The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-12-15
|NkvY'S MEDICAL CORPS HAS OWN
 SHOCK TROOPS
By CHARLES P. ARNOT Limited Press Stan Correspondent

0y CtAAkkE0 IT. AkSNOl
 United Press Stan Correspondentl
 An Advance Ul S. Base in The South Pacific (DelayeD (UP)-With hammers and saws. they build their own hospitals. With scalpels and dressings. they treat the wounded.
 These are the U. s. Nayy's med ical commando" men of mobile units who are trained to go ashore while fighting is underway and establish their own hospital facilities.
 Beneath tropical palm trees at this advance base, the medical ''shock troops'' have moved in and erected an ultra-modern clinic with com lete facilities.
 Two weeks ago the hospital site was merely vacant expanse along the seaShore. Now neat rows of gray buildings. can be seen among the trees. I wanted to know the secret of this record achievement. Always Ready to Move
 we are known as mobile units because we really are mobile. even though our facilities actually are not on wheels" Capt. A. l.. Lindall Medical Corps, of Parker's Prairie Minn,. told me. ''Our units are ready to move. at a moments notice, to any place where the war brings a need for our services"
 Lindall, the executive officer of this unit, showed me the crates which few days ago contained the units building, trucks, ambulances, medical equipment and other facili- ties.
 We use pre-fabricated materials for our buildings to save time," he said. Some of these buildings here now were erected in half a day. If we were pressed for time, we could have many of them erected and equipped in a single day"
 All these units need is a small piece of land and running water to set up hospitals better equipped than many civilian institutions of comparable size.
 Finds Doctor On Ladder I saw one doctor, a brain special iSt, climbing a ladder to put the finishing touches on building that soon would house thousands of dol lars worth of modern x-ray equip ment, Another veteran doctor was directing the laying of tile in one of the two large and completely equipped operating rooms.
 In an elaborate laboratory, al- ready in operation, I found 8 half dozen medical corps men with their eyes glued to microscopes.
 'They are studying the malarial conditions here," Lindan explained. We must prevent disease as well as treat the sick and wounded
 Doctors and medical corps men are manning this particular unit. Their all-arodnd training has en- ahled them to erect their own hos pitals and install complicated cleo trieal. refrigeration. water and sani- tation systems with minimum of outside assistance.
 An officer of the navy civil en- gineering corps is in general charge of construction, but the doctors themselves supervise much of the work, some of which generally would require the services of skilled teehnicians.
 Teamwork Stressed Versatility is the basic require ment for all medical officers. In addition to being a general practi- tioner. each is a specialist in 8 different kind of medicine or sur gery. The officer personnel, repre- senting every needed skill, includes specialists in orthopedic surgery, preventative medicine, dentistry, psychiatry, pathology, dermathol- ogy, thoracic surgery and abdom- inal surgery.
 The units are so trained that some doctors and their aids will care for the wounded while others unload and uncrate materials and equipment. Like commandos, these men are trained in teamwork and know how to work fast and effi- ciently under any circumstances. | EadCI1 ut11t Go ScA~CO11td1I1CO, oO 1tS doctors and pharmacists mates not only have to be skilled in medical practice. but also must be- able to wield hammers, saws and other building implements. Some are quali- fled electricians. others serve as plumbers,
 Should the enemy strike while work is in progress, officers and men alike are trained to trade their tools for steel helmets and gas masks. Since officers and men of the medical corps are restricted by in- ternational agreement to using weapons only to defend themselves, each unit has its complement of guards. These seamen are highly trained in commando fighting tac- tics. and can use all types of weapons.
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