Z>. , HE SURGEON'S CUlCIT DEC- 1951 V 0 L U M E - V I Letter N U M B E R - 1 2 A FAR EAST PERIODICAL IEDICAL SECTION-GHQ-FEC, SCAP AND UNC OF ARMY APO 500 MEDICAL SERVICES INFORMATION UNCACK employee gives medioal aid to a young Korean on the cover at a refugee collecting point, Charraul, Korea* RESTRICTED Security Information Volume VI - Number 12 THE SURBEON'S DECEMBER 195l| General Headquarters Circular Far East Command Medical Center Letter • APO 500 ADMINISTRATIVE JLC0M Medical Conf®r®nc® Held At Tokyo Army Hospital. 237 Quartermaster Trains Troops In Prev-ntion Of Cold Injuries. .. 258 Rec-nt Department Of Th® Army Publications 238 Medical Chiefs Meet 239 Colonels Leedham arid McNinch Join Medical Section, GHQ 239 Italian Red Cross Hospital Unit Begins Operations in Korea 239 Reprints of Pr®v®ntiv® Medicine Publications Outlin® Availabl® 239 L-19 Aircraft Used for Evacuation by XVI Corps 240 JLC Surgeon Decorated for S®rvices in Atomic Bomb T®st 241 GHQ Medical Section Moves to New Offic® 241 Requisitioning Proc®dure for Armed Services Catalog of Medical Materi®l 241 Awards to Army Medical Service Personnel 242 JLCCM MEDICAL CONFERENCE HELD AT TOKYO ARMY HOSPITAL The first of a planned series of medical conferences for the purpose of presenting papers on the subject on internal medicine was held at Tokyo Army Hospi- by all medical officers who had worked with the dis- tal 22-23 December. This oonferenoe, sponsored by ease and to stimulate discussion and exchange of in- the Surgeon, Japan Logistical Command, was attended formation. The symposium was divided into four by more than 100 military physioians of the Army, phases — basic pnase, early clinical phase, the Navy and Air Force, from Japan, Korea and Okinawa, late clinical phase and speoial aspects phase. Colo- and included representatives from medical facili- nel Joseph H* McNinch, MC, Preventive Medicine Con- ties of Canada, Denmark, Great Britain, Norway and sultant to the Surgeon, F3C, and Colonel Charles L. Sweden, leedham, MC, Medical Consultant to the Surgeon, FEC, acted as moderators for the spirited and enthusias- The meeting was opened with addresses of welcome by tic discussion periods that followed each presenta- Brigadier General William E. Shambora, Chief Surgeon, tion. Medical officers presenting papers were Capt. FSC, Brigadier General James P. Cooney, Surgeon, JLC, Ralph M. Takami, MC, Medical Intelligence Section, and Colonel Kenneth A. Brewer, MC, Commanding, Tokyo FSC; Lt. 'Col. Irvin Marshall, MC, Preventive Medi- Army Hospital. cine and Public Health, Eighth Army; Lt. Col. Arthur Steer, UC, 406th Medioal General Laboratory; Capt. The conference, divided into two parts, began with Marc Crilly, MC, 8063d Mobile Army Surgical Hospi- discussions of general medical interest designed tal; Lt. Col. Charles J. Hornisher, MC, and Major chiefly to orient internists in seme of the newer William E. Swift, 1C, US Army Hospital, 8167th Army phases of the care, treatment and convalescence of Unit; Colonel George M. Powell, Osaka Army Hospi- military patients. Speakers at the first day's con- tal; Capt. Walter Kessler, MC, 121st Evacuation Hos- ference included Colonel Ryle Radke, MC, Tokyo Army pital; Capt. W. H. Wallop, MC, USAF, and 1st Lt. Hospital; 1st Lt. Alvin J. Schrager, MC, Osaka Army H. C. Zaenger, MC, USAF, 6162d Hospital Group; Capt. Hospital; Major Phillip P. Steckler, MC, and Colo- Joseph H. Watson, 1C, 382d General Hospital; Capt. nel Franklin H. Grauer, MC, US Army Hospital, 8167th Giulio Barbero, MC, 21st Evacuation Hospital; 1st Army Unit; Lb.Col. Bernard J. Copple, MC, and Lt. Lt. Irwin Hoffman, MC, 11th Evacuation Hospital; Col. Henry C. Harrell, Tokyo Army Hospital; Lt. Col. and Lt. Col. George B. Potter, MC, US Army Hospital, Tyron Huber, MC, and 1st Lt. Andrew Wiley, MC, US 8167th Army Unit. Army Hospital, 8168th Army Unit; Colonel Carleton Godiel, MC, US Army Hospital, 8079th Army Unit; and Colonel Angvald Vickoren, MC, Surgeon's Office, JLC. It is anticipated that the papers pr°sent®d at the symposium will be submitted to the Surgeon General's The second part of the conference on the following office by Colonels McNinch and Leedham with a view day was a symposium on epidemic hemorrhagic fever to publication in the near future. 237 QUARTERMASTER TRAINS TROOPS IN PREVENTION OF COLD INJURIES The Army Medical Service has conducted and is con- ’’Here’s ehy we say that. tinuing to conduct extensive research in the ficid of cold injury control with particular emphasis on "Due to their training sinc<=> they've **nter~d the of cold treatment injuries. Cold injury teams,com- service they have a natural tendency tc protect posed of Medical Service Army personnel, are now on thems-lves from the enemy soldier. Dint hazard may duty with troops and facilities medical in Korea normally be number one priority in their scheme of treating cases resulting from military operations 3eit-preservation. Cold is just as dangerous, if in that theater. not more so, because if you don't take the proper precautions, it sneaks up on you when you are occu- Other cold injury groups, however, are presently pied with other things." engaged in the equally difficult task of prevent- ing cold injuries. Little known to many Medical Service personnel are the Quartermaster Cold Weath- er Training Treams operated from General Headquar- In World War II, cold injury cost the United States ters, Far East Command, under the direction of Lt. Army th® equivalent of all the rifleman in ten full Col. Howard F. Kuenning,QMC. These traveling con- divisions, and in Korea last winter there were trol groups are normally attached to divisions and about 5,000 cold injury casualties. Many of thes® separate units for a specified length of time in casualties could have been prevented if proper pre- order to train personnel in methods of protection cautions had been taken, stated the Captain. Cold against cold weather injury. Their mission is to injury, he explained, wasn't something new. It had explain the causes and prevention of cold injury inflicted casualties on armies down through history. with emphasis on frostbite, the necessity for prac- The Prussian armies and Napoleon's infantry suffered tice by the individual of foot hygiene to include from cold injuries just the same as our troops. cleanliness, foot, ankle and leg exercises, daily foot massage and the proper use of winter clothing "But," he said, "we know more about how. to prevent and equipment. it. We nave th® answers. I know how to prevent cold injury and when I am through with my lectures Typical of one of the Quartermaster control groups the troops are going to know as much about it as I is the team composed of Captain James G. Monteith, do." an earnest young officer, and his assistant. Ser- geant T. B. Bowlan. Captain Monteith explained All of the winter clothing, not only the footgear, the difference between w®t cold and dry cold and has a lot to do with whether or not on** gets frost- the precautions to be taken when operating under bitten. Though that sounds strange to most of the field conditions in that type of climate. In at- trainee, Captain Monteith explained that cold re- tempting to make comparisons in climate he pointed tards circulation but if the body is kept warm it out that Seoul can be compared to Chicago, and con- will be more willing to circulate warm blood out ditions north of the 38th Parallel are comparable into the extremities. to those found in Maine, New Hampshire and the Dakotas. "Air space in your clothes," he continued, "gives you added insulation without added weight. The air doesn't weigh anything, materially, but it does "When we make comparisons like these," Captain help the body to keep itself warm. Several layers Monteith continued, "someone may say 'I come from of medium weight clothing will k***»p you wanner than Baltimore or Minnesota or North Dakota and I've on® heavy layer. That is why tn® combat uniform is been hunting and fishing in all kinds of weather designed on the layer principle. If the day is back home. What's so dangerous about that kind of warm and you decide to remove some of your clothing, climate?' I tell them that wh**n they were in Bal- you should t&xe off sane of the inner layers first. timore, Minnesota or Iowa or any other place state- Sergeant Bowlan, my assistant, demonstrates th® side, they no doubt had the facilities and comforts proper wearing of th® winter field uniform while of modern civilization. They didn't have to sleep I explain how and why it is worn that way. If out-of-doors and be exposed to the weather day and someone should ask m® if this uniform alon® will night on end. Cold climate is a dangerous enemy. prevent cold injury, the answei, of course, is a In some respects more dangerous than the enemy sol- capital N-0. The men have to do that and they can dier. do it if they remember what we teach them." RECENT DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY HJBLICATIONS AR 40-35, 4 Dec 51: Medical Service - Appointment, T/O&E 8-552, 24 Oct 51: General Hospital, 1500-3ed, Duties, and Responsibilities of Professional Communications Zone Consultants TC 37, 19 Nov 51: General Hospitals, Conr.uni cations AR 40-510, 4 Dec 51: Medical Service - Dental Care Zone (T/C&E 6-551, 8-552, and 8-553) DA Cir 90, 1 Nov 51: Sec II - Records of Personnel SR 600-145-11, 16 Nov 51: Personnel - Assignment Returned from FECQM of Hospital Patients DA Cir 96, 23 Nov 51: Sec II - Clarification of Ac- SR 40-515, C-l, 10 Dec 51: Hospitalisation of Army counting Classifications Patients in Naval Medical Facilities DA Cir 100, 5 Deo 51: Sec III - Annual Physical Ex- amination of Officers and Warrant Officers, T/A 20-7, 22 Oct 51: Equipment for Oversea Mortu- Sec IV - Rates of Compensation for Civilian Medi- aries (included in Current Death Program) cal and Veterinary Services 238 M2DICAL CHIEFS MEET More than 30 commanding officers from medical in- by General Cooney for discussion of medical problems stallations throughout Japan Logistical Command met The first was held last May.