Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-04-15
Graduates of Army Medical
School Receive Rewards.
GLASS OF THIRTY-EIGHT
LARGEST IN THE HISTORY OF THE
INSTITUTION.
Addresses by Assistant Surgeon Gen
eral De Witt, President Of the
Faculty, and Secretary Root.


A class of thirty-eight young assistant
surgeons in the army received diplomas
from the Army Medical School yesterday
afternoon from the hands Of the Secretary
of War in the main lecture hall Of the Ma
tional Museum, as stated in The Star OF
yesterday. The presentation of these d.
plomas signified that these young physt-
clans who had passed examinations admit
ting them to the army had completed
special course in military surgery, SANTA
ton and such other special branches as are
necessary for the education of the military
surgeon and were ready to enter the field
of real work as surgeons in the army.
There were few of the members of the class
graduated yesterday who had not served
with troops before entering the school, so
they will simply return to their former du-
ties under far better conditions and better
equipped to meet the conditions that will
arise.
institutions of the army which has reached
| as high a degree Of success as the facilities
permit Its faculty includes some of the
| most brilliant surgeons. Psychologists. bac-
| teriologiStS and sanitary experts In the
| country. 1t was established in 1898. and
| classes were graduated every year from
| that time to 1897. During the years that
| followed the Spanish war no classes were
graduated, and it was not until the winter
| of 19OO-19O1 that the school again threw
| open its doors. In 1901 and 1902 large
| classes were graduated. but the class this
| year is much larger than any that preceded
it, The facilities for thorough instruction
| in the branches of medicine which the
army surgeon most need are very made
quate to the demands made upon them. and
the members Of the faculty have been
greatly handicapped in their endeavors to
| impart the instruction they deemed neces-
| sary for the completion Of the course. The
hospital facilities have been poor. the only
hospital to which the student-officers have
been sent being the old general hospital
at the Washington barracks. which Is not
regarded as modern in any sense of the
word.
New General Hospital Proposed.
Steps will be taken in the immediate fu-
ture to erect new general hospital in this
city, where the most modern equipment
shall be used and where the highest degree
of efficiency will be maintained. AS 1t rs
the faculty has been able to obtain some
remarkable results with the material at
| hand. and the thirty-eight young men grad
uated yesterday are much better equipped
for the services they will render the coun-
try than the surgeon Of the old school who
entered the army directly from college or
university and was compelled to acquire
technical knowledge OF military surgery
by experience in the field.
The course of study pursued at the school
consists of hygiene in all its branches,
clothing and food: barrack and hospital
construction physical exercise, sewerage,
drainage, general sanitation, sanitary
chemistry and practical bacteriology The
young student officer Is taught the manage
ment Of the hospital; to instruct and dis
| cipline his subordinates and the methods
of army business. He is also given thor
ough course in the character and kind of
| disease he will most likely meet with in
| the army. 1t is the intention of the Sec
| rotary of War to arrange for the instruc-
| ton of officers Of the militia as well as
those Of the army in the Army Medical
School
Program Of Exercises.
The graduation exercises yesterday were
presided over by DR.. Calvin De Witt. colo
mel and assistant surgeon general, who Is
| president of the faculty Of the school. The
ceremonies began with an overture by the
Engineer Corps Band after which Chaplain
Charles c. Pierce of the I'd Cavalry pro-
nounced an invocation. DR.. De Witt then
introduced Dr. John 8. Billings, MD.
| LID, colonel and deputy surgeon general
u S. A. retired. who made the annual ad-
dress to the graduates. After Offering the
members of the class his congratulations
DIR. Billings spoke of the advances that
have been made in medicine since he en-
tered the army in 1861 He said that he
was the only man. so far as he knew. who
had In his possession clinical thermome-
ter and hyperdermic syringe at the time
he passed the entrance examination. These
two very useful instruments were very
curiously regarded by the other officers, es-
pecially by the president of the board
which examined DIR. Billings the latter TAX
ing such an interest in the instruments that
he requested the assignment of DR.. Billings
to the hospital over which he presided in
order that he might have an opportunity Of
observing the use Of them. The speaker re-
cited several instances showing the differ
ence between the education Of a surgeon
at that time and in the present day. He
then proceeded to give the members of the
class lot of sound advice.
You will be overcome with doubts some
times" said he; you may be located in
some isolated. unhealthy post; you may
have your part to play in a crisis, you may
hear the bullets whistle, and may face cpl
denies. but these are SO uncertain that they
are not to be considered at length on this
occasion. You are going out, and after the
call Of duty has separated you 1t is not
likely that you will all meet again.
'One of your duties will be the social po-
sitions thrust upon you. 1t will be your
duty to make things cheerful at your post
There will be some things that you may not
care to do, but you must not give them up
If they be for the common good. AS sur
geons you will be expected to advance a
profession which commands the respect Of
the world; to induce fresh blood into the
ranks. ever with modesty. but with conf
dence."
Diplomas Presented by Secretary Root
Secretary Root was next introduced to
present the diplomas. Before making the
presentation. Mr.. Root said he desired to
offer his congratulations to the class with
those Of DR.. Billings. and added that in
coming into a corps that had produced
such men as the first speaker they enter a
department which has high standard to
be lived up to. Mr.. Root continued:
by the past you can measure your ad-
vance or your decadence. About the only
recognition which Congress had given to
the medical staff of the army, after its
labors and victories Of the last five years.
was the unusual promotion of DIR. Gorgas
to the rank of colonel. Had 1t not been
for the trained body Of medical men we
would not have had the extraordinary dis
tinction Of saving more souls in Cuba than
we destroyed. So 1t is that the saving de-
partment of the great destroying engine
of government has overbalanced the
other element, and made it department
which saves men rather than destroys
them.
Il congratulate you on your opportunity.
I hope the opportunity will be moro to you
than the pay. You have the opportunity
tO NH wi Ia