The San Francisco call., 1905-03-26
ADVISES Ne v
NAVY DOCTORS
President Roosevelt Delivers
Address at Graduating
Exercises in Washington
WARNS THE PHYSICIANS
Tells Medicos That They
Must Prepare Themselves
to Sustain High Standard

WASHINGTON, March 25.-Presi-
dent Roosevelt presented diplomas to-
day to the class graduated from the
United States Medical School at exer-
cises held in the hall of the National
Museum. He addressed a large audi
ence and delivered a message to the
twenty-three newly made doctors on
the responsibilities OF the service they
have entered. The President said:
You represent two professions, for
you are members of the great medical
body and you are also officers of the
navy Of the United States and there
fore you have double standard to
perform. / think that all of us lay
men, men and women, have peculiar
appreciation Of what doctor means,
for do not suppose there is one of us
Who does not feel the family doctor
stands in a position of close intimacy,
in a position of obligation under which
one Is happy TO rest to an extent that
hardly any one else can stand; and
those Of US who, think most OF us, are
fortunate enough to have a family doc
tor who is an intimate friend, realize
that there can be few closer ties of in
timacy and affection in the world.
Just as the great doctor, the man
who stands high in his profession, in
any city, counts as one of the most
valuable assets in that city's civic
work, so in the navy or the army the
effect of having thoroughly well
trained men with high and sensitive
standard of professional honor and
professional duty is well nigh incalcu-
liable upon the service itself.
i am not competent to speak save in
the most general terms of your profess
sional duties. l do want, however, to
call your attention to one or two fea-
lures connected with them. In the first
place, in connection with the work you
do for the service you have peculiar
advantages in doing the work that will
be felt by the whole profession. For
instance, it will come to your lot to deal
peculiarly with certain types of trop-
ical diseases. You will have to deal
with them as no ordinary American
doctor, no matter how great his expe-
rience, will have to deal with them,
and you should fit yourselves by more
careful study and preparation so that
you shall not only be able to grapple
with cases as they come up, but in
graphing with them to make and re-
cord observations upon them that will
be Of permanent value to your fellows
in civil life.
There probably is not a branch of
the profession into which during your
career you will not have to go, no type
Of disease that you will not have to
treat, and it is Of consequence to the
entire medical profession that you
should so fit yourselves by study and
preparation that you shall not only be
able to deal with those cases, but to
deal with them in a way that will be of
advantage to your stay-at-h home breth-
ren.
There is one other point: Every ef-
fort should be made to provide you
with ample means to do your work
Every effort ought to be made to per-
suade the national legislature to take
that view of the situation and to re-
member that in case of war it is neces-
sary TO provide q great medical service
for the army and navy. The needed in
crease is more keenly felt in the army
than in the navy, because It is always
the army that undergoes the greatest
expansion. But it is felt in both SER
vices. If there is trouble among the
volunteer forces it is feverish to the
greatest degree for the public men.
and especially for the public press, to
complain and shrek over the people
who happen TO be in power at that
time. Let them shrek, or rather do
not let them shrek at all, for Shrek
ing is a sign Of hysteria; but let them
solemnly think over and repent of the
fact that they have not made their
representatives provide adequately in
advance for the medical system in it's
personnel and its material and its or
ganization and medical instruments
necessary to make that organization
effective, which, IL prepared in ad-
vance, will obviate the trouble which
is certain to come If we have war. Let
them remember not to blame the peo-
pie in power when the big breakdown
comes, but blame themselves-the peo-
pie of the United States-because they
have not had the forethought to take
the steps in advance which will pre-
vent that breakdown occurring Means
ought to be provided. That is part of
our duty. If we fall in it then 1t is
our responsibility, not yours"