H.—l9b.

220

C. DOBIi-AC.

119. He says, with regard to the method or system of issuing drugs or dressings, "The drugs and dressings at first were in the same marquee as the sick-parade was conducted in, and the orderlies were not as a, rule trained "?—That was so in connection with the Second Reinforcements, but afterwards there was no necessity because there was an empty marquee. As regards the statement that the orderlies were not trained, some of them were raw men when they came in first. 120. There were one or two men trained? —One or two St. John men. 121. The men had joined to be trained? —Yes, sir. 122. " Shortly afterwards another marquee was erected for the use of drugs and dressings and looking after men generally who were passed out from the sick-parade "? —Yes. 123. " In the marquee they were covered with dust owing to (he wind "?—Yes; the bottles were bound to be covered. 124. " The marquee was unfloored, and it was absolutely impossible to have clean and aseptic dressings " ?—We had no cases of sepsis. 125. " The method of swabbing out the throats was rather bad, as (hey were rather short of brushes, and they used to use the same brushes without properly sterilizing them " : did you have any complaint in regard to that?—No, certainly not. If any doctor thought it was not right he could have had if altered. They used an ordinary? camel-hair paint-brush for painting the throat. We generally had a dozen of them. They were dipped into a bottle with lysol and water. If any doctor saw the men doing what was not right it was his place to stop it and tell the orderlies themselves. 126. You did not use the same throat-brush twice?— Yes, we had to. Sometimes there were thirty or forty sore throats there at once. 127. Dr. Martin.] You said that you sterilized the brushes by placing them in lysol and water: how much lysol was there, and what was the strength of the mixture? —A teaspoonful of lysol to half a pint of water. The throat-brush would be rinsed, and then put into lysol and water, and then rinsed out again. 128. That was done under the eyes of the doctors?— Yes, sir; there was generally a doctor in the dressing-station to see that the orderlies were doing their work properly. 129. The Chairman.] Dr. Yeates was asked how the brushes were cleaned, and he said, " As far as I could see they were dipped into boiling water occasionally ": what do you say to that? —The orderlies had strict instructions not to use a throat-brush twice in succession on different men without its being washed. 130. Dr. Martin.] How often did you use, the throat-brushes?— About a dozen times, but it was washed every time. A brush would not last very long. 131. The Chairman.] In reply to another question Dr. Yeates said, " I have seen a man go in and be examined by one Medical Officer and an order given for a dose of calomel. Not knowing what he had to do he has walked on, and has been collared by another medical man and ordered a black draught, and I have seen him go to another and be ordered a dose of salts"?—l do not know how that could have happened, because when a man is examined he is given the prescription, and if he went to another Medical Officer that officer would see tho paper in his hand. 132. Dr. Martin.] Your method in regard to the sterilizing of the brushes was that you put them into lysol and water —a teaspoonful to half a pint?— Yes. We had plenty of brushes. 133. Mr. Skerrett.] There ought to be some documentary evidence to show how many brushes were supplied? —It ought to be in the equipment-book. 134. The Chairman.] There is an equipment-book, kept by whom?—By the dispenser for requisitioning for stuff. Ido not know what happened to it since they shifted from down below. 135. If further brushes were wanted whose business would it, be to see that they were obtained? —The dispenser's. 136. Would that fall within your duty? Could you tell when brushes were wanted? —Not unless 1 went and looked, or if I required a brush for one of the doctors. I might find out we were running short, and ordered them; but there were always plenty of camel-hair brushes that could easily have been made by altering the handle. 137. Dr. Martin.] It was not the practice to burn the brush immediately'after use? —No, sir. 138. How long were they kept in this lysol and water?—A brush that was used on a sickparade that morning might be used up on that parade. 139. If that brush is dipped in lysol and water, how long would it be kept there?—lt might be five minutes or it might be longer. 140. Mr. Ferguson.] It might be a minute?— But there would be more than one. 141. Dr. Martin.] But there were no instructions to burn the camel-hair brushes immediately after use? —No, sir; but if the doctor had required that to be done he could have said so, and Captain Yeates generally went into the dressing-station to watch things. 142. The Chairman.] Was Captain Yeates there when this method of using the brushes was in force? —Yes. 143. Was he there by himself in the dressing-station?— Yes, sir. 144. Did he make any complaint about this matter of the brushes, to your knowledge?— He never spoke to me about it. 145. Mr. Ferguson.] There was a, shortage of thermometers, I understand?— You might get a few thermometers, and the orderlies might break them in a day. They were never reported as being short until they were short, but we could always gel thermometers when we required them. 146. How are these thermometers used —in the mouth? — Yen,. 14-7. Dr. Martin.] How were they sterilized? —With lysol and iodine. 148. In the same lysol-pot as the brushes? —No, sir. Sometimes they were sterilized in hot water, and that would account for the shortage, perhaps.