Evening star., 1944-05-21
Armed Forces
Halt Calls for
Doctors Here

VIM AI0e fredlctS
20 Awaiting Induction
Will Be Last to Go
The number of civilian physicians
in the Washington Metropolitan
area probably will be frozen" soon,
it was predicted last night by DR..
Paul Dickens, chairman of the Dis
trict Procurement and Assignment
Committee for physicians of the
War Manpower Commission.
DR.. Dickens said he believed
Withdrawals of medical practitioners
from the community into the armed
services would end after 20 doctors,
now awaiting commissions, were
sworn in.
He revealed that there are now
986 practicing physicians in the
Metropolitan area, including 854
In Washington-a ratio of one to
every 1892 residents. The minimum
requirement, it was said, was one
for every 1900 persons in a metro
politan community.
No Need for Concern.
Luxury medical care" DR.. Dick
ems said, 'has no place in wartime
Washington. He gave assurance,
however, that necessary services
would remain available, and said
there is no need for concern"
I'm my opinion" he said, there
are at present q sufficient number
Of physicians in the metropolitan
Area to care for the civilian popula-
ton. No more physicians will be
made available to the armed forces
without careful study, unless the
demands Of the military become so
imperative that additional FRACTION
ers must be released. Other ar
rangements will then be made to
provide the necessary care for
civilians"
"Our study shows" said DR..
Dickens, in a formal statement,
that we have g. growing number
of physicians in the advance age
group. For example, more than SO
per cent of our white male physi-
clans are over the age of As, a
large percentage of them being in
their f1fties and sixties, and few
in their seventies. A small per-
centage of the recent graduates
from medical schools now go into
private practice: In fact, the armed
forces require internes and residents
who can qualify physically. There
are, therefore, no young physicians
to replace those who become dis
abled or die except those who are
rejected by the armed forces.
Must Aid Nearby Areas.
II wish to point out also" sale
DR.. Dickens, "that the Washington
physicians are responsible to large
extent for the medical care giver
individuals within the Metropolitan
area in nearby Maryland and Vir-
ginia. Our figures show the ratio
Of physicians per population ir
Prince Georges and Montgomery
counties. Maryland is one physician
to 1880 persons, in Virginia it il
one physician to 2,484 persons. Al
the minimum number of physicians
required in metropolitan areas Is
approximately one physician to 1,20(
persons, 1t can be seen that these
communities must of necessity de.
pend in no small degree on the ply
sicians in the District"
According to the figures made
available by DR.. Dickens, there are
at present $50 white male, SIS female
and 100 colored physicians in the
District, excluding full time phys
icians employed by hospitals, Gov
ernment, industry, schools and busi-
ness, making a total of 854 doctors
in private practice in the District.
In addition, in Arlington County
and Alexandria, Va, there are SIS
practicing physicians and in Prince
Georges and Montgomery Counties,
Maryland, there are IT, making a
total Of 986 practicing physicians
in the metropolitan area.
Points to Fluctuation.
1t was pointed out by DR.. Dick
ems that there is a f1uctuation in
the medical as well as the general
population. In determining the
ratio of physicians to population
figures used as rega..is the general
population were provided by the
Census Bureau and are based on
estimates made last November.
In addition to DR.. Dickens, the
following are members of District
Procurement and Assignment Com
mittee: Col. A. Clagett Gray, medical
director of District Selective Service;
Drs. Francis x. McGovern, James A.
Cannon, Henry c. Macatee, Henry
r. Schneider, Luther H. Reichel-
derfer, William T. Davis, James A.
Lyon, Casiner Leibell, A. Magruder
Macdonald, Charles S. White, Will
liam c. Goines, representing the
Medico- Chirurgical Society, Inc,
and Mr. Theodore Wiprud, secretary