1. Services lor the elderly should be a unity tor ‘consumers’ (i.e. patients, families, relerrers). Patients should not be bounced back from one part of the service merely because they seem more appropriate for another part; such redistribution of referrals should be the internal responsibility of the service.

At its meeting on 26 October 1979 Council heard of the threatened closure of a number of psychiatric units and related departments and expressed great concern that the current economic situation might seriously threaten the maintenance and development of essential services for the mentally ill and the mentally handicapped. We wish to stress the need for the closest consultation at all levels between administrators and members of the College so that cuts can be made which are effective economically with the least danger of reducing the services to patients. This is particularly important where ‘temporary’ closures are being considered where the normal consultative processes may be by-passed. Our specialty is recognized as still being relatively under-provided in comparison with other areas of medicine. Furthermore, it relies heavily on manpower and not on expensive apparatus, costly drugs or other resources besides personnel.

Sri Lanka now has a population nearing 13.5 million, the majority of whom are Sinhalese (72 per cent). The other major ethnic groups are the Tamils (27 per cent) and the Muslims (7 per cent). The religion of most of the Sinhalese people is Buddhism and that of the Tamils is Hinduism (67 per cent and 17 per cent of the total population respectively). Christianity (8 per cent) is the religion of a minority of Sinhalese and Tamil people. Free and compulsory education has resulted in a high literacy rate (84 per cent of those below 30 years and 80 per cent of those below 60 years of age). Eighty-seven per cent of the people are classified as living in rural areas (Census of Population, 1975).

The Mental After-Care Association has just celebrated its centenary. An account of the meeting at which it was founded apeared in the Journal of Mental Science for October 1879.