Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-06-26
TWO IMPORTANT CHANGES
For the Benefit of the Medical Department
Of the Army.


For the Benefit Of the Medical Department
OF the Army.
Surgeon General sternberg, the new chief Of
the medical department of the army, contem-
plates two important changes for the benefit Of
that service. One is the establishment Of .
special course Of training for newly appointed
officers Of the corps This course will be given
in this city and will constitute what will be
known as the Army Medical School. 1t will be
conducted in the Army Medical Museum and
will be Of four months duration. -Four Of the
senior medical officers stationed in the city
will, in addition to their other duties, conduct
this course.
THE COURSE OF INSTRUCTION.
One Of the officers will act Is president Of the
faculty and will lecture upon the duties Of .
medical officer in time Of peace and war, the
methods Of conducting official correspondence,
making reports to the department the dis
charge Of soldiers on certificates OF disability,
the examination Of recruits, the rights and
privileges Of medical officers. their relations to
other officers and the customs Of the service.
His associates on the faculty will deal respect
lively with the subjects Of military surgery, Of
military hygiene and Of clinical and sanitary
microscopy. The course will be practical one
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making the young medical officer familiar with
the most accurate methods of the sanitary ex-
animation Of the air, water and food, the rec
ognition Of known disease germs, the micro
scopic examination Of morbid growths, &c.
NRw sYsrIx or ASSIGNMENTS.
The other project Of Gen. Sternberg Is to
give the officers OF the medical corps the ad-
vantages accruing from metropolitan life. He
proposes ia change the system Of assigning
medical officers for duty a. attending surgeons
in m. large cities. 1t has been the custom
heretofore to detail for this purpose the older
medical officers of the army. The duty usually
lasts three or four years. In some cases 1t has
lasted ten or a dozen years. The duty Of the
officer detailed is to attend army officers and
their families In aud about the city of his loca-
ton. DR.. Sternberg will hereafter detail med
ical officers having the rank OF captain to duty
as attending surgeons. The tour OF duty will
last only one year. By this system the medical
officer selected will be enabled to become
familiar with the practice Of the leading ply
sicians and surgeons in this country and to at
tend medical lectures and meetings OF medical
societies. The experience and observation will
fit them the better for their second examina-
tion, which is required by law before they can
be promoted to majorities.
SENIOR OFFICERS At MILITARY POSTS.
The details will be made in Boston, New
York, Philadelphia. Baltimore, Chicago, St
Louis and San Francisco. The senior medical
officers who have heretofore been stationed in
several OF these cities attending surgeons will
be required to perform the more responsible
duties OF post surgeons at the larger military
posts, where. as a rule, one or more younger
officers will also be stationed assistants.
This policy will not only give the younger men
Of the medical corps better opportunities for
professional advancement, but it will give them
the benefit Of the experience Of their seniors
and OF the necessary instructions and discipline
which often in the past they failed to receive.
This failure is due to the fact that they were
stationed usually at remote frontier posts and
were thrown upon their own responsibilities
before they had the opportunity to make them
medical officer Of the army and the customs Of
the service.
Both Of these plans have received the ap-
proval OF Secretary Lamont and steps will be
taken to put them into execution soon as
.praeticable.
70 WH ORDER YoR THE SCHOOL.
A general order prQIiding SQy the establish
menf of the army ns0U0 ~ referred to
above was issued BY Adjutant General Williams
today as follows:
By direction Of the Secretary Of War. upon
the recommendation Of the surgeon general Of
the army, an army medical school will be
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purpose Of instructing approved candidates
for admission to the medical corps of the army
In their duties as medical officers.
The course Of instruction will be for four
months and will be given annually at the Army
Medical Museum in Washington city, COM
mencing on November 1.
Four professors will be selected from among
the senior medical officers of the army stationed
in or near the city Of Washington. and as many
associate professors as may be required to give
practical laboratory instruction in the methods
of sanitary analyses, microscopical technique,
clinical microscopy, bacteriology. urine analy-
sis, &c.
The faculty Of the army medical school will
consist of:
/. president Of the faculty. who shall be
responsible for the discipline Of the school, and
who will deliver course Of lectures upon the
duties Of medical officers in war and peace (in-
cludlng property responsibility. examination Of
recruits certificates Of disability, reports,
rights and privileges, customs Of service, &c. J.
2. professor of military surgery Cincluding
the care and transportation of wounded).
8. A professor OF military hygiene (including
practical instruction in the examination Of air.
water, food and clothing from a sanitary point
Of view.
L. A professor Of clinical and sanitary micro
scopy Gncluding bacteriology and urinology).