The annual hospital report of the Council on Medical Education and Hospitals published in this issue of The Journal shows a continued increase of hospital service in 1945. The number of patients admitted was 16,257,402, or 220,544 more than reported in 1944. In addition there were 1,969,667 hospital births, a total unequaled in any previous year. The tremendous volume of hospital service in the United States is likewise reflected in the average census, or daily patient load, which reached a new high of 1,405,247. This average, measured over a period of one year, represents the unprecedented total of 512,915,155 treatment days. Included in the survey of 1945 are 6,511 registered hospitals, which have a combined capacity of 1,738,994 beds exclusive of 81,131 bassinets. While the number of beds represents a gain of 8,999 in the last year, the increase is small when compared with the rapid wartime expansion of 265,427