Evening star., 1937-10-03
By Polly Carey.

- VERY day and every night the
- United States Public Health
Service answers radio calls for
- medical advice from ships on
the seven seas. MEDICO, the call
used. is second in importance only to
the dreaded S o S. This free service
Is now international in scope and
messages in any language are
answered imediately by Uncle Sans
Good Samaritan Of the Sea-"
During the last Is years the Radio
M. D. has treated many interesting
and seemingly impossible cases by ra-
doing advice. This service receives
approximately 300 calls a year." says
DR.. Robert Olesen, assistant surgeon
general of the United States Public
Health Service. Since its Inaugural
ton, about $3.50 persons stricken at
sea have been aided. It's need was
manifested at once as about $50 per-
sons were aided during the very first
year.
This humanitarian service was linn
tied in the beginning to American
vessels only. But it has been avail
able to all nations since May, 1920,
when Franklin D. Roosevelt, then As
sistant Secretary of the Navy. signed
an order extending the service free of
cost to all nationalities. Thousands of
merchant vessels. freighters, oilers,
barges and yatchs which do not carry
their own doctors make regular use of
the call. while ships that do carry ply
sicians also find it convenient for con-
sultation purposes.
Messages for medical advice from
ships at sea are first picked up by the
Radiomarine Corporation, r. C. A.
subsidiary, at its 80 or more stations
along the Atlantic, Pacific and Carib-
bean coasts. Each message is i'm
mediately relayed to the nearest
United States Marine Hospital. In
most instances, the case is diagnosed
and advice is flashed back to the cap
tain Of the ship within few minutes.
Nor is there any limit to the cases that
may receive attention as doctors are
Always available.
A LTHOUGH the advising United
States Public Health Service phy-
slclan may belong to hospital staff
which cares for 1900 or more beds.
when a call comes in for help at sea
he drops his routine tasks, diagnoses
the case from the symptoms radioed.
and answers the call Immediately
Frequently stricken passengers half
way across the ocean have been re-
lieved by radio advice.
Occasionally ships doctor is con-
fronted with q complicated illness and
hnds it advisable to consult other
physicians. In rare instances he may
have sufficient confidence in his own
ability and hesitate to consult another.
This Is . mistake" Dr. Olesen says.
I'm such cases q wise doctor should
and he now may consult other doctors
by RADIO
Radio calls often come to Uncle Sam
In foreign languages which must be
translated into English. At one time
. message was received from French
ship stating q man aboard had in
CURED serious injury to the patella.
the flattened bone in front of the knee
joint. The treatment entailed a long
series of messages. each OF which was
received in French and advice returned
In the same language.
This medical service helps prevent
the spread Of contagious diseases. For
instance, some time ago the Santa
Paula received call form the Cali
fornia State school ship. requesting
serum for one stricken by meningitis
In record time the Santa Paula arrived