The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1942-06-25

which may be of decided benefit in
conditioning aviators to high alti-
tudes. OF course, a great many
devices have already been tested
out which have helped aviators 10
endure high attitudes for a long
time; but the whole problem has
not by any means been solved for
100 per cent Of aviators.
One Of the factors in the situa-
ton seems TO be that if the adrenal
glands can be kept active, the en-
durance of aviators at high alti-
tudes will be considerably in
creased. Animal experiments have
shown that the adrenal glands can
be stimulated and by using this
stimulant animals can be kept in
a rarefied atmosphere for a much
longer time than has been believed
possible.
Military Secrets
lam not at liberty to divulge the
method used, which comes under
the heading of a military secret,
but the man % whom | spoke is a
conservative research worker and
seemed to feel that this was one
OF the great steps in aviation N
this field.
! Another field of medical char
acter in which advances are being
made is on the different types of
goggles and spectacles used by the
armed forces in various forms of
combat. This also is a military
secret but is sufficiently important
that high officials regard it as one
Of the great improvements in
Army equipment Of the last few
months.
) Another war item has to do with
the serious shortage of surgical
gauze, bandages and other first
aid materials. DR.. George Baehr,
Chief Of the Office of Civilian De-
tense Medical Division, says This
unlimited purchasing of first-aid
materials is based upon a wrong
conception of air raid casualties.
These casualties are usually of
such severity that only trained
emergency medical field units are
competent to attend the injured at
the site Of an accident" England's
experience revealed that bomb cas-
ualties were relatively few in pro-
portion to the amount of property
damage, but large percentage OF
the victims died within a short
time after the injury unless they
received surgical attention from
trained field units headed by ply
sicians.
Not Necessary
1nasmuch as the program Of the
Office Of Civilian Defense, as 1t
affects hospitals, makes ample
provision for emergency medical
field units and ambulance facili-
ties, the present drain on first aid
materials is not only useless but
genuinely hazardous. As an illus
tration of what is happening, DR..
Baehr stated that one Of our cities
purchased $4,000 first aid kits for
its school teachers, and that every
warden's post, every apartment
building and every floor of every
municipal and other government
building was being equipped with
first aid supplies.
James NJ. Lands, Director of
the Office of Civilian Defense,
adds: "The rapidly increasing
wastage Of gauze bandages and
other first aid materials is reach
ing alarming proportions which
may threaten the supplies avail
able for the military forces and
civilian defense needs.
Air raid wardens will not be ex-
pected to care for the wounded in
the event Of an air raid, but be-
cause Of the present misunder-
standing, tens Of thousands of
them are stocking up on first aid
materials and are urging every
one in their zones to do so. Most
households are merely duplicating
the materials already in their
medical cabinets.