatant officer be
always president), and shall regulate the choice of
quarters, rates of lodging money, servants, forage,
fuel, and light, or allowances in their stead, deten-
tion, and prize money. But when a medical officer
is serving with a regiment or detachment the officer
commanding, though he be junior in rank to such