/V. , HE SURGEONSv ireular JAN - 1 952 V 0 L U M E - VII fetter NUMBER - 1 A FAR EAST PERIODICAL ARMY HEDICAL SECTION-GHQ-FEC, SCAP AND UNC OF APO 500 MEDICAL SERVICES 6TH ARMY MEDICAL I®POT (EU3AK) Some of the major activities of this medical depot include— teohnioal or medioal maintenance— optioal repair and manufacture— whole blood receipts, shipments-- and storage including biologicals— storage of freesable items— and medicinal gasses. Volume VII - Mimber 1 THE SUR6E0N S JANUARY 1952 circular General Headquarters Far East Command Medical Section letter APO 500 ADMINISTRATIVE Chicago Woman Key Figure in Japan's Public Health Rehabilitation / 1 Tuberculosis Control Program for Korean Children Now Under Way . 2 .... Aidmen Receive First Silver Stars Awarded in 45th Division . 2 Colonel Ginn Mew EUSAK Surgeon ..... 3 Administrative Officers Meet at Osaka . 3 Entomological Studies in the Far East Command ........ 3 Sanitation Battle to Avert Typhus Threat Under Way in Korea ...... 4 ........ Casualties Among AMEDS Personnel . ..... 4 Awards to Army Medical Service Personnel .......... ..........5 Narcotics Control 5 Requisitioning of Code 17 and Non-Standard Items 6 Recent Department of the Army and FEC Fubliaations 6 Clarification of Accounting Classifications 7 Training Films * 7 Blood Bank Research 7 CHICAGO WOMAN KEY FIGURE IN JAPAN'S PUBLIC HEALTH REHABILITATION Modem medical education and the application of ap- though continuing medical education and practical proved public health methods have resulted in a assistance already had reduced the figure consider- marked reduction in the mortality rate of tubercu- ably. Coordination between Japanese medical groups, losis, Japan's leading killer, according to Dr. Anna such as private doctors, hospitals and sanatoria R. Manitoff, of Chicago, chief of medical services directors, and municipal health departments tradi- in the Public Health and Welfare Division of the GHii tionally was not encouraged. Medical Section in Tokyo. In her new assignment Dr. Manitoff worked closely A distinguished looking woman, with the air of calm with the Tokyo Health Bureau, to which she became efficiency associated with the medical profession, advisor and guide in all its undertakings. Here,as she recently described the manner in which modem in Germany, she was in charge of the control of epi- medical education, is slowly overcoming the didactic demics, hospitals, and the sanitation of streets and teachings of past decades. municipal buildings. The procurement of qualified personnel to carry out the multitude of public health "Tuberculosis, to the Japanese way of thinking," she programs presented a tremendous task. said, "used to be a disgrace. Patients went to the hospital only to die. How they go to get well." Dr. Manitoff recalls with pride the red letter day in March 1948 when she brought about the first com- Dr. Manitoff, a graduate of Boston University, and bined meeting of various medical groups in Tokyo, a resident of Chicago's North Side, has devoted her the initial conference of this kind in Japan. At- life to the advancement of medical education and pub- tended by more than 400 persons, including members lic health. After serving 20 years as an official of the Tokyo Medical Association, Tokyo Health Bu- of the Chicago Public Health Department, she has reau, sanitoria directors, and some Occupation per- spent the past six years in Germany and Japan,teach- sonnel, the meeting formulated plans for coordinat- ing the modem miracles of medical science and pub- ing the finding, reporting, hospitalization, contact- lic health. examination and follow-up of tuberculosis patients. Prom this meeting sprang a council in the city of In October 1947, when Dr. Manitoff arrived in Japan, Tokyo, under the jurisdiction of the governor, which Tokyo had a population of 5,000,000 and a disease has authority to make regulations and laws for the and death rate that reached alarming figures, al- control of tuberculosis. 1 Another important program under the jurisdiction of uals to serve their internship. She also helps in Dr. Manitoff was insect and rodent control. For cen- the selection and approval of Japanese doctors, turies, Japanese people believed that rats in their nurses and dentists for fellowships and scholarships homes were good omens, and it has taken considerable at American universities. effort to prove that the rat is a health hazard. Un- der her supervision, hundreds of teams of Japanese, Dr. Manitoff entered foreign service in 1945 whan trained by American sanitary engineers, have carried she went to Germany as a major in the United States out extermination and control programs against rats, Public Health Service. There she was detailed to mosquitoes, flies and other pests. These measures the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Agency have resulted in marked reduction in such diseases (UN££A) and given the post of chief medical officer, as typhus, Japanese B encephalitis and dysentery. Third and Fourth United States Districts, American Zone, which included two-thirds of Bavaria. These At the time of Dr. Manitoff'£ arrival, many Tokyo districts included 200 UMfiHA installations, serving streets were still impassable due to mountains of 130,000 displaced persons. debris and garbage accumulated since the end of the war. Under her vigorous leadership many of the un- The supervision, guidance and teaching of medical of- necessary, unsanitary canals which criss-crossed so ficers, nurses and meeting officers of the UHHHA or- much of the Tokyo metropolitan area, were filled in. ganization, composed of personnel from 51 nations, presented an interesting study to Dr. Manitoff. This resulted in the disposal of debris and the ad- dition of passable streets and new business dis- tricts. "I well remember," she said, "the curious back- grounds encountered in my conferences with the pro- One of the best examples of this program's success fessional people of the different UNKRA teams. For is the street paralleling the Ginza, Tokyo's Broad- instance, one team might have a French doctor, a way. It was formerly the site of an old stagnant Danish nurse and a Belgian messing officer." canal. Now, lots are being sold for new business establishments with the revenue going to the city. Added to this, the variety of DP population, with the corresponding technical personnel, created a Dr. Manitoff*s present position, that of chief of “hodge-podge" of personalities, she explained. medical services, Public Health and Welfare Divi- sion, Medical Section, General Headquarters, SCAP, "We even had a variety of food tastes and habits. is a top-level, policy-making post. She is concern- We had to cater to national taste and, in some cas- ed with administrative supervision of Japanese hos- es, certain religious beliefs," Dr. Manitoff contin- pitals, medical education, dental affairs, nutri- ued. tion and nursing affairs. She travels throughout Japan, lecturing about hospital administration and Looking back on past experiences and reviewing pres- inspecting hospitals, pointing out the good and bad ent accomplishments, Dr. Manitoff believes that the qualities of each and suggesting improvements. medical profession in Japan still has a long way to go. Since most Japanese medical professors instruct She is currently busy changing and improving condi- from German texts of past years, and patient charts tions for Japanese internes both in their own hos- in Japanese hospitals are inscribed in German and pitals and in American hospitals in Japan, where Japanese, with a sprinkling of English, such a be- she is arranging opportunities for selected Individ- lief appears to be well founded. TUBERCULOSIS CONTROL PROGRAM FOR KOREAN CHILDREN NOW UNDER WAX A massive tuberculosis control program calling for The £0K Ministry of Health approved and sponsored vaccination of more than 250,000 Korean orphans and the program following a recent survey which report- primary sch'-ol children is under way in Korea. Head- ed more than 800,000 tuberculosis cases in Korea. quarters, United Nations Civil Assistance Command, Korea, announced today. This total is far higher than prewar estimates, ROK officials declared. They said much of the increase The preventive work will be conducted in Seoul, Pu- is due to extremely poor living conditions in war san, Choju, Taegu, Taejon and Inchon, South Korea's devastated areas. six largest cities, UNCACK officials stated. Dr. Elise Truelsen of Horning, Danmark, formerly in Vaccination teams now immunizing children in Seoul neurosurgical work at the Copenhagen Municipal Chil- are scheduled to complete the project in Inchon by dren' s Hospital, is general supervisor for UNCACK. mid-July. Dr. Truelsen came to Korea last spring as a staff BCG serum and other supplies are being provided by member of the hospital ship Jutlandia. She later the Civil Assistance Command. The project will be joined the UNCACK staff, working in the field of supervised by UNCACK medical personnel. children's medicine. AIDMEN RECEIVE FIRST SILVER STARS AWARDED IN 45TH DIVISION Two Army Medical Service aidmen serving with the ted to action in Korea. 45th Division have been awarded the Silver Star for gallantry in action. Both men also share the dis- Sergeants Ora V. Lawton and Henry Ford, both of Med- tinction of having been the first to receive Silver ical Company, 180th Infantry Regiment, received Stars awarded by the division since it was commit- their awards as a result of actions against the en- 2 emy during the latter part of December. tense fire to a sheltered position." Sgt. Lawton was on a daylight patrol in the vicini- Sgt. Ford distinguished himself when, on 28 Decem- ty of Tapsang Dong, Korea, on 23 December, when his ber, the reinforced platoon he was accompanying on patrol was met by heavy enemy fire and one man was patrol, was subjected to intense mortar and sniper wounded in both legs. Without hesitation he left fire and three men were seriously wounded before his shelter and ran through a torrent of fire to the patrol could find cover.