The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1918-02-12
Many Who Were Exempt Because of
Physical Ailments Wont Escape This Time

sane persons or those who are hope
lessly unfit can hope to escape SER
vice under the draft because of some
physical defect under new regula-
tons which have been drawn up
jointly by the provost marshal gen
eral and Surgeon General Gorgas of
the army
Thousands of persons, rejected on
the first draft, will be taken under
the new regulations and persons who
have regarded themselves exempt
from army service because of rejec-
tons at previous examinations may
find themselves called to the colors
under the new rules.
Preceding on the theory that men
with only slight physical defects can
be used in the non-combatant branch
es of the army, even if they cannot
be expected to be fighting men, the
new regulations will provide even
for the drafting of men with missing
fingers and toues, men with one eye,
men with fiat feet and many other
minor defects. A complete set Of
regulations has been drawn up and
shortly will go forth to the local
boards for the guidance of examining
physicians.
DR.. John H. Quayls, an eminent
physical director of Cleveland has
been in Washington recently confer
ring with committee of medical ex.
perts on these regulations. The
members of the committee were Col.
Bushnell of the surgeon generals Of
flee, DR.. w. H. Bloodgood of John
Hopkins university and DR.. William
Allen Pusey Of Chicago.
This board found that in the first
draft 79O,765 men, or 20 per cent Of
all those examined, were exempted
for physical defects. This number in
cluded only the men rejected by the
local boards and did not include the
men rejected at the environments,
which brought the number of rejected
men probably up to 40 or SO per cent
of those examined.
Many Feigned Defetcs
AS all the men rejected in the first
draft are being reclassified under the
QUESTIONABLE system they will be re.
called before examining boards and
subjected to the revised rules. These
forbid the local boards to extmpt any
men as unfit, unless he is hopeiessly
disqualified. Thousands rejected in
the first draft, had comparatively
slight defects, such as enlarged ton
sils, skin diseases and fiat feet and
lHeSe, IL 10 Sdlu, VIII NC pdSocu VI w
district medical boards which will re.
ject only those who cannot be used
for military purposes. Those accept
ed will be sent to cantonments where
they will have expert treatment for
the cure Of disabilities. Part of the
cantonment hospitals, not used for
general cases will be used and II
necessary, the reconstruction hospit.
ais, now being prepared for wounded
men returning from France, will also
be available for this work Dr.
Quayle believes the new rules will
bring into the army thousands Of men
who feigned physical defects or tenn
porarily disqualified themselves by
! the use of drugs. Under the new
system practically the only person ex-
empted on physical grounds by local
boards will be imbeciles and victims
Of major ailments. Even men with
missing fingers and toes rejected orig
inally, will be accepted in the second
draft. DR.. Quayles original plan, as
incorporated in a bill introduced by
/ Senator Pomerene, called for the ap-
preparation of $1O,O0O,OOO for the con-
struction of special hospitals to treat
the physically unfit