The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-12-22
VIATORS are born and not made
4 according to medical corps off,


\ GERS attached 10 the research
laboratory at the Mineola flying field.
The conclusions reached by the air
surgeons were laid by them before
the Academy OF Medical Science last
Thursday at a meeting called to con-
slider medical problems in avil ion.
Mineola, as one OF the most impor-
tant flying fields IN the country. is
also, although this Is known to few,
the seat of laboratory unique In the
United States. 1t is in this laboratory
that all conditions Of flying have been
reproduced SO faithfully that 1t Is pos
sible, in fact It is usual, for the medi-
cal men there to tell positively whether
or not a man is an aviator before he
has even seen an airplane.
AS an illustration OF the valuable
work performed by the aero medical
service in preventing accidents by
keeping men unfit to enter the avia-
zion corps on the ground, Lieut.-Col.
Eugene r. Lewis cited the statistics
Of the British air service.
''In the first year of the war It was
found that of the total casualties in
The air service G5 per cent. We're due
10 physical defects OF the pilots" ne
said. This caused the British to in
stitute q special medical service for
the flying corps. In the second year
only 80 per cent. OF casualties were
due to defects of pilots and in the
third year only IL per cent"
Facing . Threefold Problem.
Three problems confront the medi-
cal men attached to the air service.
according to Col. Lewis. These are
the selection OF personnel, the classi-
flcation Of this personnel according to
flying ability and the maintenance OF
the efficiency OF the fiers.
THE only criticism which has been
directed against US has been the fact
hat we put the bars up too far in
physical standards" Col. Lewis said
The answer TO this is that we had
always a sufficient number Of men
who came up to the h+yh standards.
otherwise we would have LET down the
highest bar so as to have enough
men"
The classification Of the men Sc
iected as At for duty in the air was
accomplished by laboratory tests tc
discover how they were affected by
conditions at various attitudes. Two
complicated pieces of apparatus, the
vacuum chamber and the rebreathing
apparatus were used to ascertain the
endurance Of the men at various
heights.
THE vacuum chamber and the less
complicated rebreathing apparatus
were both based on n system Of grad
''al rarefactioh Of oxygen precisely as
occurs as ono ascends in an air
plane" DR., Lewis said in uutlIrinf
The tests used. by regulation of the
amount OF oxygen in the vacuum
chamber, for instance. II was possible
10 see just how rapidly any mans
efficiency decreased as his oxygen sup
ply was cut off. Various tests to de-
termine his alertness and rapidly OF
action were given. 1t was thus pos
sible to classify the men as suitable
for high altitude, middle altitude and
low attitude fiiers"
Moving pictures Of aviators under.
going the tests were shown. AS they
breathed less and less oxygen as the
mir was exhausted the. candidates
action grew less and less certain and
glover. a peculiar fact in connection
.'Nf' S'''r ''ANb.Alii C4llIllbtT Jesus ~ Una
ne subject never knows his ACTIONS
are becoming more and more uncer.
'liN The surgeons conducting thu
l.s' are Obliged TO work with oxyger
'"oe5 IN their mouths so that they
Ia not succumb to the Same uncer.
'alnty in recording the results. A
nc same time the tests are be,nl
'ntue the blood pressure OF the man a.
attitudes up TO $4,000 feet are re-
.olaeo' An expert also listens through
s'e'hoscope TO heart and lungs.
new addition 70 the medical pro.