The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1918-03-23
Soldiers Getting
Nations Leading
Medical Workers

eNpcditionary force We are pro-
Viding In France hospital facilities
% accommodate up To- per cent
90 our total troops abroad
Organization of our overseas
medical force has been under tho
direction Of Gushing OF Hostpn,
brewer 81 New York. Grille OF
Cleveland. Hart OF Philadelphia.
l1nncy Of baltimore. ncazley OF
Chicago. and Murphy OF 81 Louis,
Must Have Specialists
No such demands have been
made upon any other profession
hy the war as have been made
upon medicine Those Ia author
ny insisted from the outset that
the army medical organization
should have not merely the most
modern and efficient equipment.
tut that il should be directed hy
tho most skilled and experienced
personnel In most branches ~
war works. FOR instance In the
design and production OF our fight
Ing weapons a few experienced
men could guide the work while
hNNN AAAH.AA ~ AHN NkF NfaAAtfN AfHAttN
ho trained In few months. Hut
the men 10 be entrusted with cur
sick and wounded must have un
Gergone long specialized training
In medicine and surgery
The medical department ~ our
army IN April 1917. contained a.
officers In the regular service.
tcur officers. In addition 10 the
surgeon general. were stationed ia
Washington. There existed a
Reserve corps" signed up but In
active. Of about ss0a medical men.
and the Women's Army Nursing
ccrps numbered 3T5.
5000 Physicians
To-day. the total strength OF
the medical department. In
medical officers. nurses and
enlisted personnel. Is approx
mately $4,000
Officers In the regular scr
vice have doubled In number.
the reserve corps has jumped
from $500 20 1909. Of which
more than 1880 are on active
duty. and the Womens Army
Nursing corps has grown from
as to close 10 1000.
The total number Of physicians
and surgeons IN tho United States
L. somewhat over S. 1000 The
number within military age =
somewhat tess than $4,000. In ac-
cepunx men for the army service.
however. Il has been necessary 70
guard aeains; taking practitioner
out - districts which would BE-
lsft without adequate medical pro-
lection for tho civil populace.
Eliminating the men whose practice
lay IN districts from which they
could not BE- spared. the total mss
teal men eligible and available for
army work IL about $4,000.
or this number 1880. or more
than one-fourth. are today serving
Uncle Sam. No other profession
can show 80 high a record.
OF these men very large per
centage have given up lucrative
practices for the comparatively low
pay OF captains and majors In the
army. There are dozen men
IN the NFfNNie NAA0 AAstNF hf'H a.
customed TO getting for n single
operation "a much as they VIII
draw In six months pay from
Uncle sam.
As In every development whore
large expansion IS made In a linz
tied time. men have gotten into
the service who had not a proper
sense OF responsibility or who
have been wanting In Judgment or
skill. As fast as discovered. how
ever. such men have been ellmi-
rated
In addition 10 the purely cura-
tive work Of the medical corps. all
the work OF preventive santa
ton "a under It's direction. and this
alone IS a big job with an army Of
I -0o non