New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-01-02

LbnblOD 10 eNeuJb VI haeNaO -" P'~'S
times and other countries.
JUSTICE TO TIE ARMY MEDICAL STATE
The American Medical Association ask Con-
gress to reorganze the Army Medical Corps,
and increase the rank Of its officers, not only
as an act of Justice to the corps, but to pre-
vent designations, and attract properly quail
fed men to fill the existing vacancies. In
making appointments to the Army Medl-
cal Staff, the War Department has been at
least half century in advance of the late
attempt at Civil Service Reform. Medical
recruits have invariably been selected by
competitive examination. and commissioned in
the order of relative merit. young grad
uate in medicine fortified by evidence of good
moral character and pIecedents, can always
receive from the SurgeOn-General permission
to appear before an Examining Board, and If
his preliminary and professional education IS
there found to tally with tho infiexible stand
ard, his disqualified competitors must make
way for him. In no instance has political
preference ever determined the appointment
of an assistant surgeon or surgeon IN the
regular army. The standard Of qualification
Tor appointment has always been high. The
literary, scientific, and professional acquire
ments of the candidate are carefully
scrutinized before Lis admission and
previous to his promotion to the rank of surgeon,
he must submit to another equally rigorous
but more practical examination. 1t Is clear
that, in education and trained powers of OBJ
servatioD, he is at least the equal of his COM
rades IN the other staff corps, and In the line
of the army. lie stands with the latter In
battle, and shares with him in peace tho hard
ships of frontier life. Nor is he, like many of
the other officers of tho army, educated by
the Government, but he proseCutes his pro-
fessional studies at his own expense.
A law Of the last session of Congress osten-
siby improved the prospects of the Army
Medical Corps by restoring the course or pro-
motion that had been stopped since 1o69. But
this law at the same time reduced the Corps
by abolshins all existing vacancies in it, ex-
cept those at the foot of the list OF assistant
surgeons, who rank as first lieutenants, thereby
deprivng the senior officers in this grade OF
their expected promotions. There arc now
seventeen assistant surgeons of nearly fourteen
years. service who, at the usual rate of casual
pect to become surgeons, with tue rank Of major,
in the next half-dozen years. The assistant
surgeon, entering the Corps at the present time,
is deprived by this legislation of any chance
of reaching the grade of major in less than
twenty or twenty-five years. In all the other
corps Of our army the average number of
years, from first leutenantcy to major
ity, is ten. There are but two lieutenant
colonelcies in the Medical Corps, as now au-
thorized by law, two vacancies in this grade
having likewise been abolished, and the two
senior surgeons, WHO must now indefinitely
await promotion, have held commissions III
subordinate grades over forty years. In the
other staff corps of the army only sixteen
years, on an average. elapse between the grade
of first lieutenant and that Of lieutenant
colonel; and in the English army the rank of
leutenant-cOlonel is obtained by surgeon
after twenty years. service from the date OF
his lowest commission. In the United States,
the Medical Corps has but five positions, in
GLIDING that of Surgeon General, above the
rank of major, in q corps of two hundred and
five members, the ratio of colonelcies and
leutenant-colonelcie boing only one to every
army have one colonel to every eighteen Off
GERS and one leutenant-c colonel to every thirteen
officers.
The American Medical Association denOunce,
in the name of the entire medical profession
of the country, this unjust and unwise dis
elimination against the medical staff of the
army. The enlightened self-intcrest of the
nation demands that Congress prevent the
Army Medical Corps from sinking into hope
less ineficiency, by offering prizes of rank
and pay sufficient to attract to it clever re-
cruits from civil life, and to keep in service
its moro valuable members. To this end the
Association have petitioned Congress to pro-
vide for the Army Medical Corps q sys-
tematic and effective scheme of promo
ton, as follows Surgeons (who are to be thus
designated upon leaving civil life) of less
than five years service, to be first lieutenants
thence CATER discrimination as to qualifica-
tions), up to thirteen years, captains; thence
up to twenty-three years. majors; thence
up to thirty years, Internationally; and
thereafter colonies. Tho army medical officer
certainly ought to have o parallel footing, of
rank and pay, with the quartermaster who
provides clothing and shelter, the cOmmissary
who buys -four and pork, the ordnance officer
who manufactures arms and the paymaster
who pays the troops; if not, indeed, with the
officer of the line, hand in hand with whom
the surgeon stands in time Of war upon the
"perilous edge of battle"
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