Evening star., 1915-09-15

| at TINS morning S session of the twen-
tyfourth annual meeting of the Asso-
citation of Military Surgeons of the
United States. held at the Army Medical
School. 721 18th street northwest.
Dr.. Rucker was a member of the
.irst-aid conference which recently met
/ in this city and passed a resolution
! asking the President to take steps to-
| ward forming frst-aid STANDARDIZED
tion board. DR.. Rucker said. in part:
, The basic principle of standa rdiza-
tion of first-aid packages is simplifica
ton; the elimination of all unnecessary
appliances and medicine: the minimum
OF what is absolutely necessary.
Would Standardize Packets.
| We should endeavor to standardiZe
first aid packets for various purposes,
since the standardization of these
packages has a wide application to the
army and to the industries. We should
standal dize the packets according to
industries. for what would be neces-
sary for a packet to treat men in ac-
lcidents occurring in certain lines of in
dustrial work would not be at all nee
| essary in the treatment of wounds re-
ceived in other industrial activities.
! First aid instruction., declared DR..
work. has gone far afeld because of
| overZeal. In our desire that laymen
should know how to treat themselves
in cases of accident and sudden injury
we have tried to make emergency sur
geons out of them. and as d result have
neither we'll balanced laymen nor ade-
quate surgeons, and have a little less
| than nothing.
The question of the standardization
of the transportation of the wounded
| is an important one" continued DR..
Rucker. 1T is very important to mill
tary men that the various industries
use the same type of transportation of
| their wounded. because in times of war
| these industrial workers would be
requisitioned. Industrial litters must
not only fit industrial ambulances, but
! must then fit and integrate with army
iambulances, and vice versa.
| DIR. Rucker expressed the hope that
the association would send an official
delegate to the next meeting of the
frst-aid conference. The question of
| first aid was broached this morning by
DR.. Joseph c. Bloodgood.
| Value of First Aid Work.
First aid PROPERLY carried on" declared
DIR. Bloodgood, will give this country an
opportunity to be properly prepared for
the possible crisis of war
| Maj Gustavus NJ Bech of the Medical
Corps of the Illinois National Guard ex-
planned, with the aid of charts. a scheme
for the systematic training of National
Guard officers
Maj. II. L. Gilchrist of the Medical
sue with Maj Blech upon the subject of
map making. and declared that map
making for junior officers is time lost
The position of Maj Blech was strong
y upheld by Maj. J. Harry Uirich of the
Medical Corps of the Maryland National
Guard and by Maj. r. B. Miller OF the
Medical Corps of the army
| In discussing THE Present Status of
Treating Drinking Water in the Field
| Maj. William J. Lyster advocated treat
ment by means of hypochlorite of calcium
Cites tuberculosis Work.
| Capt Enrique CostelI of the Royal
Italian army reserve read a paper upon
| the work being done in regard to tu-
berculosis by the oyal faculty of
Genoa. The paper was discussed by
Maj. r. B. Miller. adjutant of the Army
Medical School; Capt. David Kraker of
! the Medical Corps of the New Jersey
National Guard and by Maj. Ulrich.
Lieut.. Alexius McGlannan of the
army read paper upon The Proven
tion and Treatment of Tetanus"
This afternoon Mrs. w. c. Gorgas
and Mrs. W. c. Braisted are hostesses
10 the visiting ladies and members Of
the ladies' reception committee at a
theater party.
The association will adjourn this
afternoon
Surgeons Are Welcomed.
Assistant Secretary Henry S. Breck-
inridge of the War Department ad-
dressed the surgeons last night at the
Raleigh Hotel, welcoming them on be-
half Of the United States. Commissi on :
| er Louis Brownlow made a brief ad
dress of welcome on behalf of the Dis
trict and DR.. Frank Leech, president of
the Medical Society of the District of
Columbia spoke on behalf of the medi-
cal profession of the District. Re
sponses were made bv Col. Jefferson
Randolph kean and Surgeon General
Rupert Blue.
| THE entire cost of the Medical Corps
of the army is justified by the result to
humanity of the work of such men as
Walter Reed and William Gorgas," de-
clared Secretary Breckinridge.
The military surgeon is a great civic
asset as well as great military asset.
The S7,000.060 spent annually on the
| National Guard gives an adequate re-
| turn for the entire amount in the diff
fusion of knowledge of the principles
and practice of sanitation spread
through = considerable portion Of the
body OF our people by the medical Off
| GERS Of the regular army and the Ma =
;ional Guard Thousands of young men
are taught the laws of health, the prac-
tice OF cleanly and hygienic personal
habits, the care of the person, the re-
lation between sanitary conditions and
health. the necessity of the protection
of food from contamina ting influences
the value Of vaccination and prophy
laxis, and all this knowledge and some
of the practice carried back into the
| workshop. the village. the farm and the
home. TO the further enlightenment of
the people and the safeguarding of
| health.
Two Objects of War.
| "Waging naturally divides itself
into two great immediate objects. de-
struction and conservation The func-
tion of the line of the army is to de-
stroy the resources and armies of the
enemy. The function of the medica
corps is to conserve the health of the
soldiers by methods preventive and re-
medal, so that human resources NAV
be husbanded most carefully and ap-
piled to a given end most effectively
"It is nearly inconceivable that an
army without a highly developed med
ical corps could succeed against a
worthy foe. The quartermaster and
the surgeon are as essential as the
rifeman and the gunner"
Amos A. Steele on Vacation.
Amos A. steele. probation officer OF
the Supreme Court of the District OF