The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1920-02-17

Who has the largest medical praC
tice In the world Iniess one has
kept accurately abreast of the times,
it would prove exceedingly difficult rs
answer this question. but he who has
64f, 900 patients drawn from nuten-
tiai clientele OF over aHao.7oe an
constantly over 10000 sick people in
hospital. must certainly he corsii-
cred as having an exceedingly flourish
ing practice.
Oddly enough. the man who is re-
aransible for this practice is not the
doctor He is aha director of the hu
reau of war risk insurance. Colonel
r. G.. Chclmelcv-Ionea, who has been
made responsible for the conduct Of
these operations hv "A series of eN-
ceedinelv broad minded and generous
acts which have been passed in con
uectian with the reha bilitaticu Of the
human fotsau and jetsom Of the war
with Germany. His practice" in
ludes both men and women. II en-
. aces 4e 900 cases Aof tuberculosis
more than. &c. 900 cases IF nervous and
mental disease $4,000 eases OF disease
# the eye. 10 eco ailments Of the ear
md large group of surgical cases
Drawn from the zoe. 900 wounds re-
iyed in the war, some 45,00o cases
II men who were discharged on &C
count Of some surgical disability, and
SONG 80 ooo- men rejected at the
mobilization camps for ailments of
surgical nature.
The benefits which this vast num-
her may receive include hospital and
"out patient" treatment and all nee
essarv prothestic devices such ms arti-
5ciai ewes. eyegta sSes. braces crutches
wheel chairs and artificial limbs The
henefts which congress has provided
'xtend not only 10 men or women
Who actually served with the armed
71rcNs Of the United States. hut also
those who were accepted by DRAFT
'ards and dispa tched To mobilization
camps. many of whom incurred n
disease or injury while on route, or
while awaiting acceptance By the
military authorities
In addition to this huge medical
practice the chief medical adviser Of
he bureau of war risk insurance, who
is responsible to Colonel CholmeleY-
tones for the performance Of those
functions. is charged with thu duty
of determinirr the degree OF disability
which the patients Of this hue prac-
ice have received while in the ser
ice of their country, He is. in addi-
ion, the chief medical adviser OF the
argest insurance company in the
world. and must perform the usual
functions in connection with physical
leath, In order that his days work
may be welt rounded out. the chief
medical adviser is also the nedical
Seer tn the 10000 employees Of the
sureau OF war risk Insurance. and just
the stop gar lest time hang heavy
~ his hands. he is also the saritarv
officer in order that this small army
4 workers may he kept in perfect
a"alth end do their work under ia
IRA HE SO nitary conditions
Desnitc its large size This is com
S.antiy growing n~a 6ti0~. and there are
mes when the facilities for the care
ma trea ttnent of It's PATIENTS have
heen crowded To the utmost. Since
August | 1919 the number of pa
tents in hospital has more thar
doubled On that date there were
$500 beds occupied by war risk in
surance patients. On January IL
fa20, there ware 10 a2e beds SO occu-
niad, OF that number, there wer,
as54 cases Of tuberculosis, 341t
nervous and mental cases and B. 81
general eases. Tho public health ser,
vice which is the field medical o.,
ganization OF the war risk insurance
bureau has r45s in hospital ars snri
aus civil institutions are carrying
some 47Tf. An index Of the scale q,
which the furnishing of prosthetic de
vices is carried out is given by thu
fact that on the latter date mentnnec
above 2.9I4 artificial limbs had beef
supplied. OF these. 1874 are perma
nent artificial legs and l1s0 perma
iuent artificial arms. There weri
, some $500 major amputations durirg
, the war of which 22so were of th'
lower limb and l.hSo OF the arm. Th'
$50 mutiles remaining will receiv'
permanent artificial limbs as soon n
, their amputation stumps have reached
such e condition that validating ans
Icomfortab Bile apparatus can be sup
piled.
To carry on the operations. men
-. tinned- nhnYe.-the- h1ic-hsaith~ serylc,
has assigned sixty medical officers t.