Sub-series consists of administrative records from blocks 800-849 of the Medical Services Branch central registry. The main blocks are as follows: 800-809 Organization and Administration; 810-819 Financial Management and Control; 820-829 Personnel Management; 830-839 Construction and Property Management; 840-849 Equipment and Supplies.
Within the administrative blocks, there are many groups of records dealing with hospitals and health services. The general administration files in the blocks 800-1-CODE relate to various hospitals (both dormant and operational) and contain such things as correspondence and memoranda to headquarters in Ottawa regarding disbursements for operational costs, blueprints and photographs for renovations, and internal correspondence relating to the routine operational procedures of the establishment. The block dates from 1883 to 1970; especially notable is 800-1-D120 for the Tracadie, N.B. Lazaretto (1883-1959). In the 830 and 831 blocks (Construction and Property Management), is a wealth of information on the actual construction and maintenance of many of these facilities, some of which no longer exist. These files contain such diverse documents as correspondence regarding the acquisition of the land, plans and elevations, maps, blueprints, photographs, lists of contractors, specifications, correspondence on the location of highways, floor plans, and memoranda of agreement regarding landscaping and flood control. Information on the services provided by those institutions can be located in the 822-1-CODE block (Medical and Dental Arrangements). A great deal of this material is pre-1945, and some is as old as 1874; it consists of correspondence regarding conditions in hospitals, treatment for venereal disease, reports of medical patrols, requests for services on reserves, petitions for retention of service of doctors or dentists, and Treasury Board minutes re appointment and salary of medical officers.
Another large block of useful material is 800-6-1 to 800-6-31 (Acts and Regulations), consisting of informational files on the legislation and regulations administered by the MSB and its predecessors. The files date from 1920 to 1978 and cover the Indian Act and Regulations, the Quarantine Act and Regulations, the Canada Shipping Act, the Immigration Act and Regulations, and the N.W.T. and Yukon Ordinances. They contain information dealing with regulatory reform, summaries of pending legislation, and proposed amendments and regulations.
The 801-2-CODE block (Conferences, Committees, Meetings, etc.) consists of notices, invitations, agenda, lists of participants, minutes, proposed branch budget cuts, editorials for journals from conferences, papers given, and studies, with the code given for each different committee. There is approximately 10 metres of this material, including such committees as the Resource Allocation and Control Committee, the Canadian Public Health Association, the Departmental Committee on the Status of Women, the Regional Directors' Conferences, the Branch Executive Committee, the Immigration Medical Review Board, and the National Advisory Board on Alcohol Abuse.
The Quarantine Service maintained several ships to carry out the quarantine program. In the 843-2 block, researchers will find information relating to the use and maintenance of those vessels, the "Salucan" series (1 through 6), the "Ann" and the "Delilah C". Material on vessels includes: specifications, photographs, and blueprints of the ship; requests for payment of repairs, overhauling, and cleaning; remittance notices for payment; and some correspondence outlining the uses to which the vessels (of which the Salucan 6 was the last working one) were put. The Salucan 1, based in Victoria B.C., dates from 1926; the Halifax-based Salucan 2 dates from 1922 to 1952; the Salucan 3 (St. John, N.B.) covers the period 1929-1962; Salucan 5, also based in Victoria, dates from 1931 to 1966; and the Salucan 6 (Halifax) covers the period 1960-1966. Records for the vessel "Ann" from William Head, B.C. date from 1933 to 1955, and those for the "Delilah C" in Quebec City are for 1928-1948.
Some individual files are also of interest. File 800-13-9 (Management Studies Standard Personnel-Uniform Policy and System in Medical Services Project No. 4) contains material relating to obtaining and paying for distinctive uniforms in NHW, RCMP specifications on pea jackets, scarlet tunics and wool cloth, and sketches of various proposed uniform items. A related file, 840-1-2 (Staff Uniforms) includes price lists, conclusions of surveys on preferences for uniforms, Quarantine and Immigration Medical Uniform Regulations, material samples, sketches, and photos of uniforms used in MSB. File 840-1-11 (Patient's Clothing) deals with the issuing of the kit of clothing issued to Eskimos after their release from hospital.
