rsonnel, and required the latter to benefit along common lines of struction. The whole theory, outside the training camps, was, after e day's duty was done, to systematically learn in advance how to ndle the dissimilar duties sure to come with future change of status d environment. In the much more intensive training of the medical ining camps it is a safe estimate to say that upward of 10,000 medl officers and upward of 40,000 enlisted men of the Medical Departont have, up to the date of signing this report, participated. From w on, until the war is over, it is desired that all medical officers d at least a major fraction of the enlisted medical personnel shall ceive the medical camp training.

XVII. DENTAL SERVICE.

1. ENROLLMENT OF DENTAL OFFICERS.

The records show when this Government entered the present war e American Army had 86 dental officers, 18 of whom were captains d the remainder first lieutenants, and although our dental law rmitted dental officers to advance to the grade of major, this was ly possible after said officer had a record of 24 years of service and nited the number to eight, regardless of how many there might be no had served the required 24 years. Of the 86 then on duty, only 5 were stationed in the United States, and these were widely attered.

Although a law existed at this time which permitted the organizaon of a Dental Reserve Corps, no rules or regulations had been proulgated to organize such a corps until after we entered the present ar, and although many dentists were eager to enter the Dental eserve Corps, the early plan pursued made it necessary for an plicant to forward his request to the Surgeon General's office. The rmal application was then furnished to be filled out and returned to ashington. The applicant was then communicated with and advised hen the next board was to meet in his own State or an adjacent one, th the result that many days or weeks would elapse from the time e applicant would first apply until his completed papers would rive for final decision. To prevent, if possible, this delay, the chairan of the committee on enrollment and legislation of the dental mmittee of the General Medical Board presented to the Surgeon eneral, on June 1, 1917, the plan whereby he was to be permitted to lect representative men of the dental profession who, by education id experience, were well qualified to give professional examination any applicant who desired to be commissioned in the Dental eserve Corps. This request, although most unusual, was immediely accepted and authority granted. Twenty-four hours thereafter eliminary dental examiners were appointed in every State in the

nion.

The men appointed as preliminary dental examiners were the deans the well-recognized dental institutions, the secretary of each of the ate dental examining boards, and such dentists in addition as the rvice demanded.

The end result of the appointment by the Surgeon General of the eliminary dental examiners is found in the fact that although on e day of its authorization, June 1, 1917, or relatively two months

after the beginning of war, there were only five officers in the Denta Reserve Corps, yet we find on September 18, 1917, or three and onehalf months thereafter, all examinations for general practitioners were discontinued, as the War Department had a sufficient number of commissioned dental officers and completed applications on fil for action to care for the present and immediate future needs of the Army.

Since the declaration of war the number of dental officers in the Army has increased from 86 in the Dental Corps, Regular Army, to 212; National Guard, from nothing to 253; Dental Reserve Corps. from nothing to 5,372; making a total of 5,837, or a sufficient number to supply the quota now being assigned for an Army of 5,000,000. which gives to this nation a greater number of dental officers, subject to military call, than all nations combined represented by the term "The Allies."

The following two facts are considered worthy of being recorded. (1) The commission of first lieutenancy was tendered nearly 6,000 dentists, and all but 139 of these have accepted; (2) although the Dental Reserve Corps of the Army is authorized for its present strength to have 2,118 captains and 1,265 majors, there have only been 250 promoted to the grade of captain and 65 to the grade of major. This can be accounted for by the splendid plan that has been followed in regard to the question of promotion, for here we find that every dentist coming into the service must accept the grade of first lieutenant, and he can not be advanced until after being placed on active duty, and then only does he become eligible when he has been recommended by his superior officers through military channels.

2. DENTAL LEGISLATION.

On October 6, 1917, a dental law was enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives, in Congress assembled, and approved by the President, which gave to the Dental Corps of the Regular Army the same grades and percentages within the grades then allowed or that_mit thereafter be allowed by law for the Medical Corps of the Regular Army. This bill was referred by the Surgeon General to the Adjutant General of the Army for interpretation, and the decision was reached that under the present strength of the Army, the Dental Corps was authorized to have 9 colonels, 17 lieutenant colonels, and 67 majors, the remainder of the authorized strength of the corps to be distributed in the grades of captain and first lieutenant.

3. FREE DENTAL SERVICE.

On August 19, 1917, with the approval of the Surgeon General, permission was sought from the Provost Marshal General to secure franking privileges for the Preparedness League of American Dentists, and concurrence in a plan which would make it possible for all men who had been accepted for general military service to be advised to appear before the members of that organization to have any urgently needed dental operations performed, without expense to themselves or to the Government, previous to their arrival at camp. This work was considered imperative at that time, for the reason there was only being assigned one dentist per thousand of the total

strength of the Army, and also the manufacturers were unable to meet the excessive demands made upon them in the early days of he war.

The Provost Marshal General heartily approved of the proposal made, and gave every assistance possible, even urging by personal etter the governor of each state to inform all local and medical advisory boards that he approved of their appointing a dentist for volunteer service on each board to aid in the physical examinations of all men called before them, and expressed it as his opinion that the patriotic service offered by the dental profession would be of great value not only for the comfort, but for the efficiency of the National Army.

Following the department's approval, a Dental Reserve Corps officer was assigned to the Preparedness League headquarters in New York, who, in cooperation with the officers of that organization, has ncreased in the past year from about 4,000 to 16,000, and as a concrete example of what the officers and members have contributed n the form of gratuitous service for men who have been accepted for general military service, it is here recorded that they have furnished the material and performed 375,000 gratuitous operations for men selected for general military service. It should also be stated that through their activity three dental motor car ambulances have been presented to the Government and another one is to be tendered in the immediate future.

4. SURGERY OF THE HEAD.

On June 15, 1917, the Surgeon General approved of the organization of the section of the surgery of the head, which had among other duties the securing of a personnel especially qualified to care for diseases and injuries of the brain, eye, ear, nose, and throat, face and jaws, and placed in charge a member of the Medical Corps, Regular Army. The commissioned personnel of the surgical head unit to consist of one specialist each for the brain, eye, ear, nose and throat, one plastic or oral surgeon, and one dental oral surgeon, competent to care for fractures, impactions, and pathologic diseases to which the teeth and jaws are subject.

It is believed by including dentists in the organization of the surgical head unit, better service will be given to our wounded soldiers who sustain injuries of the face and jaw than could possibly have resulted had these cases been handled without the assistance of those specially trained dental officers, and, in addition, a splendid opportunity is given to members of this profession to increase their ability and knowledge of surgical principles involved in the management of these surgical lesions.

5. EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES.

In May and June, 1917, a majority of the dental schools of this country instituted gratuitous courses of special instruction for applicants desiring to enroll in the Dental Reserve Corps. The course was approved by the Surgeon General, and was of such a nature as to fit those in attendance to be better officers for hospital and field service. The instruction embraced the relationship of the dental officers to the supply and administrative departments of the Army and military

law. A number of the institutions have repeated these courses at various intervals, one of which had a total enrollment of 624. It is a conservative estimate to state that between four and five thousand dentists attended these courses of instruction without expense to themselves or to the Government, and the dental educational institutions of this country have a right to feel proud of this contribution On October 15, 1917, by authority of the Surgeon General and under the direction of the subsection of plastic and oral surgery of the surgical head unit, courses of instruction in plastic and oral surgery were instituted at Washington University Dental School, St. Louis, Mo., Northwestern University Dental School, Chicago, Ill. and Thomas W. Evans Museum and Dental Institute, School of Dentistry, University of Pennsylvania, where medical and dental officers were detailed for instruction. The medical officers were given special instruction in plastic surgery, blood transfusion, and bone transplantation, and the dental officers in bone fragment fixation by intro-oral splints, the systemic effects of focal infections, and surgical anatomy of the face, jaws, and neck. These courses were discontinued in March, 1918.

On March 15, 1918, a school for Army dental officers was instituted at Camp Greenleaf, Chickamauga Park, Fort Oglethorpe, Ga., in connection with the medical officers' training camp, for the military and professional instruction of dental officers and their authorized dental assistants.

The duration of the general course of instruction for the dental officers is two months. The first month is given over to 180 hours of general military training and the second to 70 hours of special military training, and 110 hours devoted to professional subjects that have a definite relation to general dental practice as it should be conducted in the Army. Each class consists of from 80 to 100, and a smal percentage of each is retained for training to qualify them for assignment as division dental surgeons or assistants to the division dental surgeon. In the immediate future a few will be retained from each class for special instruction in Röntgenology, as we have need for two dental Röntgenologists for each cantonment in this country, as authorization has recently been received for the installation of complete radiographic equipment in the dental unit building in each

camp.

In this officers' training camp we have dentists receiving military training that is of such a nature as will greatly increase their physical and professional efficiency. Furthermore, in so far as we know, this is the only country giving such extensive special training in military and professional subjects to dental officers and their authorized assistants.

XVIII. DIVISION OF VETERINARY CORPS.

The history of the Veterinary Corps dates from the approval of the national defense act, June 3, 1916. Section 16 of this act authorized veterinarians and assistant veterinarians. Assistant veterinarians were given the rank, pay, and allowances of second lieutenants for the first 5 years of service, and of first lieutenants from 5 to 15 years. They then become veterinarians with rank, pay, and allowances of captains until 20 years of service when they become majors. They were to be assigned to duty with mounted organizations as inspectors

of horses and mules and as inspectors of meats, and constituted the Veterinary Corps which was specified as a part of the Medical Department. Veterinarians then in the service were authorized to be transferred to the new Veterinary Corps on passing the required examinations or if found physically disqualified to be retired. Such number of reserve veterinarians as were needed to attend animals in the quartermaster corrals were authorized; the same to constitute a list of eligibles for commissioned grades.

This legislation marked the culmination of the efforts of leading members of the profession in this country, both in and out of the Army, to obtain adequate recognition through the establishment of a commissioned status for Army veterinarians which had extended over a period of 32 years. Indeed few civilian veterinarians realized the importance of this step and the indifference and inability to agree on united action was for a long time reflected in the apathy of Con

gress.

For many years the veterinary service of the Army was rendered by civilians employed by the Quartermaster Department under contract. In 1900 the veterinarians attached to regiments of cavalry and field artillery were given the rank and pay of second lieutenant, without privilege of promotion or retirement, and still leaving a considerable number of civilians on duty at quartermaster corrals and depots. The service was never organized, no enlisted men were provided, and the professional standard of the veterinarians in many cases was low with neither opportunity nor hope for improvement.

Following the passage of the act of June, 1916, the Surgeon General inaugurated the work of establishing the corps. An examination board of three medical officers and two veterinarians was appointed. Owing to the necessity of securing interpretations of the law and the many scattered places of duty of veterinarians in Mexico and along the border, in China and in the Philippines, the work of conducting the examination was unavoidably delayed. Many of the veterinarians then in the service were lacking in the educational, professional and moral qualifications essential to a commissioned officer. A careful sifting of men necessarily followed.

On April 11, 1917, a total of 62 veterinarians had been found qualified and commissioned, further increased by July 1 of the same year,

to 91.

The Veterinary Corps of the Regular Army, increased in proportion to the enlarged Army, numbers on the active list, at this writing, 118 officers.

1. DEVELOPMENT AT THE OUTBREAK OF THE WAR.

On April 14, 1917, the 62 officers of the Veterinary Corps of the Regular Army comprised the entire veterinary service. The entrance of this country into the war demanded an enormous increase in the Veterinary Corps as in every other branch of the service. Examinations were promptly held to fill the vacancies up to the authorized strength of 118. It was also necessary in the emergency to examine and commission reserve officers and call them to active duty to care for the large number of public animals about to be purchased and distributed to the auxiliary remount depots under construction at the cantonments throughout the country.