Evening star., 1950-07-15
Medical Society
To Study Policy
On ServiiceCaII
Some Doctors Said
To Doubt Practices
Can Be Protected
By George Beveridqe

A special committee Of the Dis
trict Medical Society will be ap-
pointed soon to study the entire
question Of how doctors should
meet the requirements Of the
armed forces, officials said today.
Appeals from the services al
ready have been sent to doctors
to accept military service. The
committee is expected to consider
a broad policy program.
Informal discussions already
have been held among medical
groups here, but a society official
stressed that the talks still are in
the planning stage"
Meanwhile, he said many doctors
feel there is no practical way to
protect" the practices Of doctors
who leave civilian life for long
periods Of military service.
Plan Voluntary So Far.
The Star reported yesterday
that Army officials planned to ask
doctors to try to develop some
such plan, suggesting that sen
ior" doctors in the community at
tempt to keep intact, as nearly as
possible, the practices of the doc
tors who leave for military duty.
One ofiicer said the idea has been
discussed Informally with a few
physicians here and that it was
hoped the doctors would "cafry
the ball" themselves in mapping
out program.
Doctors said the individual re-
lationships between patients and
doctors are such that they do
not consider it practical to at
tempt to keep intact the practices
Of doctors who leave. Among
those most active in preliminary
discussions are members Of the
District Physician Veterans Of
World War II, who are strongly
affected by the present crisis.
Priority Recommended.
DR.. Eugene j. Mcdonald, presi-
dent Of the physician-veterans
group. said his group, representing
$50 active members, has recon-
mended that doctors needed for
active duty should go in this order:
ID those trained under Army spe-
cial training programs and Navy
Viz programs who have not pre-
viously served; ca those who did
not serve during the last war, and
CD those who served for the least
time.
Defense officials hope to get the
greatest response to calls for ac-
tive duty from doctors who have
been trained at Government ex-
pense, but have not served on ac-
tive duty.
Severe Shortage Exists.
At the same time, Navy Surg.
Gen. Clifford A. Swanson urged
doctors, dentists and nurses who
are members Of the inactive re-
serve to volunteer for extended
active duty" to meet the shortage
OF personnel. Doctors and den
lists will be commissioned in
ranks as high as lieutenant COM
mander and nurses as high as
lieutenant, depending on age and
professional experience.
Members who volunteer should
apply to the Chief Of Naval Per-
sonnet. Navy Department, WASH
ington, IS, D. C.
In another development, Mai,
Gen. Lewis B. Hershey said the
selective service system has done
quite a little planning" with the
idea that draft boards may even
tually have to register women.
May Register Women.
The draft chief told a radio
audience last night that it might
be necessary to register women If
the country faced a situation re-
quiring "about all the people its
got" He added that women could
not be registered for the draft un-
less Congress changed the present
law.
Humorously, he observed:
IF we registered all the ladies
under 26, we'd get 80 per cent of
them"
As voluntary enlistments con-
tinued to increase throughout the
country, the Navy estimated 2.100
recruits volunteered during the
first four days Of this week, as
compared with / 1,423 for the corre-
spondinr dayS in June.