MILITARY MEDICAL BOARD.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 220, 21 March 1917, Page 2

MILITARY MEDICAL BOARD.

MEDICALLY FIT. EXTRAORDINARY OFFICIAL VERDICTS. WELLINGTON, March 19. Since telegraphing you on the subject of the medical examination of recruits, two cases have come to my notice, showing that there is imperative need for the promised personal investigation by the Minister of Defence into the system which allows unfit men to enter- camp, causing disturbance of their, civilian arrangements, loss to the State, and sometimes permanent injury to the unfortunate men who are misled by an inaccurate medical verdict into taking up tasks beyond their physical power. If the names of the medical authorities whose opinions I go upon in writing this article were at once published, there would be serious misgivings in the minds of the public as to the thoroughness of the medical examination of recruits by some of the Boards, but I will mention the facts, leaving further information far the authorities if they care to challenge the accuracy of the statements. A young man who has been in bad health for some years, under constant medical treatment or surveillance, tried to enlist. At that time the standard was high, or the medical examiner was careful, for* he was turned down. Then, in his enthusiasm, he re-

cently tried again, and passed as fit, though there is in existence a recent medical opinion, signed by a well known ! specialist in certain diseases, that this young man is hopelessly unfit for military service, and that if he did enter » camp he would either die, or would be ( become so ill that he would be a burden to the State or his relatives for the re--1 mainder of his life. His trouble 1 has been so pronounced that for a whole year he has been unable to follow even * the lightest occupation. Camp work would kill him, but he is enthusiastic, L and wants to take all the risk. He should have been protected from the ' consequences of his own short-sighted-Sness,. : but the examining system, as it sometimes works, has failed badly, and needs vigourous reform. There is another case of a man suffering from consumption who got past the medical ex-

laminers. and spent some time in camp with healthy men before it was discovered that he was a menace to his companions, and he was discharged. The I. Minister, for Defence should not lose a f moment in investigating a phrase of r defence administration which has be- ( come scandalously inefficient.