University Medical College - Scalpel Yearbook (Kansas City, MO)

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Ellie Armg Snrgenn ' BY A. W. NlcARTHUR, M. D., Lecturer on Minor Surgery and Surgical Dressings. Vi writing an article for the U. M. C. Year Book upon the subject of The Army 1 5 Surgeon, I hardly know where to begin nor where to leave off, for the subject is l-4 one so varied in its aspect that to cover the ground- thoroughly would make an article much too long for the purpose for which it is intended, however, briefly, I will endeavor to present a few facts and figures depicting the advantages and disvantages of a career in the medical department of the U. S. A., for the average young man who has but rcently come into possession of the much coveted D. degree. The medical department of the U. S. A. is probably more civic in character than that of any other branch of the service and to begin with will say, that any young man imbued with the spirit of a military career and whose enthusiasm is inspired by the God of War,'i would do well to pause and ponder e'er he enter upon the life of a sur- geon of the U. S. A. 'Tis true, there might come a time, once more when the clarion notes of the bugle call, to arms reverberates through the land and the fires of pa- triotism kindled in the breast of every true American, then the army surgeon's life would change from that of a hum-drum existence in some isolated post to an active one at the front, upon the field of battle, but this is an eventuality that should only be considered as a possibility and not by any means as a certainty. Entrance to the medi- cal service of the U. S. A. can be had in two ways, viz., by contract or by commission. A contract is made, as arule,for one year, unless sooner terminated by the Surgeon General, the pay under a contract is one hundred and fifty dollars per month, which never varies, as does that under a commission, the allowances are those of a First Lieu- tenant, these consist of mileage at seven cents per mile when traveling under orders, quarters, fuel and feed for horse, when mounted, everything else must be paid for by the Surgeon, such as expense of mess, uniforms, etc., bachelor officers usually mess together and thirty dollars per month would be a fair estimate of the expense to each man, uniforms probably would average twenty dollars more per month, leaving one hundred dollars to pay other expenses which vary, more or less, according to the char- acteristics of the particular individual, from the above figures it is seen that a thrifty young man could probably lay away nine hundred dollars per year at least. In times of peace the tour of service is ordinarily arranged so the surgeon spends from six to twelve months at a post, the intent being to transfer him from one post to until he has made the rounds, foreign service is the first to which the contract is usually assigned, this being a two years tour of our island possessions, the work is executive as well as professional in character, when stationed at a post, the has charge of the post hospital, is responsible for the efficiency of the service, the safe care of the property, every item of which is charged to him and must be ac- counted for, the hospital corps is also under his direct supervision, the member-sv of which he must instruct in drill, lectures, etc., professionally, he has charge of all enlisted men at the post, the officers, their families, civilian employes and their fami- lies, he is als-o permitted to answer calls outside of the confines of the post, when it does not conflict with his military duties, in this way he can pick up a few extra dol- lars. Some of the principal objections to a contract, in my mind, are: First, the holder, if disabled in line of duty has no pension rights, second, he can be discharged at any time with or without cause, and third, all desirable assignments are usually given to com- missioned officers. Application for a contract should be made to the Surgeon General, another surgeon surgeon

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sels also have tile lined operating rooms, equipped with the best modern furniture. The hospital is under the immediate care of a hospital steward and one or more apprentices. These men are selected not only for their knowledge and ability, but on account of their neatness and gentlemanly deportment as well, and a finer, more efficient corps of nurses would be hard to find. The surgeon's day commences with morning sick call. which the bugle sounds immediately after breakfast. As the little marine trumpeter swells out his chest and sends the doleful strains of Come and get your quinine, qui-nine, q-u-i-n-i-n-e meandering between decks, the sailors who desire medical attention go forward to the dispensary. Here they are ex- amined, admitted to the sickbay if necessary, or placed on the UBinnacle list,' a slip of paper bearing the names of those recommended to be excused from duty. Some re- ceive treatment and are sent back to work. Occasionally, though rarely, a malingerer is encountered. By 11 o'clock the doctor is generally free to do as he chooses. A micro- scope, with plenty of supplies, is always furnished, and the late edition of standard media cal works are supplied on requisition. The willing, conscientious student is given every encouragement to pursue special studies or do research work. Service at sea is alternated with shore duty in naval hospitals, at recruiting sta- tions or in universities, every two or three years. The life is a varied one, replete with interesting experiences. To the young prac- titioner who is willing and able to meet the not unreasonable requirements of the ex- amining board, the prospect is no more alluring than the realization is satisfactory.

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Washington, D. C., giving professional and moral qualificationsg if these are satisfac- tory and there exists a vacancy, the Surgeon General will probably order the applicant to report to the nearest military post for examination as to his physical and mental fitness to fill the position to which he aspires. A commission is to be preferred should the applicant contemplate adopting the U. S. Army as a permanent field for his medical careerg should he successfully pass the mental and physical examination, he is issued a commission, with the rank of First Lieutenant, the pay being one hundred and twenty-five dollar per month, after five years' service he is entitled to take the examination for the rank of captain, which pays one hundred and fifty dollars per monthg the ranks of Major, Colonel, Lieutenant Colonel and Brigadier General are successively attained by right of seniority, the Sur- geon General is selected by the President from the ranks of the Brigadier Generals on the active list. To him all reports go, he dictates the policy of the medical department of the U. S. Army and is held responsible for the efficiency thereof. Commissioned officers can be discharged only for cause and then not without the right of trial by court martial. At the age of sixty-two, any officer, if he so desires can retire upon half pay, which amount he continues to draw till his death. All commis- sioned -officers receive ten per cent in addition to their regular pay, for every five years service up to forty per centgg after that there is no increase. Socially, the life of the army officer is not unpleasant, particularly so, while sta- tioned at a large post, here he finds much in the receptions, parties, balls and club to help while away what might other-wise be dull and tedious hours if stationed at a Western or so-called frontier post. Much time can be pleasantly spent in pursuits of the rod and gun. Everything considered, I should say that the life of the army surgeon c-ompares favorably with that of the physician in private practice. 'Tis true, he can never aspire to the high honor of being great, as a physician or surgeon for the limi- tations that naturally surround his sphere of work preclude the possibility of his being able to compete with his more favored brother engaged in private practice, the word compete is used here with reference to opportunity, it is obvious that the physician in private practice in a large city with modern hospitals, large clinics and a large clien- tele to draw from, has a much better opportunity to develop his skill and perfect his technic than has the- army surgeon in his more restricted field. I admit that a few army surgeons have carved their names high upon the altar of fame, but these are the exception and n-ot the rule, a large majority of the truly great, in medicine and surgery, came from the ranks of the physicians in private practice. In ch-oosing one's life work, no matter what the sphere, one important point should be constantly born in mind, viz., that of personal adaptabilityg certain attributes -of character are peculiarly requisite in one to insure a successful military careerg chief among these may be mentioned a thorough command of one's self, for often times, or- ders from a superior officer, harshly given, will prompt the inner feeling to revolt and require all the -strength of a strong nature to subdue. He should next ask himself: Would he be content to lead a roving life with no fixed place that he could call home? Possessed of thorough self-command, and the last question answered in the affirma- tive, I think, other things being equal, no young man will make a mistake in choosing a medical career in the U. S. Army.