Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-03-20
NAVAL MEDICAL SCHOOL.
By Frederic ]. Haskin.

| surgeon is more to prevent sickness than
| to cure it.
| And the results that are shown by the
| medical statistics of the navy tell how
successful is the work. While the men
| in the navy are a picked lot of rugged.
healthy youngsters yet life in close quar-
1 tiers on shipboard. where a thousand men
| must frequently spend weeks at time
without setting foot on dry land. would
| offset that advantage were it not for the
/ rigid commands of the ships surgeon that
proper attention be given TO ventilation,
| water. food. clothing. bedding, baths, ex-
erc.se, recreation and disnfcction.
*
The results are reflected in the absolute
Punishment of typhoid fever from ship
board, and who
Sailors Are Kept ever has looked
in Perfect Trim. e epom 81 ,'e tbnu,
sand men in a ships company-faces that
bespeak perfect physical trim-hnoWs that
| back of it all lies a story of unreiaXed
application of the principles of prevent
i've medicine. And he feels that sanitary
science there proves it's wonderful pos
sibiities-proves that although it has
heightened the American span of life
nearly FIVE years in less than a genera
ton. it might add ten more in single
decade if all lived as the naval sur
geon makes the men aboard ship live
The duties of the naval surgeon are
multifarious and eXacting, and the Naval
Medical School leaves nothing undone to
afford him thorough knowledge or those
duties. thousand and one matters OF
routine demand his attention. He must
know how to report. how to take charge
of a ships health department., how to
keep it's records: he must know about
contagious diseases. bills of health and
quarantine: he must know how to make
sanitary inspections ana reports, how TO
examine the eyes:ght of gun pointers,
how to conduct sick calls; about fire drills,
collision drills. fire and rescue parties,
abandoning ship: what to do when there
is a man overheard, how to conduct the
sick bay. and SO many other things that
to mention them would be to make this
catalogue instead of a story
There is a department which affords in
struction in surgical matters. with par
tcular stress upon
Eye Diseases operations for and
-. -, treatment of gun
Closely Studied. shot wounds, prep
arations for going into battle. and other
conditions most likely to arise in the
navy. 1t has been found that few reg
ular medical schools give much training
In eye diseases, and as good sight is one
of the first essentials to good sunners,
the school provides liberal course Oh
instruction in these matters.
Under conditions formerly existing In
the navy a young doctor who had put
lately walked out of his medical college
with a diploma might be designated 10
take an examination as naval surgeon.
hod
tie to do with determining his speclai
fitness for naval work. If he passed ne
was put aboard a ship and told to shift
for himself The result was that ne
worked for years and had to acquire his
knowledge of naval conditions by expert
ence which was more costly 10 the
patients and to the government than TO
himself Today the Naval Medical
School epitomizes the experience of gen.
ora lions of those who have gone down to
the sea in ships. and gives it to each
embryo naval surgeon before ne enters
upon his duties.