Evening star., 1942-05-11

THE EVENING
limited service" that is service
| within the United States in the
Medical Corps. Shortages on the
medical front have reduced physical
qualifications drastically. But one
qualification remains in force bar
ring 5000 competent physicians from
serving their country in military or
naval medicine. Sex is that quail
fcation.
The Army surgeon general says
10000 additional doctors will be
needed for the armed forces by the
end of 1912
Signified willingness to Serve.
Shortly after Pearl Harbor in
answer to early pleas. the American
Medical Women's Association regis
tered it's members. Some 1000
women doctors signified their will
ingness to serve. OF this number, 10
per cent offered to serve immedi-
ately in the Medical Reserve Corps
OF the Army and Navy. These
women included specialists in We
nereal disease. contagion, anesthesia,
pathology and other skills vital to
frontline and base hospital medicine.
Many more would be willing to
serve. But the office of the surgeon
general is not interested, because,
as one officer there said:
THE introduction of women doc
tors into the Medical Corps would
bring up difficult housing problems.
We have fixed space for a specific
number of female nurses and male
doctors. We might have to build
extra barracks If we admitted women
doctors"
An Old Tradition.
That is one reason. A second
reason given by the Army is an age
old tradition that permits millions
of women to be examined and oper-
ated on by male doctors, but does
not allow the reverse.
An answer to that objection has
been given by one prominent woman
uOCIOI wiz Sdyo, AACiC oAc PiShVy
OF medical jobs in the Army besides
examinations of soldiers. There are
plastic surgery. anesthesia, all the
skills that we have itemized in our
registration"
DR.. Emily Barringer, president Of
the American Medical Women's As
sociation has said, 1T seems evi-
dent that where women nurses can
60. women doctors can 60"
Col. Sam F. Seeley, executive Of
ficer of the Office of Procurement
and Assignment, the overall body
handling the registration and re-
cruitment of physicians for the
Army, Navy, Public Health, civilian
and industrial needs. gave addition
al explanation of this ban In an
interview.
"A ward full OF soldiers feels no
more confidence in woman doctors
than a ward full Of men in civilian
life. If you took a poll Of the
patients OF women doctors, I can
wager you would find that 90 per
cent OF the patients are women"
Won't Back Opinion.
He added, "It all comes back to
public opinion. The general public
is accustomed to the male doctor
Why should we buck majority opin-
ion at this crucial time when there
are plenty of other important war
Jobs for women doctors?"
And there are plenty Of jobs for
women M. DIS, according to the
colonel. This month women doc
tors As well as men all over the
Nation are filling out a question
naire sent out by the ONCE.
They can list in order of prefer
ence the posts they desire. With
the exception Of the first service,
in the Medical Reserve Corps OF the
Army and Navy. women are eligible
for all other posts in Public Health,
industrial medicine, group health
associations and defense housing
dormitories. Civilian practice in
ones home town or in another COM
munity is an important choice. The
names Of those doctors who agree
to serve in q community other than
their own are forwarded to State
chairmen of procurement and as
signment who can call on them in
an emergency.
Call for Plant Doctors.
Red Cross blood donor centers and
the projected emergency camps for
women and children evacuated from
danger areas can use women doctors
too. War industries with increased
pace of production and thousands
Of new workers call for additional
plant doctors. Industrial medicine
is an excellent field for women, ac-
cording to Col. Seeley.
Thousands of male doctors are
daily leaving their civilian practice
for the Army and Navy Medical
Corps. Thousands more will have to
leave If the 16 900 M. DIS. needed are
to be recruited. Americas 5000
women doctors have a serious re-
sponsibility as guardians Of civilian
health against injury and epidemic.
The most useful job that women
doctors can do" according to Col.
Seeley." is to release able bodied
male doctors under the age Of IS for
active service with the armed
forces"
Stop grousing about the things