New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-08-03
Pleads Poor Sight
To Escape Draft,
But Is Detected
Youths Vision Soon Found
Normal by Manhattan
Examiner
Malingerers Are Few
Many Men Protest When
They Are Rejected
by Surgeons
.Malingerers Are Few

Doctor, can't see a thing without
my glasses. Those letters look all
blurred and run together"
The young man who was endeavoring
to evade military service on the plea
of defective vision was told to step up
closer to the eye chart. He did, but
still claimed to be unable to make out
even the largest letters.
Absolutely blind without glasses"
he asserted. "Course, otherwise /
would like to go, but a soldier with
glasses might be a danger to others,
looks like to me. Suppose a bullet
would hit his specs and the glass
would fly all over and maybe put two
or three other mems eyes out
Useless" Eyes Are Normal
But the humanitarian motives which
prompted this plainly disappointed
young man to forego the proud privi-
lcge of fighting for his flag didn't
seem 10 impress the examining physi-
clans as they might. With an OPP
KALEIDOSCOPE they subjected the mans
eyes to searching examination. The
ophthalmoscope is tell-tale instru-
ment which is doing yeoman service
for Uncle Sam these days. In thu
instance it failed to reveal single
defect in support of the claim of use
less eyes. The doctor did not let the
man under examination in on the
secret, however.
Eyes, those eyes look pretty bad he
remarked. 80 maybe we'll have to re-
ject you. The formality of eXamina-
ton must be complied with, however.
Just sign this on the dotted line"
The doctor handed the young man an
examination blank and pen. Without
d moments hesitation, he affixed his
signature exactly on the barely discern
able dotted line-a feat that would
have been impossible, barring rare &C
cident, if his eyes were as bad as he
had claimed. The physician noted the
performance and passed the malingerer
as physically qualified for military ser
vice.
This incident which occurred yester-
day at a Manhattan exemption board
is a rare case-an exceptional one IN
I fact. Not nearly as many are sham
ming physical defects to AVOID service
as the examiners had been prepared: TO
deal with. And the attempts that are
made, like the above, usually are
readily detachable. ..ft.Ji4,-~
Appeal From Rejection
! Far more numerous are the cases OF
men who dispute the finding of the
| physicians when they are rejected. j.
| ". Butler, of SOC West 147th. Street
who was ten pounds underweight, car
ried his protest to Deputy Attorney
I General Roscoe s. Conkling.
Mr. Conkling directed the young man
to DR.. Victor Paterson, of the Medical
| Information Bureau, who advised But
| Ter in a course of exercises and diet TO
! enable him to make the proper weight.
Wherever it is doubtful whether a
man is honestly disqualified for ser
| vice the army gets the benefit of the
| doubt. 1t is pointed out that if man
really is unable to stand the rigors Of
army life that fact will develop during
! his training. All over the city yester-
/ day the minimum weight was lowered
I on account of the hot weather. It's a
/ lucky man who hasn't steamed off a
/ couple of pounds or so in the last week
| One drafted man protested against
this. and told the surgeons they had
no right to pass him because he was
three pounds under weight.
go and eat hearty meal" advised
the doctor, land then you'll be all right
Where are those little but game fellows
| ] used TO examine during the Spanish
American War? They'd drink water
until they nearly bust in order to make
/ the proper weight
Severe Penalty Planned
Should malingering attain alarming
| proportions II is said that severe
penalties will be provided for all who
| are detected. In Washington the Off
| Gals who are making notes of the
more or less common practices OF
malingerers have conducted researches
/ into Civil War records and into the
records of European armies.
A favorite way of evading service in
the Civil War was by the use of anti
mony ointment to produce ulcers re-
sembling those caused by smallpox
J Warm parafine injected under the skin
| would harden and result in swelling
which doctors of those days had hard
work TO tell from a tumor. Skin
rashes were produced with dyes. A
! common form Of malingering among
| sailors WAS 70 eat soap. This pro
duced q high temperature and every
! evidence OF serious illness. Modern
| science, however, has rendered all these
expedients ineffective.
In Europe early in the war slacker'
Of all nations resorted to actual self.
inflicted injuries. Fingers and toe:
! were hacked off. Many would-be con