Imperial Valley press., 1943-10-21
by
Peter
EdsoI,


care of the civilian population
which was such a controversial is
sue last fall, is still here and will in
all probability be here for another
year. The country got by without
any serious epidemics during the
last winter and public health Of
ficials believe they can get through
the coming winter without catas-
trophe. But at its worst, which Is
in some of these new mushroomlng
war industry centerS, the doctor
shortage can hit like this example
taken from a U. S. public health
service survey:
In Brunswick, Ga, the pOpula-
ton has jumped from $4,000 to
5000 in three years. The town
has only IA doctors, or one to
every 5000 inhabitants. Each of
the doctors is seeing from 20 to
40 patients day and has time
for only three or four house calls
week. Most of the doctors are
so oyerwOrked they refuse all
night calls. Patients have to get
up out of their sick beds, go to
the doctors office and wait their
turn, often for hours.
The town has four dentists who
are booked up solid for from three
to four months ahead. There was
one hospital of 69 beds, whose
capacity is now being doubled, but
there IS still a housing shortage, an
inadequate number of food stores
insufficient restaurants. and toe
little laundry service. In the face
of these conditions, the investiga-
tors were not surprised 70 find tina
absentecism in The war plants ant
shipyardS ran as high as Is PEI
cent on some days, a'Cng with !;
terrific labor turnover.
AS a result of this survey, thf
shipyardS hired one doctor and a.
signed him to a housing proJec
community. The yards could use
three more doctors. An inferno wa
hired for the hospital. An Arm;
doctor f.cm a nearby camp, whose
full-time services we're not require d
at the post, asked permission to
spend few hours each day IL
town for civilian practice.
This is an extreme case, but It l.
by measures such as these that
local communities, hit hardest b.
shortages of doctors, are having tc
get by. And there are over 300 U
S. communities faced with sucf
problems today
The country has been lucky
thus far. An office of war in
formation report on public health,
lust released, reveals the lowest
death rate OH record, an increase
i'm the birth rate, and a drop in
maternal and infant mortality.
Infantile paralysis, meningitis
and dysentery are up, deaths
from tuberculosis and vencreal
diseases have not been cut, but
influenza and typhoid rates,
which normally go up in war
times, have actually been C.
duced.
In spite of all these good breaks
plus the fact that the Army ha'
actually discharged some 1900 doc
tors previously commissioned 1ol
service with troops, the doctol
shortage is still the most acute
problem. The places of the l5O'
doctors discharged by the Arm,
must be refilled with other, younge
doctors. In addition, 1000 doc
tors are being commissioned by tn
Army and Navy this year, to brlnt
the total number in service by Jan
I 1944. to $4,000 On the basis o
an Army and Navy of 1913 million
men. this will be one doctor to ap
proximately every 200 men. OBJ
viously. this number will not b.
spread evenly, greater concen
tration being required in actlv'
theaters of operation. What med
ical officers say they actually neet
is a minimum of one doctor TO
every $50 men.
with these $4,000 of the mos
able -bcdied physicians in service
the civilian population of approx
mately 125,OO0,0OO people will b
left with 10000 doctors to TAX
care of them. OF course, some ga,
600 are physicians, surgeons ant
specialists in general practice, tn
others being public health Officials
internes and resident physicians
This will leave an average OF on
general practitioner for approx
mately every 1900 civilians.