THE MALINGERERS

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 64, 8 December 1917, Page 10

THE MALINGERERS

HOW THEY OPERATE

MEDICAL BOARDS ARE WARY

Malingerers do not appear to be plentiful in New Zealand, but the military medical boards are not without experience of them. This experience has been

acquired slowly and sometimes painfully. The medical officers have had to learn to be suspicious, and if occasionally they appear disinclined to accept a perfectly genuine story of physical weakness or past ill-health from a recruit, the blame for their incredulity must rest on the shoulders of the other men who have tried to "work points." The doctors cannot believe everything they are told, and their knowledge of human nature would have to be very deep indeed to enable them to separate the true from the false at a glance. There are various grades of malingerers. The straight-out malingerer is the man who, though fit for military service, seeks to convince the medical board that he is unfit. He may affect to be deaf, or short-sighted, or lame; or lie may even use a drug to cultivate an appearanco of a bad heart or weakness of some other organ.. Unfortunately there is reason to believe that in some parts of New Zealand malingerers of this type have had expert assistance, presumably in return for payment. Their chanco of success nowadays is small, for the medical officers are practised and wary. But in the early days of- conscription cases of successful fraud occurred. The combing over that has been undertaken has brought some decidedly suspicious cases to light, and the individuals concerned have gone to camp. Another typo of malingerer is the man who really has nothing wrong with him except a general nabbiness, but who is firmly convinced that he could never stand the strain of 1 training. He probably takes little exercise, eats too much, smokes many cigarettes, and works and sleeps in ill-ventilated rooms. Hβ suffers from indigestion, ho may have "a heart," and he knows from experience that he cannot run twenty yards after a tram without feeling very blown and uncomfortable. This man seldom has much difficulty in providing himself with a certificate to the effect that his health is not good and he arms himself with this document when he goes before the medical board. Many men of this class , had to be set down as unfit at first, (because there was every possibility that if they went into one of the \A camps they really would breakdown under; tlio sudden strain. But tlio 01 camp does wonders with theee men. They are token in hand gradually, given graduated exercises under wholesome conditions, and turned into lit soldiers. Their pride in the change is often as great as their astonishment.

Amusing stones are told of tho attempts made to deceive tho medical boards. It may seem a simple thing to simulate deafness, for example. But as a matter of fact the recruit who pits his wits against experienced medical officers in such a test is almost cer-

tain to bo defeated ignominiously. There was one man who maintained his rolo through all the usual tests. He could riot hear a word that was said to him unless it was. shouted. He appeared to be so deaf that his services could not possibly be used in the Expoditionary Force. The two doctors consulted, and agreed, in low tones, that the man must be regarded as unfit. They wrote something on a paper, and pointed tho deaf man to the door. Then, as ho turned away, ono doctor remarked .quietly: "You had better take your papers with you." Tho recruit turned and reached bis hand for the papers at once. It waetho final test and he had failed to maintain his imposition. He was passed fit.

~The Military Service Act makes provision for the punishment of malingerers, but the authorities tend to the view that the best treatment for the would-bo unfit recruit is that provided in the training camps. Clause 39 of tho Act provides that

Every person shall, be guilty of an indictable offence, punishable by imprisonment with hard labour

for 'any term not exceeding three years, who ... wilfully deceives or attempts to deceive any medical officer in respect of the medical examination of any member of the Expeditionary Force, or of any person offering himself for service with that Force,, whether such member or person bo offering is the accused himself or any other person.