THE ARCHIVES

100 years ago

Mr Lloyd George, in the Commons, in reveiwing the war situation made an important speech. The Prime Minister dealt with the food and shipping positions. Our shipping losses, he said, had been lighter by hundreds of thousands of tons than we anticipated earlier in the year. Dealing with the military situation, he said that the fact that our hopes this year had not been realised was entirely attributable to the Russian collapse. The country must make great sacrifices in the coming year.

50 years ago

For a plump and middle-aged man a suitable Christmas present would be bathroom scales and a long strip mirror, Lady Somerskill told the Lords yesterday. Speaking on health education, she said doctors were hesitant about telling such patients that their symptoms arose from self-indulgence in tobacco, drink or food. Lord Cohen of Birkenhead, president of the General Medical Council, said the most difficult tasks in health education were in fields involving the middle-aged.

25 years ago

Festive shoppers swarmed to Dundee city centre yesterday to make the most of the last Sunday opening before Christmas. And the recession certainly doesn’t seem to have dampened spending in this department. Disposable cash has not been a problem for shoppers at Boots if yesterday’s sales were anything to go by. Mr Alistair Jack, manager of the High Street branch, said: “This has been the best Christmas we have had for several years. We are well ahead of our projected figures.”

One year ago

One in eight Fifers was prescribed anti-depressants in the three months to October. Almost 45,000 people were given medication, while around 2,500 patients – including 500 children – are on a waiting list for psychological services. The statistics, released by NHS Fife, have prompted calls for a review of mental health services across the region in a bid to ensure better access to support. The Scottish Government is putting an additional £10 million into funding new ways of helping patients.