When we came to the offices of the Department of Health, Sheep said I had made a grave error of judgment in choosing Tour No. 1--the tour for a single week only--as there was enough to occupy us for a week in the Department of Health alone. It included the Sanitation Section, the Medical Inspection Section, the Medical Dispensing Section, the Medical Attendance Section, the Hospital Section, the section of the Special Medical Board, the Marriages and Births Section, the Post-Mortem Section, and the Buildings Section. After this I was not surprised to hear that over a thousand persons were employed in the Health Department, in addition to the workmen--chiefly of the Sixth and Seventh Classes--who did the actual menial work of keeping the sewage system in order and keeping the streets clean. I might write a whole chapter on the Health Department, but it will perhaps suffice if I mention the most singular features. Inspectors visit every house twice a year to see that each house and flat is kept in a sanitary condition. Each person is medically examined once a year--this is in addition to the system of medical inspection in schools--and whatever treatment is prescribed he must submit to. "What happens," I asked, "if a person declines to submit to treatment?" "He would be taken before the Special Medical Board," answered Sheep. "And what is that?" I asked. "We shall come to that presently," said Sheep reprovingly. He went on to explain that the Dispensing Section treated all persons of the three lowest classes who did not require to go into a hospital. The doctors were municipal officials and there was no choice of doctor. "Why do you not allow choice of doctor?" I asked. "That would interfere with the proper classification of the diseases," he answered. "As soon as a complaint is diagnosed, it is handed over to the appropriate doctor for treatment. The same applies to the Medical Attendance Section; but persons in the three lowest classes are not generally attended in their homes, they are brought into the hospitals. The chief work of the Medical Attendance Section is in connection with births; consequently we employ a number of women doctor-nurses in this Section. Now we come to the Special Medical Board. It is a sort of Higher General Staff. It collates the results of the work of all the other medical sections, and is responsible for the annual report. It receives the instructions of the Central Medical Department of Meccania, and sees that these are carried out. It directs special investigations in all abnormal cases. In the case of so-called incurable diseases it pronounces its decree as to whether the case is incurable, and in that event it authorises the death of the patient." "Authorises the death of the patient?" I said. "Without the patient's consent?" "The patient can hardly be the best judge," said Sheep. "What about the relatives then?" I asked. "The relatives have no voice in the matter," said Sheep.