A—4

been considered. Moreover, examples of tuberculous disease seen suggest that its general form is naturally self-limiting. Dr. Taylor drew these conclusions from impressions gained from seeing cases during his visit, and states they can only be proved correct by the results of detailed surveys and the keeping of proper records, the methods for which he outlined. As a result of his recommendations, steps are being taken to amend, the regulations providing for the registration of births and deaths of Samoans to require a deathcertificate showing the cause of death to be furnished by a European or Native medical practitioner. In his final conclusions Dr. Taylor did not consider that any large expenditure on the provision of tuberculosis wards should be contemplated until more accurate information was available. Organization Apia Hospital consists of a European hospital, Samoan hospital including a number of fales, leper compound, Chinese ward, dispensary and, out-patients department, laboratory and x-ray department, office, laundry, and store. Various improvements and alterations have been made to the buildings during the year, and a forward programme is in hand, designed to improve the general lay-out and to provide additional permanent structures. There are 13 medical out-stations, each with a Native medical practitioner in attendance assisted by a qualified Native nurse, while two out-stations are under the control of Native nurses only. Considerable help in the care of the sick is afforded by the women's committees, which are established in all the main villages. Qualified Samoan nurses regularly visit and lecture to> these committees, and at the same time inspect the babies and school-children. In his recent report the InspectorGeneral, South Pacific Health Service, comments that Western Samoa has the most highly organized system of women's committees in the south-west Pacific.

Hospital and Dispensary Statistics

20

— 1942. 1943. 1944. 1945. 1946. Admissions to hospitals— Apia Hospital— Europeans 531 711 596 632 573 Samoans 1,139 1,694 1,063 910 1,016 Chinese 102 142 93 86 106 Melanesians 5 6 55 7 3 Tokelaus and Niueans 79 31 25 1,777 2,632 1,807 1,666 1,723 Tuasivi Hospital (Samoans) 88 240 147 100 171 Aleipata Hospital (Samoans) 220 243 187 151 127 Fagamalo Hospital (Samoans) 193 246 161 141 174 Sataua Hospital (Samoans) 106 114 112 99 125 Mulifanua Hospital (Samoans) 170 230 115 75 61 Poutasi Hospital (Samoans) .. 164 287 231 238 115 Leulumoega Hospital (Samoans) 10 208 248 Sa'anapu Hospital (Samoans) 153 ii9 "io5 41 68 Fagaloa Hospital (Samoans) 151 288 188 83 52 Sala'ilua Hospital (Samoans) 214 129 94 104 104 Satupa'itea Hospital (Samoans) 115 75 70 59 95 Safotu Hospital (Samoans) 317 208 259 182 284 Lufilufi Hospital (Samoans) 62 207 284 Total in-patients 3,678 4,811 3,538 3,354 3,631 Out-patients, hospitals and dispensaries 74,111 57,303 69,939 77,214 99,104 Totals 77,789 62,114 73,477 80,568 102,735 Deaths in hospitals 177 227 158 153 142