Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-03-15
" le.4 ~ .ssisIe - &N~Y ~ :
Boys III fhe'Ranks
Haue GotM Ut
Our Best Doctors
Unclc sam Has, j Medical Army O
Over. 10000 individuals, All. Spe>
cially Picked to Care for His Ffent-
ing Men. Wherever They May ~
Most Needed.
lBy Harry B. Hunt.)

II HL y WHY NT. IN
III, 1917, Uncle Sans army hospita
capacity. outside of limited nosp..nt
facilities at army posts, was suElc'1nl
to provide Beds for 3S43 men, nn
Guiding post hospitals, the bed Cap"
city was about, 5000.
Today. completed army hospitals ~ ~
this county have a bed capaclt! .,
5S,473. Extensions authorized an"
now under way will provide as,",'
additional beds-a total of SS;4p..
And a still further addition of aDou.
$4,000 beds. to. bring u capacity up
to 100, 600. is under consideration.
AS against the seven army hospa-
tails of last April. we have today Go.
ped to- care for more than Ivy
patients each, and II will be ap'e'
when extensions now being bu!lt a.
completed, to care for more thah -
900 patients each.
Three of these 63 hospitals are ,w-
Gated at ports from which troop
embark for France. Two are pei
manent base hospitals, ,three are e
at camps where specialized training y,
Lcarried on. 20 are general Hospitals
Fand 80 are base hospitals for the ma
~Etional army and national guard tram
ing camps. u
Each of these hospitals is equipped
in all respects with standardized nos.
pital equipment of the latest pattern
and design, full supplies of surgics5
instruments. x-Ray apparatus pasHS
logical laboratories, etc. ado
The staff for each hospital ire. NSa
up of men of skill and exr han
men whose regulations arymo na,acted
local. They are. sv'1 their
men. chosen by menss!rho XIV .oa;n;na
ability in the speciss1ines of medlclne
or surgery for which they are picked.
The surgioal,"staffs, for nstance
have been chosen in each case ny con-
sultations of William j. n Cnar'es
H. Mayo, the famous surgeons OF
Rochester. Mimi, Arthur d. Bevin OF
tChicago. president of he American
Medical association, Binnic OF Kansas
City. Ochsner of Chicago, Haggard OF
Nashville, Mixter of Boston and NC
CURE Of Richmond, Va, all surgeons
of international reputation.
In the am way the medical stairs
have been selected by a group OF
medical experts who know in each
case the special qualifications OF the
men they name.
Similar boards of specialists have
chosen for the staff of each hosplta!
the men who supervise the special
branches of medical work-thc
orthopedic surgeons, the neurologists.
the eye, EAR, nose. throat and brain
experts. They do not pick hap-haz-
ard. They choose ne n who has
not established his ability in his given
line.
AS a result. the stats of our army
hospitals are made up of the very
cream Of the medical profession in
America today. 10,
In addition to the tremendous ex-
pansion III our army hospital facilities
in this country. we have a to build
up in France facilities for caring for
the sick and wounded of u steadily
growing expeditionary force. We are
providing in France hospital facilities
to accommodate up to 25 per cent of
our total troops abroad!
Organization of our overseas medi-
cal force has been under the direc-
ton of Gushing of Boston. Brewer of
New York. Grille of Cleveland, Hart of
Philadelphia. Finney Of Baltimore.
Beasley Of Chicago, and Murphy of
st. Louis.
No such demands have beer made
as have been made upon medicine.
Those in authority insisted from the
outset thai, .theaarmy medical organi-
cation should have not merely the
most modern and efficient equipment,
but that it should be directed by the
most skilled and experienced person.
mel. In most branches of war work
as for instance in the design and pro-
duction of our fighting weapons-a
few experienced men could guide the
work while the men to use the weap-
ons could be trained in a few months
But h men to be entrusted with our
sick and wounded must have under
gone long specialized training in
medicine and surgery.
The medical department Of our
army in April. 1917. contained 43E
officers in the regular service. -Four
officers, in addition to the surgeoE
general. were stationed in Washing:
ton. There existed a Reserve corps
signed up but inactive. of about $500
medical men, and the Women's Army
Nursing Corps numbered 1915.
Today, the total strength of the
medical department. in medical Off
GERS. nurses and enlisted personnel, is
approximately $4,000. Officers in the
regular service have doubled in num-
Der. the reserve corps has Jumped
from 1900 to 1880. OF which more
than 1850 are or active duty, and
the Women's Army Nursing CORPS
has grown from 375 to close.to 1000.
The total number Of physicians and
surgeons in the United States is some
what yer $4,000. The number with
in military age is somewhat less than
$4,000. In accepting men for the
army service. however. it has been
practitioners out of districts which
would he left without adequate medi-
cal protection for the civil populace.
Eliminating the men whose practice
lay in districts from which they could
not be spared, the total. medical mer
eligible and available for army work
is about 81 5000.
OF this number 1880. or more
than one-fourth, are today serving
Uncle Sam. No other profession can
show so high a record.
or these men a very large percent
age have given up lucrative practices
Tor the comparatively low pay Of cap
talns and majors in the army. There
are a dozen men in the service who
have been accustomed to getting for
a single operation as much as they
will draw in six months pay from
Uncle Sam.
AS in every development where
large expansion Is made In a limited
time. men have gotten into the serv-
ice who had not a proper sense Of re.
SponslDllty or who have. been wanting
in Judgment or skill. As fastias dis.
covered. however, such men hav.
been eliminated.
In addition to the purely curativ,
work of the medical corps. all the
work Of preventative sanitation is un.
der its direction. and this alone is q
big job with an army Of 100000.
$50 SKILLED MEN CALLED.
st. Paul, Mar. 15-This state viii