Evening star., 1944-11-26
Doctor Shortage
Held Menace 10
Pupils Health
Physicians Illness,
Two School Vacancies
Cited by Murphy

TWO vacancies anc one absence
because of illness among doctors as
signed to examine school children
has resulted in limited medical pro-
lection for $4,000 District public
and parochial school pupils, and the
situation may become dangerous II
continued much longer, DR.. Joseph
A. Murphy, director of the school
medical inspection service for the
Health Department. said yesterday
DR.. Murphy's staff should consist
of 20 doctors to examine every child
at least once year, he said.
The key vacancy is the post OF
ear specialist to handle hard-of-
hearing children. The other two
one caused by illness and the un.
filled are in the staff assigned to
drive from school to school, making
general examinations and returning
to prescribe for and recheck chill.
dren needing special attention.
1--WE have combed the city" DIR
Murphy said. 1T looks very much
as if there were not many possibili.
ties Of replacements.
"In some schools we are not get.
ting SUFFICIENT amount of service, >
he continued. The shortage is no
at the point of being alarming now
but it will be If 1t continues for &
long time"
DR.. Rutland Concerned.
DR.. George c. Ruhland, District
health officer, said he was mos
anxious to have the vacancies filled
But even If these positions art
filed" DR.. Rutland continued, "they
will not meet the program We should
have for our children"
DR.. Rutland suggested that teach.
ers be given perhaps half-yeal
medical course in the Wilson and
Miners Teachers colleges to pre-
pare them to some extent to rec
ognize behavior symptoms traceable
to health conditions rather than Ill
nature or stupidity. Though he
knows the teacher is ''bedeviled" with
demands for increased service, DR.
Rutland said, he believes educating
them in medical fundamentals
would be of great service in referral
of children for detailed examina-
lions not possible in routine check
ups made every year.
Doctors assigned to the medical
inspection squad each normally ex-
anime $500 to 1000 children, DR..
Murphy said. The extra load OF
more than 5000 children caused by
the vacancies has had to be divided
among the other doctors. some OF
whom are already responsible for as
many as 10 schools each.
I'VE have had to spread the doc
tors thinly," DR.. Murphy said. They
have to travel more. They can make
only a certain number of examina-
tions in certain time"
Request Unanswered.
DR.. James A. Cannon, physician
member OF the Board of Education
said he had been concerned about
the vacancies for some time and
suggested that members of the Dis
trict Medical Society be requested by
DR.. Rutland to help serve schools in
their neighborhoods. DR.. Rutland
said he had made such a request in
the past but had gotten mo re-
sponse."
The lack of a trained ear special
iSt to discover and make arrange
ment for correction of ear condi-
tions early in the school career, DR.
Murphy said, is serious" OF more
than 1000 children examined for
ear deficiencies in the last year, he
said, 81 per cent should have reme-
dial activity prescribed by a trained
specialist.
The i'll doctor may possibly return
to work next month, DR.. Murphy
said. He emphasized that the other
two vacancies had to be filled by
doctors of some experience Most
of these, he said, already are over
loaded with private practice or are
in the armed services.