Evening star., 1942-11-08
Shortage Of Doctors
Is Discussed Here
By VINO Conferees
Military, Civilian Experts
Seek to Halt Shifts
Into Armed Forces

MHItoTy, NiVIIion Experts
Seek to Halt Shifts
Into Armed Forces
Military and civilian leaders sat
around q conference table with
Chairman Paul v. McNutt of the
War Manpower Commission here
yesterday and discussed ways and
means to keep disease from running
amuck because Of the drain of the
Nations medical manpower into
the armed forces.
After many hours behind closed
doors the leaders emerged and said
they had mapped out preliminary
plans for halting the shift of ply
sicians from private practice into
the Army and Navy, but sufficient
progress had not been made to throw
the issue into the arena OF public
discussion. They plan to meet again
December S.
The conferees were the surgeon
generals OF the Army, Navy and
Public Health Service-Drs. James
MaGee, Ross T. McIntire and Thom-
as Parran-Maj. Gen. Lewis B.
Hershey, selective service director;
Maj. Gen. David N. w. Grant Of
the Army Air Forces, Capt. w. j. c..
Agnew, U. S. NJ, aide to Admiral
McIntire; Col. George Lull, aide to
Gen. MaGee; Col. w. F. Hall, aide
to Gen. Grant, and the Directing
Board of the War ManpoWer Com
missions Procurement and Assign
ment Service. DR.. Frank A. Leahy,
Boston, former president Of the
American Medical Association; DR..
Harvey D. Stone, associate profess
sor of surgery, John Hopkins Uni
versity; Dr. Harold S. Deal, dean OF
medical sciences, University of Min
nesota; Dr. Kames E. Paulin, At
lanta. Ga, and Dr.. C. Willard
Camallier of this city.
Fishbein Invitation Revoked.
Invitation of DR.. Morris Fishbein,
editor of the American Medical
Associations Journal, to the con-
ference was reported to have been
withdrawn by Mr.. McNutt. No rea-
son was given for this action, but
it is believed that the chairman
desired to keep the attendance to
those actively on the roster of the
Federal Government.
DR.. Fishbein last week assailed the
Senate Education and Labor Com
mittee for its statement advocating
an overall civilian authority to su-
pervise the drafting and recruiting of
doctors. DR.. Fishbein, in an editorial
in the Journal, said the committee
lacked information as to what has
already been accomplished by the
agencies concerned in their en-
deavors to meet the needs of the
situation.
The editor and spokesman for the
ANA also attacked DR.. Parran and
the United States Public Health
Service because they advocated the
"rationing" of physicians. DR..
Fishbein declared the motive behind
this was the RECOMMENDATION" of the
medical profession.
Service Needs Discussed.
The conferees are reported to have
held lengthy discussions on reloca-
tions of physicians in civilian and
industrial areas and the number of
physicians who can be spared for
the armed services during 1943 The
Army and Navy are reported to have
said they would have only about
1880 additional doctors next year,
which would bring the total in the
armed services to approximately
$500.
The Army, according to reports,
now has eight doctors for every
1000 men, while the Navy has five
doctors for every 1000 men. 1t is
understood that Secretary of War
Stimson has advised Mr.. McNutt
that this ratio would be reduced
sharply next year. The War De-
partment has also stopped all re-
cruiting of doctors at VINO request.
The British armed forces are re-
ported to have four physicians for
every 1000 men.
1t is understood the conferees also
discussed charges by congressional
committees that the Army medical
stats are not fully employed and
many doctors are directed to work
that does not require their talent,
hnnnlin
surgeons examining sanitary con-
tainers.
Sharp Practices Charged.
Charges also have been made that
Army and Navy recruiting teams,
despite the efforts of the WINGS
Procurement and Assignment Serv-
ice; have combed the States for
doctors. In many cases when COM
missions were refused, it has been
charged the aid of draft boards has
been invoked to threaten induction
as an alternative. e
Alabama is reported to be 1874
per cent over its quota, Arizona,
ISL; Louisiana, 206; New Mexico,
225; Delaware las; Virginia, 1876;
Maryland, 104, and West Virginia,
143
States failing to meet their quota
are California, 76 per cent; Illinois,
r. Massachusetts,, 75 Nevada, So;
New York, II. and Pennsylvania, 88.
The procurement service, with
the cooperation of the Public
Health Service and the ANA is
reported to have counted 1.-The nose
of every physician in the United
States" 1t is said that it has been
successful in getting physicians to
move into areas vacated by doctors
or into new industrial centers.
One of the difficulties being en-
countered is that the armed serv-
ices are insisting on obtaining phy-
sicians below the age of IS. This
is making it extremely hard on
those IS years and over, firmly
established in their own communi-