Evening star., 1943-07-07
338 District Doctors
Organize Into Panel
For orEmergency Work
Medical Society Sets Up
System to Assure Gore !.
For All Residents

System to Assure Core
For All Residents /.
To assure medical care for
every one in Washington. espe- 7
cially during emergencies such |
as epidemics, panel" of 338
physicians has been established,
to be available through the Med
ical Bureau of the District Med
ical Society.
The so-called mobilization" of
physicians was announced today by
DR.. A. Magruder Macdonald. chair
man of the Committee on Medical
Service for the District, which in
cludes representatives of seven med
ical and health agencies. 1t Is the
result of plan initiated about six
months ago.
The 1913 physicians have agreed to
serve in the supplemental system
OF medical care. which is separate
from the District Civilian Defense
Emergency Medical Service. under
direction Of DR.. John A. Reed. The
civilian defense organization, DR.
Reed explained today. is for care OF
the people during enemy action"
such as an air raid.
The doctors will respond to calls
In any part OF the city where their
services are urgently needed. They
will report through the Medical Bu-
reau, which maintains .24-hour
switchboard, and will cooperate
with other doctors who have accept
ed the craftsmanship of various sec
tions of the city. The sections are
divided to conform with those des-
ignated by the Selective Service
System.
System Seen as Great Gain.
Explaining the supplemental ma
ture of the panel. Theodore Wiprud,
secretary Of the Medical Society,
said the physicians would be called
on in emergencies when the Medical
Bureau doctors already listed for
such calls are not available, or In
the event of an epidemic. Some of
the panel physicians have regis
tered for day calls and others for
night calls.
The new system is considered q
substantial step toward assuring
medical care for the greatly in
creased war population of WASH
ington, which already has sent many
of its doctors to the armed forces.
A survey Of the number of doctors
who have entered the services has
been under way for some time but
probably will not be completed for
about three weeks. Mr.. Wiprud said.
The Medical Bureau. with its
round-the-clock telephone service at
headquarters of the Medical Society.
at l7l8 M street NV. has been
providing information about doc
tors to thousands of newcomers in
Washington, Mr.. Wiprud explained.
To-day the bureau is giving ont
more information about doctors,
hospitals and medical institutions
than at any time since it was placed
in operation, three years ago" said
Mr.. Wiprud. The telephone number
is Republic 6l00.
Last month 7.0OS recorded calls
were handled by the bureau Mr..
Wiprud said. but no record was kept
OF hundreds of inquiries. Requests
for names of doctors, of which a
record is kept, numbered a39.
The bureau has a classified list
OF specializing physicians and Of
general practitioners according TO
location.
So great has been the increase in /
the number of calls that the Medical
Bureau has had TO install additional |
trunk lines. Two operators are
used most of the time.
The Medico- -Chirurgical Society of
the District. an organization of COL |
ored physicians is making a list !
for panel purposes, DR. Macdonald
said, but the system has not yet
been completed
The Committee on Medical Service
for the District. OF which DR.. Mac
Donald. District coroner, is chair
man, includes representatives of the
Medical Society, the United States
Public Health Service. the District
Health Department, the Emergency
Medical Service for Civilian De-
fense, the District Procurement and
Assignment Committee, the Health
Security Administration and the
Medico-Chirurgical Society.
Out of the 1888 physicians who VOL
unteered to serve on the panels in
the 25 selective service districts of
the city. l89 are general practition-
ers and 1913 are specialists. who
agreed to do general practice If
necessary.
In agreeing to be listed on the
panels, physicians were given to
understand that the panels would
be used only in case of an epidemic.
mass injuries resulting from enemy
action. or other catastrophes. ex-
cept in districts where no other
physicians are available"
depending on the course OF the
war; said Mr.. Wiprud, panels will
be used for other purposes only
with the approval of physicians
who have agreed to be listed"
Georqiu LEGISLATORS Seek