Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-08-28
DIR. DLOODGO0D DISCUSSES
ARMY MEDICAL SERVICE:
Distinguished Johns Hopkins Sur.
geon Addresses Local Acad-
envy Of Medicine.
YOUNGER MEN ARE NEEDED
Great Factors in Winning War Will
Be Sufficient Force of Trained
Nurses and Efficient Red Cross Or
ganization, He Tells Doctors.


before large and enthusiastic au .
| dience of physicians. surgeons and
nurses OF Richmond. in the auditorium
OF tho Chamber OF Commerce. last
! night. DR.. J. c. Bloodgood. professor
! OF surgery In Johns Hopkins Univer-
sfty, member of the stan OF Johns
Hopkins Hospital and major OF the
medical reserve corps. delivered an adj
| dress on Physicians. Surgeons and
Nurses in the Present War"
DIR. Bioodgood was introduced by
Major y. l.. Gray. chairman of the
auxiliary medical defense committee
BloodGood hardly needed an introduc-
ton to the Richmond public, being
well known among the medical pro-
IeSSion and having spoken here before.
Major Gray called attention to the fact
that he came as representative OF
the War Department with the rank OF
MAJOR In the medical reserve and that
what he said was with authority.
DR.. BloodSood in the beginning of
his address stated that his remarks
were based on his own observations in
various medical camps and that his
purpose ION this occasion was to give
tacts. He outlined IL under tho three
main heads Of: THE Message" The
Problem" and The Solution"
PRESIDENT CALLS ON ALL
TO DO THEIR PARTS
In tho great drive for democracy, he
said, the President has called upon
every one to give such aid as Is in his
or her power, and not the less behind
nun Is the Mayor of New York. who
was quoted as follows: "A national
peril Is approaching week by week,
day by day. hour by hour. To prepare
At once against this peril is the ma
tional necessity, the great necessity,
the only necessity worth discussing. I
charge that any man who obstructs by
week. day. an hour. the construc-
ZION OF dcfenscs against that peril is
working not in the interest of the
united states, but in the interests of
the enemies of the United States"
DR.. Bloodgood's trip down South sug-
sested to him. he said. the story of the
conversation Lincoln had with a man
~hcn he was on trip to Europe. Lin
coin asked the man for his credentials.
He said his father fought at the battle
OF Waterloo and proceeded to give a
history OF his ancestors. He was in
terrupted and Lincoln looked him
sternlY in the eye and said MY man. /
ain AFRAID the best of you Is buried. -
The county of Lincoln has drafted 1872.
all OF whom have passed the physical
claimed exemption; so il looks, he said.
claimed exemption, so it looks, he said,
MS IL the spirit of Lincoln still lives.
Troops in Kansas. he went on, are
named for officers who have given their
lives for science. and he hoped that Il
would not be long before the name
Medical College OF Virginia Hospital
Unit would be changed to thai of
Stonewall Jackson Hospital Unit"
IMPORTANCE OF RED
CROSS ORGANIZATION
With few remarks about the uni
versal responsibility that rests upon
each individual in this present crisis.
pr. Bloodgood entered into the main
part of his address. He declared that
there were three things by means Of
which the United States may be able
to win the war. First, younger men
for the medical reserve. Second. a
sufficient force Of trained nurses.
Third, the Red Cross organization
These he took up one by one and dis
cussed in reverse order.
The Red Cross organization. he de-
clared, is the one and only channel
Suficient in organization and In close
re'a tionship with the government and
with authority from the Secretary of
War. All other CARNATIONS must not
expect independent channels in sending
operate with and be subservient to the
Res Cross. Industrial plants arc maxi
ing mistakes In getting their employees
TO assist in the work in their lunch
hour. This has been demonstrated in
England, he said. for then the work
falls below normal.
MUST SEND ONLY
FULLY TRAINED NURSES
1t would be just as absurd to send
unframed nurses to France as 1t would
be to send unframed surgeons. The
nurses must be trained. Though stay
ing at home and looking after the sick
here is not as exciting as nursing SOL
diers at the front. the unframed ones
will have to be willing to do it. There
are not near enough nurses now. The
rich will have to give up their private
nurses.
One of the biggest problems that has
to be met with. DR.. Bloodgood con-
tinued. is sending clean army to
France. These men must be physical
ly sound. No one with tuberculosis
should go. Those who have not passed
the physical examination may after
training be able to pass and enter into
active. service.
Young doctors under thirty five
years OF age are needed. The average
age of the officers at Fort Oglethorpe
is forty-hVe years. There IS great
| number Of men between thirty-one and
thirty five. Those under thirty-one
are already drafted and will have
to serve. The main reason that these
young doctors do not enlist in the re-
serve is because their income would be
cut down greatly by throwing up q
paying practice and taking a stipulat-
cd salary from the government. The
salaries In government service are not
| large. But, he emphatically said. doc
/ tors should not be too high for the
| government. There are 100000 mer
and to these there will be $4,000 doc
tors. All Of those holding Offices who
are physically fit to go to the front
should do so and let those who are
not take their places
Rural doctors are coming forward
at a more rapid rate than those of the
cities, he continued, which may cause
redistribution of doctors after the
| war.
In conclusion DR.. Bloodgood gave &
as his opinion that II tho war con
tinued for xix months. 1t would paI
men to go TO the front at their owl
| expense Just for the hospital expert