The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-12-05
CAMP DODGE men
DECLARED TO Be
PHYSICALLY FIT
Only Soldiers Able to With
stand Winters Rigors
Now In Camp
LESS THAN ONE PER
CENT ON SICK LIST
Figures Given Out to Dis
prove Statements To
The Contrary

many Of them have been sick? How
many have died?
These are a few of the questions
which relatives and friends of the
men and officers are asking daily.
The physical standard of the men
who reported for service from Iowa,
Minnesota, NSrth Dakota and a part
of Illinois. is well above the average
In spite of the fact that physicians
on local boards were none too careful
in judging fit men with physical dis
qualifications. These have been
weeded out and sent back home.
Only those deemed fit to Withstand
the rigors of hard winter in the
trenches have been retained The
number of reflections for physical
disqualifications and the number of
exemptions of men following their
induction into the service has been
less than 1000.
The places of these men are being
filed by men from the districts from
which the exempted or rejected men
came.
Few at Hospital. of
The big 500-bed base hospital un-
der A. T. Cooper, is the center where
soldiers injured or sick are taken.
OF the 5000 men and officers who
have been on duty at the camp, but
few more than $500 or slightly more
than one per cent have been taken
to the hospital. This includes all
patients admitted.
OF these but seven cases have
proved fatal.
Contagious diseases have been
greatly in the ma jority with the ex-
ception of venereaI diseases. The lat
ter have exceeded all others by a
wide margin. .
Since the establishment OF the
hospital i'm temporary quarters about
Sept there have been sixty-seven
cases of measles, siNty-four cases Of
pneumonia, forty-two cases of
humps, twelve cases of scarlet fever,
five of smallpox, two OF dysentery,
two of typhoid, one of malaria, one
case of spinal meningitis and four
carriers Of this disease.
Truth as to Pneumonia.
Special attention is called to the
number of pneumonia cases.
Reports have been current in Des
Moines and at the camp that from
100 TO 400 cases of pneumonia were
being treated at the hospital, and
. the fact withhold by medical officers
or division stan officers.
This is absolutely untrue.
There have been but sixty
four cases of pneumonia since the
establishment of the camp. and the
number now stands at thirty-eight.
Of the other diseases the number
of cases to date stands sas follows:
Smallpox. five; typhoid fever. one;
scarlet fever, ten; spinal menengitis.
one (under observatory measles,
Twenty-Five: malaria, none; mumps,
thirty-eight; dysentery, one.
Tho DnF1 oF y1afFav.fss. Fv, he 11n~
pltal suffering from black plague at
the present time is 100.
The ravages of these diseases
termed b. war department and medi-
cal staff officers as the worst enemy
of the entire military organization
have not been above the average at
Camp Dodge.
Considering that there have been
$4,000 men and officers in training
at Camp Dodge, the amount OF sick.
ness shows less than that of many
other army environments and is far
above the average of military orr
carnations of like size in previous
wars.
More Supplies Coming.
Advices received at division head
quarters OF the national army that
supplies and equipment for $4,000
men had been ordered shipped to
Camp Dodge are taken to indicate
early additions to the 1000 enlist
ed soldiers and officers who are left
in this cantonment by the transfer
of troops TO Camp Pike. Camp Cody,
San Antonio, for the aviation serv-
ice and to eastern points for incor-
poration in regiments of engineers
preparing for forestry and engineer
ing work abroad.
lfhnr firm rUfaVv In,
10 special branches also have been
included In the draft made on the
strength OF this division, which has
resulted in the loss of almost three
fOurths OF the men who originally
We're received here and assigned to
units Of this division.
With the receipt of clothing and
supplies for $4,000 men this cam
tQnment will be ready in every way
Cor the next increment. An early
call for the third and fourth quotas
of the first draft, comprising 55
per cent of the men subject to serv-
Ice, is expected now. No intima-
ton, however, has been given as
to when this call will be made. The
only known reason for holding up
the call. has, however, by the ship
ment of equipment, been removed.
No Permanent Reflections.
Another new development of the
draft system tryout as regards this
environment and probably other
similar national army camps, was
made known yesterday when APP
proYal was given a plan of Division
Surgeon w. r. Shook and the can
tonment commander. to withhold
final reflections on account OF ply
steal disability. No permanent re-
jections OF enlisted or drafted men
because of the recommendations Of
examining surgeons that the men
are UNFIT for military duty will be
made
tificate has been made to cover
these cases. BY its use the rejected
men In the incoming drafts from
Illinois, Minnesota. Iowa and North
Dakota will be given temporary dis
charges certifying their provisional
rejection but leaving them subject
TO call for service on orders OF the
local draft boards at any future
time.
Court-martiai will face enlisted
men who appear IN public wearing
the leather puttees. This decision
follows the complaint OF several
regular army officers at the camp
who claim that they have been
laughed at for saluting privates who
were seen wearing the leggins.
Some time ago the war depart
ment issued an order resembling a
previous order granting privates
and nOncOmmissioned officers the
right to wear the leather leg gear.
The order was Issued at the camp.
but many Of the men who are work.
ing as motorcyclists and auto drivers
have failed to heed the order. be-
lleVing that they were not includ-
"a.
Must Pass Gas Test.