88 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XLVII. No. 1204 



mitted a report advocating- the establishment 

 of an auxiliary medical service corps. This 

 corps is intended to utilize the services of those 

 men who, either by age or physical disability, 

 are disqualified from receiving a commission, 

 but vfho nevertheless are potentially of service 

 to the country and vt^ho greatly desire to 

 render this service. The method of election to 

 the medical service corps as recommended by 

 Dr. Davis vcas as follows: The applicant is to 

 apply by letter to the secretary of the state 

 governing body, who shall mail to the appli- 

 cant a printed form which, when properly com- 

 pleted, will give full information concerning 

 the applicant and enable his proper classifica- 

 tion according to training and special fitness. 

 The name of the applicant, with information 

 concerning him thus obtained, shall be sub- 

 mitted to the committee on elections. The 

 final acceptance of a candidate for membership 

 in this organization is to be by the national 

 governing body. The committee considers it 

 of the utmost importance that menabers of this 

 organization be suitably designated, and for 

 this purpose recommends that a brassard with 

 appropriate insignia be provided; 



Dr. A. Homer Smith reported on the drug 

 situation, detailing important data regarding 

 chemical glassware, digitalis, alkaloids used in 

 ophthalmic practise, novocaine, mercury, and 

 other drugs. He pointed out the urgent need 

 of supply and conservation, and pleaded for 

 complete coordination of all branches of the 

 government on all subjects pertaining to drug 

 and chemical need. 



Dr. Philip S. Doane, of Chicago, who has 

 been assigned to duty with the Shipping 

 Board, submitted a report outlining the medi- 

 cal activities carried on in connection with 

 this board. The Shipping Board has at pres- 

 ent under its supervision 170,000 men, and it 

 is expected that this number will reach 350,- 

 000 within the year. Dr. Doane detailed how 

 these men were being looked after, both as 

 regards the conservation of their health and 

 the treatment of accident and disease prevalent 

 among them, as well as the provisions made 

 for their general welfare, amusement and com- 

 fort. 



For general surgery. Dr. J. Bentley Squier, 

 of New York, submitted interesting data on 

 the progress that is being made in classifying 

 the various surgeons of the country. These 

 men were classified in accordance with data 

 that they furnished on their own question- 

 naire, but in addition to this, the surgical com- 

 mittee, in order to code the men in such 

 fashion as to furnish real, valuable data to the 

 government, obtained information by personal 

 investigation both of the personality and of 

 the professional qualifications of the men con- 

 stituting the various surgical groups of appli- 

 cants. 



Up to date, 21,000 applicants for the Medi- 

 cal Research Corps have been coded in such 

 fashion that at a moment's notice the medical 

 authorities of the War Department may secure 

 almost any desired type of information regard- 

 ing any individual in the service of waiting 

 for commission. 



Miss Ella Phillips Crandall, of the nursing 

 committee, rei)orted on the efforts being made 

 by this committee toward maintaining the nurs- 

 ing standard at a high level, while at the same 

 time securing an adequate number of nurses. 

 This committee has also made inquiries into 

 the question of suitable provision for the nurs- 

 ing care of returned soldiers and sailors in the 

 reconstruction hospitals. This latter work, of 

 course, is being done in close cooperation with 

 those divisions of the War Department and of 

 the Red Cross which have similar work in 

 mind and hand. 



Major John D. McLean, reporting for the 

 committee on states activities, announced that 

 the committee had formulated and secured the 

 approval of the Surgeon General's Ofiice for 

 rules of procedure for medical advisory boards. 



Dr. Rosalie Slaughter Morton reported for 

 the committee of women physicians that this 

 committee now had on its register the names 

 of 1,796 women physicians, or approximately 

 33 1/3 per cent, of all the women physicians 

 registered in the United States. It is hoped 

 that these women physicians may be used to 

 help meet the need of internes, laboratory 

 workers, radiographers, and anesthetists. The 

 women physicians of the country are enthusi- 



