Evening star., 1942-09-06
Limit Of Exemption
For Medical Officers
by McNuh
Only Chiefs in Charge
OF Health Services
Considered Essential

VI he0ifh Services
Considered Essential
Only full-time medical officers in
charge Of health services and full
time chiefs of units within health
departments should be considered
essential to public health interests
and unavailable for military duty.
Chairman Paul " McNutt OF the
War Manpower Commission an
nounced yesterday.
Mr. McNutt said the standards
by which public health physicians
should be considered essential were
adopted by the commissions Pro-
curement and Assignment Service
on the recommendation of its ad-
visory committee on public health.
Before this announcement, ac-
cording to DR.. r. x. McGovern,
chairman OF the Procurement and
Assignment Service for the District,
all public health physicians here
had been considered unavailable for
military service pending some def
mite standard.
DR.. McGovern said he did not
know how many doctors would be
affected, but that he thought the
Public Health Service had more
doctors here than anywhere else in
the country.
Two Categories.
The two categories OF those now
to be considered unavailable are,
first, "a full-time medical ofiicer in
charge of health service of
governmental unit or administra-
tive district, such as State, district,
country and city" and second. full
time heads or chiefs OF administra-
tive units within health depart
ment. For example, tuberculosis,
venereal diseases, maternal hygiene,
infant care, epidemiology, vital sta
tistics, etc"
The Advisory Committee pointed
out that methods Of health service
diner throughout the States and
public health problems vary with
localities. population densities and
locations of war industrie sand mill
tary centers.
Because Of these special problems,
the committee said, it did not SUBJ
nit any specific recommendations
as to the need of full-time medical
ofncers serving health departments
IN capacities other than the two it
cited.
Conferences Recommended.
The committee recommended that
the essential designation of phy-
slclans In other public health ca
pacltles be determined after con-
ference between the administrative
chief of the health apartment con-
cerned and the State chairman Of
the Procurement and Assignment
Service.
Physicians in public health posi-
tlons. other than those specified, who
are under 81 years OF age, should
expect to be released for military
service except under unusual cir
cumstances and their places should
be taken by older persons" the COM
mlttee report stated.
1t went on to point out. however.
that special consideration should be
given to health officers who have
had two or more years of training
and service In public health and
that some Of these who may not be
essential locally may be needed by
the Public Health Service for serv-
Ice elsewhere.
Survey Is Extended,
Meanwhile, DR.. McGovern an
nounced that the wartime survey Of
physicians and hospital facilities
here has been extended by the Pro-
curement and Assignment Service
for the District to include nearby
Virginia and Maryland.
One OF the purposes Of the survey
| Is to determine how many doctors
| can be released for military service
| without depicting medical care here.
DR.. McGovern said the survey
should be completed in a week or 10
days. It is the latest of similar
previous surveys and is designed to
provide a complete picture Of medi-
cal care.
Letters TO Physicians.
We are endeavoring to learn
how many patients living in nearby
Virginia and Maryland are depend
ent upon physicians and hospitals
IN Washington. Most hospitals have
already provided this data. A much
more difdcult task will be to obtain
this information from physicians.
Letters have gone forward to all doc
tors IN Washington requesting them
TO state how many patients they
nave treated during the week Of
August 80 to September S and
whether they live in the District or
IN the adjacent States within the
metropolitan area. Facts gained
from the study will prove extremely
valuable not only to the medical
profession and hospital authorities
but to the public as we'll"
Physicians are being urged to re-
ply to letters sent them imme-
diately. The early completion of
the investigation depends on the
promptness Of their response.
Theodore Wiprud secretary of the
District Medical Society, said rep
resentatives of the procurement and
assignment service are conducting
the survey from the medical So
ciety's headquarters. The society
originally requested that the study
be made and is lending its assist
ance.