The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1917-11-02
BY William G. Bralsted, Surgeon Gen.
eral, United States Navy, In New
York Herald Magazine Of
the War.


the War;
II is perhaps somewhat strange, ant
yet 1t Is a fact, that friends, and espe
clally parents, of boys who enlist il
the navy are more gravely concerned
for the health of the men than Will
the prospect of battle casualties.
This state of mind is evidenced II
hundreds of letters which come to tn,
Office of the surgeon general and IL
the personal calls Of scores of fathers
and mothers who are apprehensive tha
their SONS may become III and not re
Ceive proper medical care.
As one mother put 1t, IF the boys
are going Ia be wounded or killed II
is only what we must expect. Its
part of the war sacrifice and It cant
be helped. We must give our lives
and the lives Of those dearer 10 Us
than our own without question, but il
IS Il terrible thing 10 think of their
being i'll or exposed TO disease need
lessly with no one to take care OF
them
The answer to this woman was to
show her through the medical depart
ments headquarters in the navy an
mex building and TO explain TO her just
what Is being done, not only to care
for those who are i'll but 10 prevent
men of the navy from becoming i'll.
She went away contented-her mind
ut rest. a mothers care can, of
course, not be replaced by anything in
the world, but she was satisfied that
should her boy contract any ailment
he would have everything it is hui
manly possible to give him except her
care.
Obviously, it is impossible to eX-
plain personally TO all callers just how
the medical department of the navy is
conducted and how it works but
through the Magazine of the War
will be able to reach thousands of
mothers and fathers who perhaps have
been concerned about the same thing.
In the first place an i'll or delicate
man cannot perform the duties re-
Quired in the navy. He is a burden.
He not only is useless himself while
i'll but it requires other men to care
for him, and he often becomes Il men
ace to his shipmates.
From the standpoint of efficiency,
then, the navy must do everything in
It's power to keep the men well and
strong If for no other reason this
should reassure those interested in en-
listed men in the navy.
Then take the medical officers. It
is their duty to cure the i'll and pre-
vent the well from becoming ill. If
they do not perform this duty salts
fuCtOrily they come to be known as
inefficient officers. 1t is a matter of
pride with them to discharge their
duty well and faithfully. Moreover,
it is the spirit and tradition of the
corps to feel human interest in all
the men and boys who come under
their care. They are specialists in
their line and yet they regard the men
with the same personal feeling that a
family physician has toward his pa
tients.
That is a feeling which cannot be
bought and paid for. 1t is the out
growth of their training part of the
esprit de corps of the medical depart
ment.
AT the heads of the branches and
bureaus Of the navy department are
men actuated by the same principles
men who feel that it is the enlisted
sailor who is making the greatest sac
ritices for the flag and that he is en-
titled to the very best in comfort and
care.
No man who is not physically sound |
and in good health can enlist. There |
fore the recruit is supposedly well F.
when he enters the navy. The first T.
weeks Of his service are passed at a
training station, where he is made |
stronger physically, and here the reg
ular life ana exercise make him even !
more healthy, as everybody can testify |
who has watched the recruits arrive .
at a station and has seen them leave a .
Jew months later, standing straighter, .
weighing more and often an inch
taller.
He is then assigned to some unit
IN the regular navy. There he is un-
der the constant supervision of physi-
Cians who have made study of the
conditions under which he is living
and the ailments and disease to which
he Is liable, This is more than could
be said Of him at home.
In the office Of the surgeon general
Of the navy hangs map Of the United