ELIMINATING THE UNFIT

Taranaki Daily News, 26 March 1917, Page 2

ELIMINATING THE UNFIT

ONE PER CENT. IN ENGLAND. Wellington, Wednesday. A statement was made on Wednesday by Surgeon-General R. S. V. Henderson, Dirctcor of Medical Services, regarding the recent criticisms of the medical examination. General Henderson said that official reports regarding men found unfit in the training camps in England, before being sent to the front, stated that the number had been about 1 per cent, to January 13. It was difficult to climin-. ate entirely such cases, owing to the varying opinions of medical ollieers. Undoubtedly men cooped up on board ship for eight weeks or more became "soft," and were liable to have any weakness accentuated by the rigorous training at Sling Camp. The eliminations in England comprised mainly cases of rheumatism, men prematurely old, and men with "flat feet." None of the men hitherto sent to England had been passed by the Medical Boards under the ballot system. Every endeavor had been made in the past to secure as many recruits as possible from the First Division, :bjit in doing this, the instructions laid down by the Army Council had always been strictly observed. Regulations issued some time ago had admitted slight relaxations in the standard of recruits, as egads talcing men with mild hernia, slight deformities, etc It was found that the opinions of medical men differed considerably as to what constituted fitness, and, in consequence, it had been decided to adopt a more rigorous standard, and the results already were becoming considerably better. He hoped ultimately that they would ho able practically to eliminate the despatch of unfit men.