Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-08-26
N. D. MEDlCS
MUST ENTER
U. S. SERVICE
Every Medical Man and
Woman in u. S. is to be
Placed on Record.

Bismarck, N. d. Aug. 2e.-North
Dakota now registers 604 medicos.
OF these 1875 are in active medical
service: rs others have applied for
commissions under the last call, and
90 others have declared their item
ton of applying later.
The ambition Of the state commit
tee of the medical section Of the
council Of national defense, whose
executive committee held a meeting
in Fargo last week is to bring every
practitioner in North Dakota into
the military service of his country,
either rs a member Of the medical
unteer medical service corps.
The object of the Fargo meeting.
announced by DR.. F. r. Smyth, chair
man Of the executive committee, to-
day, is to classify the profession in
this state as to its eligibility for serv-
ice and to arrange for eprollments in
the volunteer medical Service corps
Of every practitioner who Is not in
active service. Every medical man
to be placed on record" said DIR.
smyth.
1.-The. purpose Of our organization
Is to. aid the army and navy and the
public health service, to supply wars
medical needs and to provide the
best possible civil medical service to
the public during the period of the
war. Every doctor in active pfac-
tice will be expected to become a
navy or a member of the medical
volunteer corps, pledged to accept a
commission in the army If it be re-
qui-ed Of him. If a medical man
does not belong either to the active
or volunteer service, the public will
draw its own conclusions. There is
no other penalty"
men physically disabled, officers in
public institutions, those who are es-
sential to essential industries or who
are essential to the public needs in
their W communities, or who have
families actually dependent upon
them are exempt from active service,
but they are not exempt from vol
unteer service. Al member OF the
volunteer corps may be called upon
to serve In any army reconstruction
camp, or In a convalescent hospital,
or at any point where the existence
Of an epidemic or some calamity may
necessitate his presence. He will
hold himself ready to leave his prac-
tice and go to another community
from which all medical men may
have been Withdrawn by the war, and
which might actually suffer for lack
Of attention. He is subject to call
from the surgeon General of the
army or the surgeon general of the
public health service Of his nation
or state. He is in every respect q
. member of the military establish
4 ment, held An reserve until occasion
may arise to call him into active do
nestle service. -
I For the purpose Of organizing a
volunteer service corps in North Da-
kota, a medical officer will he ap-
each county to call in the doctors in
his county for personal conferences
and to furnish them blanks and 9TH
er necessary forms. Those who fail
to sign the application for admis-
sion to the volunteer corps, and who
have not taken active service in the
army or navy, will be listed and re-
ported to Washington. No intimati9n
has been given as to the action which
Washington will take in these cases.
It is apparent. however, from the
stress which the council Of national
defence has laid upon the importance
of prompt and thorough action by
the state medical committees that
some drastic action is contemplated,
Wn1le IN session at Fargo the med
ical section passed a resolution re-
questing that the state council Of de-
Tense take some action to prevent
doctors within the state from chang
ing their location Or new doctors es.
tablishing themselves in the state
without the consent of the central
committee. This is done because
practitioners in country towns occa-
sionally are attracted by the oppor-
tunity offered in a larger place by the
temporary surrender Of a lucrative
practice by some patriotic doctor
country doctor occasionally has beer
known to leave his own community
without any medical attention in or.
der to go to the city and pick. up the
practice of his patriotic frater. This
practice is not encouraging to the
doctor with q well-established prac-
tice who feels an urge to accept a
commission. .
In the matter Of medical men in
active service Darlington is consid-
cred the banner city Of the state. OF
five doctors practicing there at the
outbreak Of the war. four are nov
on active military duty, and the
fifth is at home only because he is sc
years old and beyond the ago limit
for acceptance.
Special exemptions as to service in
the medical reserve corps or the. vol.
unteer medical corps have been com.
manded by the wal department in
the case Of examining surgeons or
local draft boards and as to all mem.
bers Of medical advisory boards
The var department insists that