Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1916-08-18

NNNANAa
in the regular army these sani-
tary units have been brought TO a
high degree Of efficiency. and In the
National Guard the doctors and sur
geons are OF high ability, but neither
they nor their enlisted men have had
the special instruction or intensified
training which those Of the regular
army receive and in consequence, with
all professional skill and good inten-
ton on their part, the same degree
Of excellence cannot be expected from
them.
mo matter how efficient may he
the sanitary companies Of the National
Guard. they can accomplish very little
II they are not provided with medical
and surgical supplies enough to meet
any probable emergency. With a view
TO any emergency, as far as our means
will permit, we have been creating a
reserve Of medicines, bandages, dis
lnfectants. surgical appliances, water
filters and similar things.
This reserve has been created by
forethought and economy In past
years; and It is very fortunate. for,
as is well known. the prices of all
drugs have advanced and some have
gone about out Of sight.
Reserve Of Surgeons.
"But "a reserve of even more i'm
p%ortance has been steadily growing,
which today is one Of the comforts
to this Office. as 1t should be TO all
who have friends In the National
Guard. None ever called in vain on
the medical profession when help was
needed and the army medical Of
fcers, six years ago foreseeing that II
time would come when the cO-opera-
ton of the medical fraternity would be
needed, began to prepare by calling
upon their brethren to enter Il medical
reserve.
Nor did they call in vain, for, ted
by some OF the foremost men in the
profession, doctors have submitted
their records and have been graded
until over 1000 carefully selected have
been enrolled. Their work has been
assigned TO them. ana they await only
the order Of the surgeon general TO
take up their duties MS surgeons whpr
ever needed, presumably in the base
hospitals. These men. If called into
the service. would be engaged In the
humanitarian work of treating the sick
and the wounded rather than in thnt
Of prevention and sanitation,
prevention work is twofold. BY
2 means OF seruns and v%accines the in
dividuuls are made immune. even wheT
exposed to certain very fatal conta
, gions, and by camp sanitation and per
sonal hygiene certain diseases may b'
kept from making their appearance,
altogether.
"The success Of the first will de
pend upon the skill of the specialized
members Of the medical staff, par
tlcularly the psychologists the lat
A ter, upon the sanitary companies IL
o the field, the intelligence and eficienc,
Z of the line officers and the disciplin.
y and obedience Of the troops.
"The oldest incubation practice,
r against c~Ontagion Is vaccination to pre-
vent smallpox. This Is now in so gen
2 eral use that its Importance Is hurdl
@ realized.
K 1.-THE incubation most talked of jus
: now is the prophylaxls against ty
phold, which In war has caused NOR
deaths many times over than any hi
I, man enemy can infIct. Anti-typhOl
prophylaxls has eliminated the dill
, ease.
:, Principle Of Prevention.
- "The principle Of the preventive
10 simple enough. All contagious dii
eases are caused by some organism
Ia mostly OF the lower forms Of vegetabl
a.. life, which finds It's way into the sy
10 TEN, develops at a p%rodlglous rate an
10 attacks various organs Of the bod
These organisms, however. by son
benign provision Of nature not yet III
derstOod produce an a|ntltOxln or ant
bodies which destroy their own germ
y "Thls may or may not be the pro-
uct Of the death Of some Of the o
ganisms; but a practical way has bee
found OF taking the living ~orgRnisT
developing colonies Of many trillioI
Of them, killing and sterllizlng theT
and making from them a prophylact
which has the power TO produce Il
antitOxln, without the vlrulent prOpe
ties OF the living germ. If this be pro
erly made a person %inoculated with
Is practically immune from typhoid +
at least three years.
"In 1911 the use Of this prOphylact
was made compulsory In the regul
army; and typhoid In the army, III
the little boys apple core, 'aln't goll
to be any core
malaria and yellow fever, the latt
a dreadful disease appearing In eI
demlc form, are both carried by me
quitoes. The mosquito sucks bio
from a patient Of either of the d
eases, and then IN thrusting his pI
boscis into ne veins OF some sou.
man iloculntes him with the dlsea
as easily and effectively as a (,
weeks before a sanitary officer m
have used his hypOdermic syringe
-N-u.N-N.. 49, .-e.-aH.- $500