Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-06-22

! 1t would be difficult to exaggerate
the number Of young Americans Of APP
parently excellent physical make -upz-
| hundreds Of them, indeed strapping
| SiantS-Who have been informed for
| the hrst time BY army or navy sur
| geonS that there was something the
matter with their hearts, or their lungs,
or their eyes, sufficient to disqualify
| them for uniformed service. The sur
prise with which most of these men re-
/ ceive such information from the ex-
amining surgeons is pathetic.
Organic disease of the heart" a
man who is rejected for this reason
will exciaim. why, l never knew be-
! fore that had a heart. / can run five
miles ard never feel it," Another man
/ turned down by the doctor for defec-
tive eyesight will say. and believe it
| when he says it, that he can read by
moonlight, and the man who is slightly
SHY in the matter Of hearing will con
/ scientiousiy swear that he can hear
pin fail half block away.
! only one man in ten exactly right"
is a maxim Of army ana navy doctors.
/ The oXaminaing surgeon will promptly
! tell the turned down man why he is
/ rejected. but The applicant is not al
ways satisfied. Even the old timers
in both services have got notions about
the examining methods Of the sur
\ geJrs. ana many Of them pick their
surgeon WHEN their terms OF enlist
m-nt expire ana they are ready to
, take on again or ship over
For example, there are surgeons in
| the United States army whom the old
( timers declare ID he cranks on the
| heart disease question. and the long
service sWaddle who, during tho pro-
| gross Of an enlistment experiences an
occasional paIpit&tion Of the heart af-
\ ter unusual cXertion. metally deter
mines that, when the time rolls around
for him II hold ~ his hand again, he'll
/ surely keep away from the surgeon
who has record for turning down a
man with symptoms Of heart trouble
II is probably true that some Of the
surgeons in both services pay more at
/ tention to certain details in their eX-
/ aminations than to others. The en-
listed men IF experience have got all
| of these specialists marked just as
! they have the all-around surgeons
! spotted. The ail-around surgeons are
hn M edical officers who 10 not devote
',,,',,t.,,
! l''I' - ,.., 1..+.
4
Up to a few years ago the man who
succeeded in passing an army or navy
doctor once could thereafter re-cnlist
/ in his service as often as he chose. A
,.,..... 49,,
..7 -
= =
''' =.
- r '''''s7 .,.-.,-... -,.,,,;,...
,,.5 ,.,,l{, u, ,,',,,,, I'll, r,,.i,,.,
- ~
''' ~
,,,.+,,,a,,,e ,rsu.o,, IA the a,nnaI v.ae
-, l,..,.,, f.,. 49,, .,,,,,.e. ,,-.,,Iis.tr,a,.
II bo,,.o,.ay ~ ,otnrn of tha mans
dien,,a1ificatinn WIS eucb thot tbe
,,,a,lil,I aan,rtp,r,,. Couldn't "a lie
-. -. g., ,..,,,. i,;,,, o,,a;,, .,,,l 80,
mans physical allment happened not
to have been contracted in the line Of
d,,.y tba .,,,,;c,p+ "a. ,aa1,Iic+,,art
49, '''N
was Occasionally tuiied GOWN bS tIie
medical bureau. too.
rhan no would mack nm his chest and |
.,.. l. =, .,.,,,7 |
san A'i Nd9iHh~t'it' NHN'N iie VIII"
see the adiutant general, who would |
refer hin, IN Tho slIroeun general who |
-....,., :: 49,, ,.,co,. H., - ~, - 49,,
N'U''t IN '"i = ielVi 1'iI'' ~ '''0 ~ ~
washington examining surgeons. ana |
Tins in nine cases ONT of ten the deter |
,.,t,,,,.5 ,.,,, ,...,,,,,, o,+ =, ,o,ir .rhe
'''ii,' ''.'' "'N'" -
medical bureau NouIu leFhdiSSrho nun I
to military hospital for treatment for /
. ,,a,.;,1 b,,t Ia ,1,va,-. z.n,,rd ~, lac1, I
T.. 80
for re-pnlistment happened to have
o,,t,.ct.d hie ai,nan+ il, the line of
,t ,.
uut|, IT Was d"Piueo po'i1e l" til'lSI MN
again if his case was not altogether too
sar;nre ia hnld down the ,rneior 7oIls
This sort Of thing, however, 70 longer
goes. either in the army or navy Every
.t,,, -, 500, ,....,,,;,, h., to. f., ,,.s ,,,,+o
ely = 'i''''' y '','' f'''1
Us severe an examination as ne passed
originally. If he can't do this. owing to
some nhyeicaI trouble contracted bv him