Evening star., 1940-10-11
Red Cross 10 Serve
On Home Front
As Liaison Nurse
Defense Role Pictured
As VituI to Morale of
Forces and Families
(Sirth OF q Serfes.D
By THOMAS r. HENRY.

The Red Cross is Americas nurse.
After nearly a century, during
which it has been pioneer Of mercy
over the earth, it remains the agent
Of the human touch in healing.
That is essentially the function
mapped out for it IN national de-
fense plans. With it's independence
Of official control, its f1exibility Of
organization and It's traditions Of
service, it will perform those tasks
which are outside the scope of official
medicine.
Just now it is doing several routine
jobs in cooperation with the Army
and Navy. Perhaps the most sig
nificant of these is keeping a roll of
the Nations nurses. Approximately
$4,000 are now enrolled at the Wash
ington headquarters. Probably 10000
OF these, 1t Is believed, are sufficiently
free OF family obligations and within
the age limits to be available for
service with the armed forces.
No Front Line Nurses.
The colOrful figure of the Red
Cross nurse ministering to the
wounded at first aid stations, or
even with shells bursting around
her, is largely imaginary. There
were few, II any, Of them in the last
war. 1t is hardly possible that there
will be any in future war. Nurses
form part of the enlisted or commits
stoned personnel. The popular pic
ture is based on Civil or Spanish
War nurses. The function OF the
organization is to keep track of the
available supply.
This service now has been expand
ed to keeping register of highly
specialized medical personnel-X-ray
technicians, dieticians, physiotherapy
aides, laboratory technicians. etc.
These are semi-professional groups
which have developed, for the most
part, since the last war. A register
OF several thousand has been built up
In the past two years to serve the
same purpose as the register OF
nurses.
Beyond this is the traditional role
OF the Red Cross in supplying the
medical luyuries non-essen-
tial but highly important instru-
mentS. occupational therapy equip
ment, which medical ofiicer hardly
could requiSition without lengthy ex-
plantations and the probability Of
considerable delay. Surgical dress
ings made by volunteers. working
under the local chapters. also would
be furnished in great quantities if
an emergency arose which demanded
great excess over the normal sup
ply.
Serve on Home Front.
But the really essential job of the
Red Cross in an emergency. it is
explained by Dewitt Smith, director
OF domestic operations. will be to
act as a liaison agent between the
services and the public-to keep up
morale by looking after the folks
back home. This will be more essen
tial than ever in the present day
type Of total war in which whole
peoples are pitted against each other
and the morale of the civilian
populace is about as essential as the
morale Of the armed forces them
selves.
For this service the Red Cross has
an extremely efficient and far
reaching organization through its
local chapters in almost every COM
munity in the United States. 1t
will establish communications be-
tween soldiers and sailors and their
families. 1t will investigate the
health and economic conditions of
these families upon request and