Page:McCosh, John - Advice to Officers in India (1856).djvu/45



1. MEDICAL FUND.—The object of this fund is to afford every year seven annuities of £300 each to all surgeons who have completed a period of seventeen years' service in India,as also to increase promotion by withdrawing so many annually from the higher grades of the list. It was established in 1833 and was joined by every member of the medical service with only a few exceptions. As its prospects improved most of the dissentients gave in their adherence,and now only ten or twelve are non-subscribers, for all assistants who joined subsequent to its establishment, were by orders of Government obliged to join the fund.

No surgeon is allowed to claim an annuity until he has paid at least CR. 15000 (interest at 6 per cent, upon the amount of his donations and subscriptions liberally allowed by Government included) The demand for annuities has of late years been about three times greater than the supply, and none have hitherto got one in less time than 25 years standing. The average applications of the last 5 years, have been about 20, the greater