Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1918-06-27
Highly Organized Machine
Handles Great Influx of
DrafteeS Smoothly and With
Unusual Rapidity
PHYSICAL EXAMINATION
MADE BY SPECIALISTS
Heart, Lungs, Feet and Joints
Come in for Close Inspection
by Medical Experts Few Are
Discharged,

IVY soHsisu JauNnIL srseiAl .sAsso wIssI
Camp Kearny, San Diego. Calf,
June 2G.--With the arrival of several
thousand men of the June draft quota
TO begin work In the service of their
country as soldiers of the 40th division
there was set In motion here today
one Of the most highly organized
pieces of machinery devised in this
part of the country for executive pur-
poses, This was the organization for
uniting the men into companies as
signing them to quarters. arranging
for their feeding and their examlna-
tion. listing. classifying and mastering
into service.
Examinations, listing, classifying
and mastering all were done under
what virtually was one roof--a series
of tents and buildings connected by
passageways. The methods employed
in factories to produce quantity out
put and those used in congested cities
to direct streams OF traffic were united
to carry out all these operations with
n maximum efficiency and minimum
Of time,
Begin Work at Once.
As the men left the trains which
brought them here they were lined
up and told off into provisional COM
panies. each OF which was marched
to company street, Squads were told
off to occupy the tents In this street.
Cooks already were busy In mess halls
and at outdoor field kitchens preparing
"A meal for them. If Il was near
meal hour they were fed, IL not. and
there were no other drafted men
ahead OF theb. they we're started i'm
mediately on their round.
Formed into long line, the res
cruits were marched 10 the first or
the series of buildings, whence they
were to emerge as soldiers or men un-
fit for service. Near the door stood
group of officers and men who took
the finger prints OF each drafted man.
The recruit then washed his hands in
gasoline to remove the ink used for
taking the prints.
Men Arc Marked.
AS the recruit entered the building.
a soldier handed him piece of string
and a number tag. The first room was
a dressing--or. rather an undressing
room. where the recruit stripped.
tied his clothes into bundle with thes
string and attached the number ring
tag. Carrying the papers given him
by his draft board in his hand, tha
recruit turned in the bundle OF
clothes at a window. Beside the wins
dow was soldier armed with an in
deliple pencil, who marked on tho
recruits chest the number which the
tag bore,
AT the first of q series of tables In
the next room the recruit gave his
draft papers to clerk, who looked
them over and identified the recruit
with the papers. This clerk started
service record for the recruit. This
record. which is regarded as basic con-
tained such information as the re-
cruit's home address, nearest relative,
and similar data.
Preiiminaries Easy. ~
Next on the recruits itinerary were
a medical officer and his assistant,
who filled In on the service record a
description of any scars or marks the
man bore and made an ordinary med
ical examination of him, without.
however, examining his heart, lungs.
feet joints or teeth.
About all you will have to do to-
get by those doctors is to have two
hands two feet and head" said one
recruit. but when you get to some
of the fellows later on-look outv'
Representatives of the orthopedic
of recruits, examined the drafted
mans feet and joints with minute
care, taking every precaution to see
that none was accepted for service
who were not physically qualified in
these respects for the arduous work
OF a soldier. Many men were turned
aside here. to go to the discharging
officer.
The dental boards representatives
were next. examining the recruits
teeth carefully and rejecting any who
did not have the necessary number Of
molars and incisors, of whose mouth
could not be made reasonably perfed
by the work of the army dental sun
geon.
Lungs Examined Closely.
A party of medical officials. sped
alists in cardio vascular work. wen
next. and to them the recruit waA
made to yield secrets regarding his
heart and blood system that even he
did not know he possessed. IL he pass
ed their scrutiny, he went on to the
tuberculosis board, which went over
his lungs, as ane man phrased IL,
with a stethoscope and q fine tooth
comb" Any symptoms of tuberculosis
or of organic trouble of any kind IN
the pulmonary system caused q re-
lection here. 20
All this time traffic policemen di.
rected the line OF recruits so that
each man went to the proper board
in the proper order, skipped none.
omitted securing no endorsement on
his papers. which ne carried
throughout. and did not lose thesa
papers. ssR isooi 2if
WhAni a,orecruit had passed. all
lhese examinations, he was ushercd
DIVA I. assageway to the psych'ar-
ric toard which tested his mentality
by certain means not disclosed. If
he showed normal mentality the res
cruit passed out to a dressing room,
AS he passed to tl.is room soldieI