DOCTORS AND THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2687, 5 February 1916, Page 15

DOCTORS AND THE WAR

UNIVERSAL MEDICAL SERVICE SCHEME FOR AUSTRALIA

A scheme of universal medical service has beeu advocated before the Now South Wales branch of tho British Medical Association by Lieut.-Col. , who to the Army Medical Corps of the Australian Imperial Forces. Ho explains that during tho past few months he lias been in touch with tho medical profession in England, in the Mediterranean, and in' Australia, and has been afforded a unique opportunity of acquiring an unbiassed view of the relationship and the attitude of the medical profession generally to the war. : He believes that the following are among the main causes which prevent: the members of the profession from enlisting more freely:—After enlisting, the notice given by the military authorities is so embarrassingly short, in some cases only 24 hours' notice being, given; the fear that the want of previous military training will stand in their light; the statement that many of our leading men who have already enlisted are idle, both in England and in the Mediterranean; the feeling that their professional inferiors have Deen given, higher; military rank, and they imigTit have to serve nnder them; the' [inability to stand the finwicial strain; the fear tha't someone will grab' their' work in their absence.

Dealing with each of these objections, he points out that one month's training in the evening by a military instructor would give every medical man enough knowledge to carry on his duties as a miltary officer. Schools for the purpose should be formed and organisedby the local branches" of the 8.M.A., and the Defence Department would r.o doubt supply the instructors. Eeg'arding the statement that' many medical men are idle at the hospitals in the war area, he claims it to bo only a half-truth, as ; it. must, he says, be realised that a military . organisation is worked. . out on.a maximum and notion .a .minimum basis so that wliea the extraordinary call comes it must not collapse. The whoie history of-the war showed big actions alternating with periods of comparative inaction. The one ' great ■lesson that must be learned by the im- - trained A.M.C. man is that every man must -bo ready to do any duty of a medical _ nature that the requirements of . the service demand! If every speciality is to be attended to by a.special man, the supply of medical men will soon run out. In this connection he quotes the case of a famous Melbourne surgeon being put to attend measles. The real necessity for organisation,. tfte 'doctor continues, comes in with the fact that if they enlist someone will grab their work m their absence. He, however,thinks ■tfiat the situation can be well controlled, as the profession in this State is the largest individual branch of-the 8J1.A., and has on,its rolls over 90 per.cent, of the men: in practice. The greatest point of all is that trust should be_ put in one another. The war is being , for high stakes. .Every man must come into line: Beforo Australia has done her duty she will' have to send _ 400,000 troops to the'front, and it is impossible that the medical men already there can cope with the j additional numbers.

In conclusion lie states: "Before tie war is over the whole medical profession will be a trained army niedical service, ■ ready for any emergency, and able to hand on their training to -the next generation. The Defence Department is quite willing that tfie B.M.A. should take over the management of the siipply of medical officers, if it proves able to do so. . What body of men with any claim to common sense would refuse the assistance of an organisation as' complete as that of the B.M.A. ? Even unorganised as we are now, splendid work ha-s been done at the front and at-the base hospitals. Australia- has no need to be ashamed of her medical men."—Sydney "Sunday Sun."