{ title: 'The Rio Grande rattler. ([McAllen], Hidalgo County, Tex.) 1916-1917, November 23, 1917, Page 12, Image 12', download_links: [ { link: 'http://www.loc.gov/rss/ndnp/ndnp.xml', label: 'application/rss+xml', meta: 'News about NYS Historic Newspapers - RSS Feed', }, { link: '/lccn/sn87030234/1917-11-23/ed-1/seq-12/png/', label: 'image/png', meta: '', }, { link: '/lccn/sn87030234/1917-11-23/ed-1/seq-12.pdf', label: 'application/pdf', meta: '', }, { link: '/lccn/sn87030234/1917-11-23/ed-1/seq-12/ocr.xml', label: 'application/xml', meta: '', }, { link: '/lccn/sn87030234/1917-11-23/ed-1/seq-12/ocr.txt', label: 'text/plain', meta: '', }, ] }
Image provided by: New York State Military History Museum
1 0 WADSWORTH GAS ATTACK and RIO GRANDE RATTLER THE NECESSITY FOR PHYSICAL FIT NESS IN THE SOLDIER (By Lieutenant-C olonel E. R. Maloney, M. C Division Surgeon.) The purpose of an army is to fight, and its strength is measured by the number of men effective for duty in battle. In order to obtain men capable of enduring the stress and strain of training and the hard ships of campaign it is necessary in the first place that the men composing an army should be as nearly as possible physically perfect. To insure that only physically fit men are taken into the service a physical examination of all applicants is made at the time of enlistment and the unfit rejected. In spite of this exami nation many men who do not show any par ticular signs of unfitness but who have some disease in its incipient or early stages are passed and enlisted. If these men were al lowed to continue in the service their condi tion would sooner or later become serious and the life they are required to lead would be attended with great risks to their very exist ence and in many instances they would be a source of danger to their comrades. It is ob viously unfair to these men to subj ect them to such danger and unfair also to the govern ment to have to go to the expense of training them for a greater or lesser time and then find them unable to give the service for which they were enlisted. To obviate all of this, every officer and man is now examined as soon as possible after en try into the service by boards of medical ex aminers specially qualified to detect early symptoms of tuberculosis, heart and mental diseases. In this way only able-bodied men are continued in the service, as they alone can stand the exposure and hardships to which troops are exposed and acquire the endurance to fatigue and resistance to disease which go to make up the reliable and effective soldier. The weakling, the undeveloped and those who suffer from chronic ailments are very soon rendered unfit for service by the effects of hard work, privation, inclement weather, and are an easy prey to infectious diseases. They thus, instead of being an asset to the army, weaken the ranks they are intended to make strong and when most needed fall out on the march or in action and crowd the ambulances and hospitals when they are most required for the care of the wounded. These men are not only non-effective but often require the atten tion of medical offiecrs and hospital corps’ men who should be employed inj caring for men injured in battle and who might by proper attention be returned to the fighting line. Once accepted as a soldier, it is the duty of each individual man to so care for his health by following the sanitary and other regula tions laid down for his observance as to keep himself in the good physical condition in which he was when enlisted. Military efficiency is indissolubly bound up with discipline, and this is particularly so as regards the physical condition of an army. Laxity of discipline in any military force is the cause of many evils, not the least of which is its effect on the spread of disease, and the non-effective rate of a unit is usually propor tionate to its discipline. This was particularly demonstrated in the Japanese Army in the Russo-Japanese war, when they reduced their ratio of sickness to a minimum never before reached by a large army in active service, and was due only to the fact that they excelled in discipline and prompt obedience to orders. So with this division, whether or not it brings to the fighting front a force of strong, able-bodied men, ready and fitted to do the work required of them and thus to reflect credit on their country, state and themselves, depends on the way in which they- care for themselves here in this camp, on the conscien tious obeying of orders and the proper fol lowing of the very effective physical training being given. The man who deliberately exposes himself to acquiring some disease which decreases his military efficiency or who through the lack of observance of some sanitary regulation endan gers the health of himself or his comrades is not only derelict in his duty but is practically a traitor to his country, as in this way he is reducing the fighting strength of some part of the army and is aiding the enemy as much as the man who poisons water or food. For a man with the proper stamina, the life of a soldier, subjected as he is to regulations governing his mode of living, vastly improves his physical condition rather than otherwise. In the training the soldier is now receiving, properly regulated exercise plays an important part. He should not regard exercise merely as an amusement or recreation, but' also as an obligation, since it is very necessary for the keeping of the body in a healthy condition, thus making it possible for it to properly per form all its functions. Exercise when prop erly used serves to maintain health, strength ens and develops muscles and organs, render ing them capable of greater and more persist ent effort, all of which is particularly needed by the soldiers of today, who will probably be called upon to show marked strength, agil ity and endurance. By exercise the brain also is kept in a healthy condition and the desire, for stimu lating influences of various sorts is diminished or destroyed. Nothing in the world tends more to create a healthy developing and func tioning of both mind and body than the regu lar open-air life of the soldier, accompanied as it is today by the absence of the use of alcohol (than which no one agent tends more to destroy physical condition) and by the many means of healthful recreation and amusement afforded in all camps. If he will try to realize that all of the regulations, many of which he considers hardships because they deprive him of some things he thinks he wants, are made for his own protection and that of his comrades he will cease to chafe at the re straint imposed and will be happy and con tented. To the man with strong predisposition to mental unbalance, with many weaknsses which at home had been supported, with peculiarities which had been overlooked and with defi ciencies which had been supplied, the life of a soldier, with its change of environment, lack of sympathy with his peculiarities and fun made of his deficiencies may result in much unhappiness if not in serious mental disturb ance. As a rule this type of man does not last very long in the service and is soon gotten rid of by discharge. On the other hand, to the man of normal mind, military discipline has a steadying and regulating influence. In his comrades he finds a brotherly friendship and interest and learns to look upon his officers not as task masters but as men looking out for his every interest. Routine to him comes to mean method and regularity, his duties be come inspirations and ideals; which serve to help him in time of action, and, combined with his physical fitness, the result of con scientious training, enables him to acquit him self with honor when the supreme test comes. --------- -o --- : ---- —. THE K. OF C. HALL (By Chaplain Hoey, 12th N. Y. Infantry.) The Knights of Columbus Hall is now open for the convenience of the soldiers at Camp Wadsworth. It was the intention of the Knights of Columbus to have their building completed and equipped before the arrival of the troops, but building facilities were so meagre and constructional delays so numerous that it is but now that the building is nearing completion. It is located opposite the White Church and adjacent to the Red Triangle T ent, so that the soldiers of any unit may reach it by a few minutes’ walk. The Hall will pro vide recreational, educational or instructive facilities for the men. The Knights of Co lumbus have secured the services of some of the best' lecturers, teachers and entertainers in the country and have obtained production rights to the best motion-pictures. The building will be equipped with a li brary, reading rooms, writing rooms and an entertainment hall. Although the Knights of Columbus is a Catholic organization, every man in camp will receive a hearty welcome and no questions will be asked relative to his belief or creed. On Sunday morning religious services will be provided for those Catholics who wish to attend. No religious controver sies will be tolerated. The Knights of Columbus are here for the sole purpose of assisting the loyal Sons of Uncle Sam who have given their all for God and this dear land of ours, and if they can in any way make them happier and better men then their purpose has been amply fulfilled. — o ----- - REDPATH THEATRE TENT The Redpath Tent has opened to give to the soldiers popular entertainment at low prices. It is midway between Headquarters and the church. On Thursday night this entertainment place will produce “The Broadway Revue.” Prices, 15 cents. This playhouse is under the Fosdick Commission.
