A very serious discussion has been raised in Parliament by
a letter from Mr. Burdett-Contts, fully analysed elsewhere. He says that while the sur gical arrangements in South Africa were excellent, the arrangemen ts for the sick were infamous. A debate was accordingly threatened in Parliament, and on Thursday Mr. Balfour read a letter from Lord Roberts, who admits certain evils, especially at Kroonatad and Bloemfon- tein, caused by an unexpected and overpowering rush of sick soldiers, and want of tents and buildings. Some of the evils were unavoidable, he himself remedied many others, and he would strongly approve investigation by a small com- mittee of unprejudiced and competent men. Our impression from the whole correspondence is that the Medical Depart- ment provided admirably for the medical necessities caused by war, that they did not completely foresee outbursts of typhoid caused by contaminated water, that the nursing, which should have been entrusted to Indian attendants, broke down, and that overcrowding did occur, but was caused by the unanticipated and improbable numbers of the sick. Outsiders do not realise the difficulty of providing in a village for patients outnumbering those of two or three great London hospitals. The inquiry suggested by Lord Roberts is to be made at once.
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