Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-04-05
ARMY MEDICAL SCHOOL
ANNUAL GRADUATING EXER-
CISES HELD YESTERDAY.
Secretary Root Delivers the Diplomas
Addresses by Lieut.. Gen. Miles.
and Gen. Sternberg.

graduating exercises of the Army Medical
School. session of 1901 1902, at the National
Museum yesterday afternoon. Col VIM. II.
FcrwoOd, assistant surgeon general, presi-
dent of the school, was the presiding Of
ficer: Secretary Root presented the diplo-
mas and Lieut.. General Miles, commanding
the army. and Surgeon General Sternberg.
the head of the medical department of the
army, addressed the graduates. The Engi-
neer Band. from Washington barracks, was
present and rendered excellent music.
A feature of the program was the presen-
tatfon of the Hoff memorial medal by the
donor. Lieut.. Col John V. R. Hof of the
medical department to First Lieut.. James
NJ. Phalen. the leading honor graduate of
the class. The honor graduates are those
tho attain a percentage of 90 per cent.
The latter were, besides Lieut.. Phaien,
Lieuts. Conrad E. Koerper. Robert L. Pat
tCrsOn and Roderic p. O'ConnOr.
The other graduates. all assistant sur
gecns, with the rank of first lieutenants,
were: Jerome s. Chaffee, Charles c. Geer.
Ernest l.. Ruffner, George P. Heard. Roger
Sweazey. Matthew a. De Laney, Paul 8.
Halloran, Kent Nelson, Robert Smart,
Lloyd lie R. Krebs. William P. Woodall.
Charles a. Raglan, William r. Eastman.
George William Jean, James +. Hall, Ray
mond F. Metcalfe and Perry Lee Boyer.
As Secretary Root had to take the 4
q clock train for New York he was COM
PEELED to leave before the delivery of the
addresses by Gems. Miles and Sternberg.
Prevention of Disease.
General Sternberg in his address to the
class spoke of the place the army medical
school occupied in the service. He spoke
OF the valuable service rendered by gradu-
ates of the school during the recent wars,
and said the efficiency of an army was not
in its numbers, but In the fitness of the
men for active service and a great re-
sponsibility rested with the officers of the
medical department to point out to the COM
handing officers the conditions unfayor
BILE for efficiency and to indicate a remedy
for such conditions.
The measures to be taken to prevent dis
eases among soldiers, the surgeon general
said. fan under two principal headings-
first. those calculated TO maintain a high
standard of resisting power on the part of
Individual units of the army, and, second.
those which relate to the protection of
those individuals from infection by dis
ease germs. Under the first heading must
be considered food, clothing, ventilation
heating of barracks. exercise etc. The
second involves a precise knowledge of the
characters of all known disease germs
their action on the human body. the best
means of destroying them.
General Sternberg said 1t was a most i'm
portant duty of the medical officers to i'm
press upon officers of the line in command
Of troops the fact that most diseases
prevalent among soldiers are preventable.
That is generally recognized as regards
smallpox" he said, but IS not so generally
recognized regards typhoid fever which,
within the past four years, has been the
cause of an enormous mortality in our own
camps of instruction in the Spanish-Amert
car war and among the British forces in
South Africa During our civil war typhoid
fever was the principal cause of mortality
and without doubt the number of victims
from the disease alone exceeded the num-
Der killed in battle or those who died of
wounds. $500 The total number of deaths
from disease was nearly twice as great,
being 1925. During the period begin
ming May l. 1898, and ending April 80. 1899,
the loss to our armies by disease was j. 43S,
and By wounds. injuries, or accidents, 9tSS."
He urged upon the members of the class
that they be loyal to their superiors and
trust TO their Interiors In rank, and to be
painstaking in every case.
Gen. Miles Address.
When Gen. Miles was introduced he was
received with great applause and seemed
To be in fine spirits.
1T Is a great pleasure to me-" said Gen.
Miles, Ito welcome this graduating class TO
the service of the United States. You have
completed your course and have passed
your last test. You are now officers in the
army and well educated surgeons, and I
have achieved. You have reached your
goal by honest, consistent and earnest eff
fort, and are now ready to begin career
which will bring honor to yourselves and
which Will consist of yalua BILE service to
your country. I congratulate you and
wish you all success. l would recommend
one thing TO you particularly, and that is
that your life as officer and surgeon
has been delivered 10 you by the surgeon
general OF the army. If you study 1t and
always live up 10 it's teachings and doc
trines. you cannot go wrong.
In closing. / would ask you to ALWAYS
remember something which should be hon
Ored and reyered above everything else in
your lives. You are now officers You wear
the uniform OF the army-a uniform which
will make you honored and respected
wherever you go, either in this country or
abroad. You should and l know you do.
feel proud to wear that uniform. Yet.
there is something OF which you should be
more proud, and which you should always
endeayor to honor and respect. 1t is your
citizenship in this great free country the
greatest republic the nations have ever
known
The School Faculty.
The faculty of the Army Medical School
10 follows: Colonel William H For
wood. assistant surgeon general. United
States army. president; Colonel Charles
Smart. assistant surgeon general. United
States army, professor. military hygiene;
Colonel Calvin Dewitt. assistant surgeon
general. United States army. professor
military medicine: Lieutenant Colonel John
Van r. Hon, deputy surgeon general
United States army. professor, duties or
redI al officers Major Walter Reed sur
seon. nited States army. professor OF
bact erio!ogy and clinical microscopy;
Major Louis A. I.aGarde surgeon United
States army, professor. results of gunshot
injuries; Major W. e. Borden. surgeon
United States army. professor, military
surgery; Captain f l.. Munson. assistant
surgeon, United States army assistant pro-
fesSor. military hygiene; Captain +. p.
Reynolds, assistant surgeon. United States
army, Instructor in first aid and hospital
corps drill; Professor &. W. Stiles lecturer
on parasites In man. Brigadier General
Beorgr B. Davis, judge advocate general.
Jni'ed States navy, lecturer on military