ISSUE 3 : Mar/Apr - 1977 - Australian Defence Force Journal

24 DEFENCE FORCE JOURNALdivided into twenty-four time zones of onehour each for every fifteen meridians of longitude)produces a deterioration of behaviouralintegrity as judged by reaction and decisiontimes for relatively simple tests" McGirr (1966).This in effect means that the performance ofsoldiers after being rapidly transported East-West or West-East through 5 or more timezones, will be considerably poorer than normalfor 1 to 4 days. This finding could have graveconsequences for an army planning to rapidlyfly troops into an area involving long East-West or West-East flight.Similarly, the proven need for acclimatisationof troops to changes in climate (hot or cold)suggests that ideas of "quick reaction" forcesheld central!) and u\ailah!e for service quickl)in any point on the globe may not at presentbe practical. It would seem that for suchoperations to be feasible, considerable researchand investigation would be required.In the same vein, future problems for thepublic health service of the army will includesuch diverse subjects as diet, clothing, shelter,sanitation, and mental health in extremes ofclimate, altitude and modes of travel. Thelist is unending as suggested by ProfessorBrockington.ConclusionThe story of Public Health in the army isreally complementary with the world widestory of public health. It is a story of man's"growing-up" and realization that "no man isan island unto himself", that health, happiness,efficiency and satisfaction in one's role in lifeare produced by the interactions of people inthe community, the environment in which welive, and the product of the endeavours ofman and nature. So it is a dynamic discipline,constantly changing to meet changing needs,but not changing so much that lessons of thepast can be ignored, or conversely that theproblems ahead are insurmountable.Perhaps the biggest problem in the story ofpublic health however has not yet been solved,and that is the problem of responsibilities inthe task. To get the authorities in both theservice and civilian life to be aware that toobtain high standards of health positive actionis required of a wide range of people."The control or eradication of diseaserequires the participation and co-operation oflarge numbers of people of widely differentinterests, including politicians, administrators,doctors, teachers, and especialh the peoplethemselves". Hobson (1%1)To apply this to the army, the great workof Florence Nightingale, Sidney Herbert andothers in establishing better hospitals, an armyschool of Health, improving the standards ofthe medical service and establishing the principlesof public health, hygiene, sanitation andpreventive medicine, must be continued andextended. These principles must be taughtover and over again to all branches of thearmy, at the recruit training units, at the serviceand arms training schools and particular!)at the administrative and staff training institutions.A firm grasp of these principles mustbecome a prerequisite for command at alllevels, not only because lessons of the pastshould be avoided, but also because problemsof the future can be better tackled. QBIBLIOGRAPHYBrockington, Professor C. F., "A Short History ofPublic Health" 1966.Brockington, Professor C. F., ''The Theory andPractice of Public Health" 3rd Ed. 1969 Chapter I.Greaves. Lt. Col. F. L.. US Army (retired), "TheProper Leader", Army Journal, April 1970.Hobson. W., "The Theory and Practice of PublicHealth" — preface to 1st Ed.Lewis, Colonel M. M., "The Specialty of ArmyHealth" 1948, Public Health, 1958.Long, Gavin. "Official Australian War History1939-45".Longmore. Deputy Inspector-General T.. Annualreport of the Army Medical Department for theYear 1859, London. HMSO, 1861.MacCallum. Brigadier. W. P.. "Medical Services inWar" 1939-45 Part III Australia.McGirr. P. O. M., "Orcadian Rhythms in Flight".Occupational Medicine, Vol 18 No 1 1968.Marriott. Brigadier, H. L., 1946, Army Quarterly 52.63.Ministry of Defence. 'Manual of Army Health".1965.Personal F.xperiences, Author — 8 Fd Amb Vietnam1968-9.SEATO Military Medical Bulletin. Vol III.Slim. Field Marshall Sir W. "Courage" 1957.Smith. Cecil Woodham 'Florence Nightingale." 1950.Strickland, J. F.. et al.. "Agranulocytosis Probablydue In Dapsone." \1cJ Journal of A list. Ma) I l )~nThe Holy Bible. Deuteronomy — King James Version.W. H. O. Chronicle, "Five Years of Research onthe Treponematoses." Vol 24 No 2 1970.Young M. D.. "A Manual of Tropical Medicine"Hunter et al 1966.