Evening star., 1937-07-04
SCOUTS HEALTH
RATING IS HIGH
Scratch or Bone Break Gets
Prompt Attention-FeW
Cases So Far.

A high score In health was given
Washington's $4,000 encamped Boy
Scouts yesterday by their chief medical
of,cer. DR.. w. L. Smith.
DR.. Smith, Public Health Service
physician from New Orleans, sum-
married the ills and spills OF the
Scouts in few words-"70 In the hos
pital so far, 20 discharged and not
rs bona fide hospital cases in the
whole bunch"
Jamboree doctors take no chances
If your own boy gets an infected foot
or finger, you call the family doctor
and your son Is treated at home. But
II he's encamped in the jamboree tent
city and gets the same thing, of he
goes to the hospital.
Not only are the Scouts as a whole
doing very we'll In the way OF health
but those who do have ailments con-
tracted them in many cases before they
came to Washington or on their way to
the Capital by train. bus or boat. This
was the case with the only victim of
poison ivy in camp, DR. Smith said
1t was the same with several victims
OF gastro-intestinal disturbances
These boys were sick when they left
the trains at Union Station.
No Danger Of Epidemic.
DR.. Smith refused to view with alarm
four cases Of mumps and one "sus-
pect." There is no danger of an
epidemic OF any type" he said The
boys are confined to their own sec
tion and not allowed to mingle with
Scouts Of other sections
Thus far, two Scouts have lost their
appendix under the knife. Both are
doing very we'll, according to the medi-
cal chief
The breaks" so far have been a
broken leg, ankle and arm and two
broken collar bones. One Scout who
was wrestling with a chum and an
other who fell down were the collar
bone victims A boy fell while scaling
wall and broke his ankle. Another
Scout was standing on log when he
lost his footing. He put out his arm
as he fell and 1t was broken at the
wrist.
Yesterday there were only four hos
pital cases up to noon-three admitted
and one under observation. Those
admitted had been hurt in accidents
AS for Fourth of July fireworks. the
chief medical officer anticipated no
casualties. He termed the dental sit
uation very good" Three dentists
keep the dental unit open "a hours a
day on the headquarters ground.
Sent Quickly 10 Hospital
I'VE take absolutely no chances. "
said DR.. Smith. Under no crcum-
stances will boy be kept in camp
over "a hours if he is Ill. We shoot
them off to the hospital. Only sew
eral minor cases can be charged to
the jamboree. Several boys were sent
in for x-rays which proved negative.
DR.. Smith might be called the JAM
boree's first patient as well as its first
medical officer. He was appointed to
head the jamboree medical set-up two
years ago. He came to Washington
to confer with the surgeon general
Of the Public Health Service about
plans for the Scout reception
Il told the surgeon general I was
worried about the cars on the Memo
rial Highway. for fear the encamped
Scouts might get hit by them" re-
counted the doctor. My fears should
have been for myself"
DR.. Smith left the Public Health
Building and was struck by an auto
mobile as he crossed the intersection
at Nineteenth street and Constitution
avenue. He suffered a broken collar
bone, five broken ribs and the lower
lobe OF his left lung collapsed. He
was rushed to Baltimore where he
remained in hospital for 10 weeks.
The man who hit me had no
money, SO I didn't even collect dam
ages Dr.. Smith recalled.