The Health bulletin [serial] - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

jclinical! adequateI%w^mimmPUBLI5AED 5YTAE N'>RTf\ CAROLINA STATE B«»ARD-^ AEALTAVol. 66 AUGUST, 1951 No. 8J. W. R. NORTON, M.D., M.P.H., Sute Health Officer JOHN H. HAMILTON, M.D., EditorMILITARY PREVENTIVE MEDICINEA KEYSTONE OF MILITARY STRENGTH*James Stevens Simmons, S.B., M.D., Ph.D., Dr.P.H. S.D.Brigadier General, U. S. A. (Retired)Dean, Harvard School of Public Health,Boston, Mass.(hon.)If I were starting my military careertoday, I should like someone to give mea clear picture of the objectives of theMedical Service of the Army and to indicatethe main channels through whichthe Medical Service and all its personnelcan work most profitably for theachievement of these objectives. I wouldwant this type of orientation to help meIn shaping my own philosophy and allmy future actions as a military surgeon.The Mission of the Medical DepartmentBriefly stated, the responsibility ofthe Medical Service is to keep thesoldier on his feet and fit to fight. Thisis a big order, and the achievement ofthis mission requires broad leadership,clear vision, careful planning, and aggressiveaction by a great variety ofspecialists. The major approaches to theaccomplishments of this mission areand preventive.The Clinical Approach is to organizepersonnel and facilities withwhich to salvage the sick and woundedand restore them to health. A modernarmy must provide effective first aidand rapid evacuation for the wounded.It must have modern facilities, adaptedto combat conditions, so that the sick, and wounded will receive the best possiblemedical care and hospitalization.This must be followed, when feasible,by modern rehabilitation to restore thesoldier to a state of physical and mentalfitness in the shortest possible time.To accomplish this important portion ofthe Medical Service's mission requiresan enormous organization and largenumbers of specialists in every aspect ofcurative surgery and ciu:ative medicine.The Preventive Approach to the conservationof fighting manpower is theeven greater obligation of the MedicalService to protect as many soldiers aspossible against sickness or injury. Thismore constructive approach is madethrough the numerous activities nowincluded imder the term "military preventivemedicine." From the viewpointof military efficiency, it is more desirableto keep the well soldier well thanto provide the expensive and complexfacilities required to restore the sicksoldier to health. For this reason, diseaseprevention should logically be theprimary objective of the Medical Service.It is therefore important that everymember of the military establishmentnot only the personnel of the MedicalService, but all members of the combat•Reprinted by permission from the UnitedStates Armed Forces Medical Journal