— 93 Twelve Syrian Medical Officers employed on Sleeping Sickness duties. As this disease is now under control, a large proportion of these Medical Officers’ time is employed on general medical work in the Sleeping Sickness area.

Thirty six Syrian Medical Officers serving with the Sudan Defence Force under the Principal Medical Officer. These Medical Officers also carry out civil medical work in so far as time and opportunity allows.

(C) SUDANESE SUBORDINATE STAFF.

(1) Sixty five Dispensary Hakims in charge of “ A ” dispensaries.

Dispensary Hakims are men selected from the more able and more reliable sanitary hakims (see below) and given one year’s further training. 1 heir train¬ ing is largely a repetition of that given to the sanitary hakims except that it is somewhat wider in scope. In addition they are taught the use of the stethoscope, to do simple dispensing, to do simple microscopic woik, and to carry out minor surgical operations.

The “ A ” dispensary usually consists of three rooms ; an outpatient room where patients are examined and dressed, a small room for dispensing and an injection room equipped with a wooden operating table and the instruments and equipment necessarv for minor operations. There are usually in adelition a vary¬ ing number of brick huts attached to the dispensary for the accommodation of patients who cannot return to their own homes. These dispensaries have a standard “A ” dispensary equipment, adapted to the work they have to carry out. Thev are commonly in isolated situations and are not therefore subject to very frequent inspection by the medical inspectors.

(2) Fifty seven Sanitary Hakims in charge of “B” dispensaries.

These men are selected from the most intelligent and trustworthy hospital orderlies. They can all read and write well. They receive a year’s intensive training. They are taught very elementary anatomy and physiology, to recognise the common diseases of the country, to give simple treatment with stock mixtures and to become proficient in intravenous injections. They also receive instruction in simple sanitary work and in particular, anti-malarial work. Ihey are not taught to use the stethoscope, nor to do microscopic work beyond recognising bilharzia ova.

The “ B ” dispensary commonly consists of one room equipped with tables, cupboards and shelves for stock medicines. They have a standard “ B ” equip¬ ment considerably more restricted than the “ A ” dispensary equipment. These dispensaries are usually so situated as to admit of frequent inspection by the medical inspectors.

Sanitary Barbers.

A Sanitary Barber is man who has received a very simple surgical and medical training in his province hospital. ITis duties are to dress wounds and ulcers and to attend criminal cases to view dead bodies (where no higher medical authority is available), to report outbreaks of disease and to vaccinate. Sanitary barbers are confined to the northern, and to parts of the central, Sudan and are attached to an Omodiyeh ( a collection of villages under an Omda) or more freq¬ uently to a group of Omcdiyahs.

The usefulness of these men varies in different provinces according to the supervision and encouragement that can be afforded them, the pay they receive and the number of villages they have to serve In Dongola Province for instance.