Evening star., 1946-03-31
By Horold B. Rooers

rGWcI IIldll Jiiu u VI tIlc QUCtOTS
contributed by the District to the
armed forces have returned to prac-
tice here, but the shortage Of Office
space already is so severe that lead
ers Of the medical profession fear all
attempts now underway to relieve
the pressure may not solve the prob
lem.
This situation was disclosed last
night as it was announced that of
845 doctors who had gone into uni
form from Washington, only 262
have returned. The figures came
from DR.. Paul Dickens, District
chairman Of the Procurement and
Assignment Service for Physicians.
He officially closed this local war
time service, and so notified the ma
tional Office OF Procurement and As
signment, which handled the coun-
try's problem of getting doctors for
the armed forces.
Among efforts being made already
to provide more Office space are: A
proposed new $1,000 900 Columbia
Medical Building on Nineteenth
street, between and K streets NV;
an appeal for more liberal zoning
regulations for doctors Offices and
attempts to rent space in old homes
or buy the buildings for the use of
physicians. Extremely high prices
prevail for such rents or purchases,
it was said.
Ten Died in Service.
OF the doctors who went away,
DR.. Dickens disclosed, 446 were prac-
ticing physicians, of whom 1877 have
returned, and 389 were internes and
resident physicians at hospitals, of
whom only Is have returned. Ten
District doctors who died in service
were eulogized by DR.. Dickens.
II all the remaining 583 returned
the pressure for Office space would
be SO acute that doctors concerned
have no idea how the problem can
be solved
We who remained at home must
remember" DR.. Dickens said, that
in some instances the returned
physician may have lapsed insur-
ance policies, lost his office, and
drained his bank account" He
said the professional esprit de corps
OF physicians who remained during
the war should be enlisted for the
benefit of the returning doctors.
Advisers Praised.
DR.. Dickens praised his advisory
committee, which he said had the
hard task of selecting those ply
Sicians who were to be invited to
enter the armed forces" Two of
this committee died during the war:
DR.. Luther H. Reichelderfer, former
District Commissioner, and DIR. Will
liam T. Davis. Members of the
advisory committee, in addition to
DR.. Dickens, chairman, included:
DR.. James A. Cannon. DR.. William
c. Coins, Col. A. c. Gray, the State
medical officer of District of Colum-
bia Selective Service; DR.. Casimir
Leibell. DR.. James A. Lyon, DR..
Henry C. Macatee, DR.. A. Magruder
Macdonald, Dr. F. X. McGovern,
DR.. Winfred Overholser. DR.. Henry
R. Schreiber, and DR.. Charles STAN
ley White. Secretary Of the COM
mittee was Theodore Wiprud, sec
retary of the Medical Society.
The 10 Washington doctors who
died while in service were listed by
DR.. Dickens as follows:
Morris I. Bierman, commander.
Naval Reserve, born December 18.
1893, died September 81. 1945, In
Washington. of a heart attack
Ripley Buckingham. Captain.
Army, born August 10, 1912. died in
airplane accident at Elgin Field,
Fla.
Samuel Futrovsky. lieutenant,
Army, died October 6, 1912, Elgin
Field, Fla
Martin J. Keane, captain. Army.
born May 2. 1905. died September
20, l945. of heart attack at Walter
Reed Hospital.
Patrick S. Madigan, colonel,
Army. born February IA. 1887, died
May 8, 1914, of coronary thrombosis,
Fort Belvoir
Charles Marion MusSo, major.
Army, born January 10, 1907, died
in France on December "a, 1914.
Henry Pineness, lieutenant. Reg