Rural Dispensaries in Bengal *The subject-matter of this paper is a report to the Chairman of the Municipality in reference to a recent Government circular to elicit the views of local bodies, district magistrates and civil surgeons on the causes of present-day unpopularity of rural hospitals with their suggestions for steps to be taken in post-war period to increase their popularity.Paper abridged by editor.

At the end of the year 1940, the total number of rural hospitals and dispensaries stood at 1,681; of these, 16 were state public, 41 state special, 1,242 local and municipal fund (including the village and union board dispensaries), 123 private aided, 71 railway, and 10 subsidized by district boards. I focus my attention to the 1,365 local, municipal and private dispensaries, most of which are outdoor dispensaries falling under classes III, IV and V of the Dispensary Manual. Taking the rural population as 50 millions (including those of municipalities other than Calcutta), there is one dispensary for a population of 30,000 in an area of about 40 square miles.