The military infirmary 3rd class at Pelarang (SE Kalimantan) is mentioned in the publication of D. Schoute “De Geneeskunde in Nederlandsch-Indie in de 19e eeuw”, GTNI 75 (1935) 10, 827. The article refers to a survey of  all the military facilities in 1867 . In that year the infirmary at Pelarang had on average 7 inpatients. The hospital was part of the Military Medical Service (MGD),  which in 1867 (the year of the survey of all military facilities) managed a total of 79 facilities (3 large military hospitals, 35 garrison hospitals and 41 infirmaries) with on average 4,244 occupied beds.

Some 25 years later, the Annex D of the Koloniaal Verslag 1890 reports a total  of 3,358 inpatients by the end of that year, whereas 52,631 patients have been admitted for the whole of the Netherlands Indies. The report concerns 28 military hospitals, 54 ziekenzalen (infirmaries) and 6 specialized facilities. The Pelarang infirmary is not mentioned any more, meaning that the facility has been closed in the meantime or that an officer of health has omitted to report.

Pelarang was a town in the department Samarinda, in the subdepartment East Koetai (Koetai was a selfgoverning Landscape). East Koetai has in the 1930s about 50,000 inhabitants. The capital is Samarinda. The seat of the sultan is Tenggarong. It is situated south of the Koetairiver or Mahakam river, which is navigable up to 630 km inland. Birdnests and products of the forests are being exported.  Oil is exploited by the Bataafsche Petroleum Maatschappij at Sangasanga and Sambodja and is being transported by oilpipes to Balikpapan. The East Borneo Company exploits coal at the estuary of the Mahakam. The first permanent connection was introduced in 1844 when the Sultan recognized the sovereignity of teh Netherlands. In 1846 an assistant Resident was posted there (Gonggryp 1934, 665-666).