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Show IdmMm ...S3 few . ' :.' The U.S. Medical Reserve Corps -Real Work (or Patriotic Physicians At the Front - Commissions Offered Qualifications Are Strict I Copyright, 1V1S, The International Syndicate. URGENT APPEAL has gone mjk. through tho length and the , W breadth of the land for a great-J great-J Her number of phyi claill surgeons for tho United States Army . and Navy. Dr. Franklin Martin, who Is chair- . fi mon of the committee on modlelno of Hp the advisory commission of tho Council Coun-cil of National Defense, has sent forth f a statement Importuning all doctors who can possibly arrange to .enroll 1 for the service of their country to do ' so at onco Since tho beginning of the war there has been a need for physicians, but this need has abruptly grown very 1 pressing as new conditions havo un-expeptedly un-expeptedly arisen which havo to be met quickly. Tho Increased draft, i which Is an emergency measuro Intended In-tended to assist In coping with conditions condi-tions abroad. Is partly responsible for Dr. Martin's call. Larger Enrollment Necessary Fortunately, due to tho government's govern-ment's splendid foresight, men who arc members of the medical profes sion wcro requested to enroll some months ago. Not all who signified their loyalty and dcslro to be of valuable valu-able service to Uncle Sam wero then called. But since the present need has becomo so acute theso mon are again being asked to respond, and the government is confident that there will be no hesitancy or undue reluctance on the part of ellglbles who can nr-rango nr-rango their affairs in such a way as to make their eventual doparturc from this country possible. But those physicians who are already al-ready enrolled will not bo sufficient In number and for this reason the appeal has been made general. In order to confirm reports und to Arc the zeal of earnest, patriotic doctors, Federal representatives arc being sent Lnto every part of the United States to lecture on tho subject, Iti ;1 Work At 'Hie Front Prospective members of tho Medical Med-ical Reserve Corps aro told In no uncertain un-certain terms of deplorable conditions , in Europe, tho crying need for rca! 'soldier-doctors who can minister to I If.;?-1 jfk ffjS'y ' "If m. . bleeding soldiers brought from the shell-torn battlefields. Moro surgeons are needed In the operating rooms "over there" where the utrangest, most marvolous operations arc performed by eminent surgeons employing the most up-to-date methods. After an attack on any of the war fronts at least 10 per cent, of the men are wounded and noc-d medical attention atten-tion as soon as it is posslblo to obtain it. There arc battles in which tho percentage of killed and wounded ranges between 25 and 60 and even higher, and this gives physicians a prodigious amount of work. Many of Undo Sam's physicians, who are yet to cross, will find themselves them-selves serving the sick and wounded In magnificent old chateaux, whose owners have lurned thorn Into modern mod-ern hospitals. Curious sights Indeed I are to bo seen beneath the roofs of I these chateaux of such stately loveliness. loveli-ness. For Instance, In ono corner, men who havo been blinded In the War may be observed learning to mas- ' sago soldiers who havo been tempo rarlly incapadtatcd for duty. This work must bo done with skill to be effective and It Is taught under tho eye of an expert. A Reserve Of Five Thousand Surgeon General Gorgas has Issued a call for fi.OOO additional physician? who are to servo In the Army alone. Thoso who answer this call will, of course, not bo expected to go to Europe Eu-rope for some ltttlo time. They will contltuto a reserve which the country Is compelled to havo. It is expected that those physicians now In training will all be on the other sldo In u comparatively short time. There arc some 16.000 of these medical ofllcers now In training In the United States, and they aro rapidly being called to assume new responsibilities and frosh duties In France. The Navy wants an additional 2,000 medical men on Its rolls. Surgeon General W. C. Bralsted, of tho Navy I Department, communicated with tho i Council of National Defense asking for their cooperation In securing this number Tho Council Is giving Its hearty support in every posslblo way to both Army and Navy. Letters aro being sont to Individual physicians and, asldo from tho representatives mentioned above, Army and Navy needs aro given publicity through the usual channels, newspapers, magazines, maga-zines, official bulletins, moving pictures pic-tures houses, etc. Splendid Showing Of Medical Men Difficulty In raising th desired quota Is not anticipated as civilian physicians have responded wonderfully wonderful-ly heretofore. Tho government confirms con-firms tho report that this profession has quite voluntarily contributed one-fifth one-fifth of Its number to the medical corps of tho Army and Navy. Even a greater number than was at first ro- "2fecT2 J-yflC JlKG? J5eV-2 J?Sr?cf JfSy quired gave every evidence of being most anxious to take tholr places with their fellow-workers of Europe when the time Is ripe. As the tlmo has now arrived a largo majority of these may be counted upon to fulllll original and Informal promises; sooner or later they will be sent abroad. Commissions In U' -.-rw Corps Tho Counvcll of National Defcnso realized, when the United States went Into the war, that the Army and Navy-would Navy-would have to have tho services of all available physicians. As a consequence conse-quence it undertook the enormous task of compiling data concerning able physicians from tho Atlantic to the Pacific. This mass of Information was at tho disposal of tho Surgeon-General. Surgeon-General. It was examined In detail and with cxtrome caro and as a result re-sult approximately 22,000 doctors wero noted by the Surgeon-General and tho names sent to the Adjutant-General Adjutant-General with recommendations for commissions In tho Medical Reserve Corps. Physicians, who wish to enroll as members of the Army Medical Reserve, Re-serve, aro commissioned as first lieutenants, lieu-tenants, captains, and majors according accord-ing to their attainments. The experienced experi-enced experts will naturally be granted a higher commission than the young doctors who are Just beginning their careor. A current report, emanating from the office of tho Surgeon-General shows that over 18.000 physicians are members of tho Medical Reserve Corps. Not all of these, however, have yet been asslgnod to active duty, though by far tho greater portion, over 15,000 men. have. Reports which aro sent each week to tho Surgeon-General's office, reveala the fact, however, that men are being put Into actlvo servlco at such an accoleratcd pace that a depletion ( threatens In the Reserve Corps of tht Army unless new doctors In large numbers can see tholr duty with such unmistakable clearness that they will allow no obstaclo to stand In tho way of government servlco for them. Physicians Should Await Notification It Is tho government's wish to keep everything normal and running as jH smoothly as possible as long as con-dltlons con-dltlons Will permit. As a ruio fifteen days aro granted, after a notice has been received to report for duty, la which to make all definite arrange-menta arrange-menta before going Into a training preliminary to a departure for the battlefields and the hospitals of the Every physician who wishes to bo- come a mcmbor of the Medical Re- servo Corps must bo physically sound and tit for arduous duties. Ho is l obliged to submit to a severe exam- inatlon. Eyes and teeth aro most important. A high standard of vision must bo attained without glasses though glasses may bo worn to cor- 1 rcct certain minor defects The oc- copted physician Is never color blind. A very careful test Is held to asccr- lH tain whether or not his perception of color Is quite normal. H His teeth receive a mlnuto exam- H ! Inatlon from an expert dentist As a H rule physicians, realizing even better H than tho averago Individual, tho men- H ace of decayed toeth, kep them In first class condition, though there are. dH of course, exceptions to this. Other minor physical defects which do not tend to Incapacitate a doctor for his H work aro waived by an examining B board. jl The professional examination Is oral . and due credit Is given for experlonco and knowledge obtained through pur- suing some one special lino of medical work. Tho various dlplomus. certltt- H cates. letters, rocommcnd.it Ions, etc, H I must be investigated beforo tho final I rating Is forthcoming. |
