The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-03-26
ROOSEVELT
 TO DOCTORS Addresses United States MedicalSch0Ol Graduates PRESENTS THE DIPLOMAS Large Crowd Hears Speech
 of Executive. Tells Twenty-three Young Men of Their New RespoAsibfllties and Gives
 Them Some sound

States Medical School, at exercises held in the hall of the National Museum. He addressed large audience and deliv- cred message to the twenty-three newly doctors on the responsibil- ities of the service they entered
 The President was introduced by Medical Director R. A. Marmion. Pres ident of the faculty of the Naval Med teal School. As the names were called the diplomas were handed to the Pres- ident, who in turn presented them to the graduates and at the same time gave each one cordial handclasp. The diplomas became mixed and the President entered heartily In the search for the right sheepskins. After that he took all the remaining diplomas in one arm and called the names himself. Mir. Roosevelt spoke as follows: Mir. RoOsevelt's Speech.
 Ladies and gentlemen and especially the members of the graduating class: T am glad to have the chance of say ing a word of greeting to you this morning. You represent two profess sions, for you are members of the great medical body and you are also officers of the navy of the United Statesyand therefore you have double standard of honor up to which to live. I think that all of us laymen, men and women.
 
 doctor means; for I do not suppose there is one of us who does not feel that the family doctor stands In position of close intimacy, in a posi- ton of obligation under which one is happy to rest to an extent that hardly any one else can stand and those of us -I think most of us are--fortunate enough to have family doctor who is beloved and intimate friend, realize AN tEA~ h. 11r inxs fsF intimacy and affection in the world. And while of course even the greatest and best doctors cannot assume that very intimate relation with more than a certain number Of people, 1t is to be said, think, that more than any other man, except a few clergymen, the doc tor commonly assumes that relation to people.
 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 citys civic work so in the navy or the army the effect of having thoroughly well train cd men with a high and sensitive stan dard of professional honor and profess sional duty Is well nigh incalculable upon the service itself. want you now as you graduate to feel that on your shoulders rests great weight of reSpOnSlDlHLyS lHdI your pOSlLlon lS one of high honor and that 1t is impossi- ble to hold a position of high honor and not hold it under penalty of in- curing the severest reproduction if you fail to live up to its requirements.
 Peculiar Advantages.
 am not competent to speak save in the most general terms of your pro- fessional duties. I do want. however, to call your attention to one or two features connected with them. In the first place, in connection with the work you do for the service you have cer- tain peculiar advantages in doing that work that will be felt for the whole profession. For instance, 1t will come to your lot to deal peculiarly with cer- tain types of tropical diseases. You will have to deal with them as no ordinary American doctor, no matter how great his experience, will have to deal with them, and you should fit yourselves by most careful study and preparation so that you shall not only be able to grapple with cases as they come up. but in grappling with them to make and record observations upon them that will be of permanent value to your fellows fin civil life. You can there do what no civilian doctor can do. There pnobably 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. But there are certain dis eases that you will have to treat that the ordinary man who stays at home, of course, does not; and it is of conse- quence to the entire medical profession that you should so fit yourself by study, and by preparation, that you shall not only be able to deal with these cases, but to deal with them in a way that will be of advantage to kyou stay at home brethren.
 There is another point: Every effort should of course be made to provide you with ample means to do your work Every effort will be made to persuade the national legislature to take that view of the situation, to re- member that in case of war 1t is out of the question to improvise a great medical service for the army and navy. The needed increase Is more keenly felt fin the army than fin the navy, be- cause it Is always the army that un- dergoes the greatest expansion, but 1t is felt in both services, and when, as is perfectly certain to be the case. if wer comes, for which we have no greater preparation than at pres ent we have made: if, as is perfectly certain to be the case. there is a fever in the camps; If there is trouble among the volunteer forces it is foolish to the greatest degree for the public men and especially for the publis press to complain and shriek over the people who happen to be In power at that time
 Lack of Preparation.
 Let them shriek, or rather not let them shriek at all, for snrieking Is a sign of hysteria, but let them sol menly think over and repent of the fact that they have not mace their representatives provide adequately in advance for the medical system in it's personnel and its material and its or ganization and physical instruments necessary Q make that organization into an effective organization, which alone. if prepared in advance. will ob- viate the trouble which otherwise Is certain to come if we have war. Let them remember not to blame tho peo- pie in power when the breakdown comes. but blame themselves. the peo- pie of the United States, because they have mt had the orAfhoueht to take