MILITARY FITNESS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3034, 22 March 1917, Page 6

MILITARY FITNESS

PERCENTAGE OF REJECTIONS STATEMENT BY GENERAL HENDERSON A statement .was made by SurgeonGeneral Henderson, K.H.P., DirectorGeneral of Medical Services, yesterday regarding recent criticisms of' the medical examination of recruits and the proposal for the early examination of members of the Second Division of the Expeditionary Force Reserve. General Henderson stated that official reports received in New Zealand regarding men found unfit in the training camps in England before being sent to the front stated that the number had been about 1 per cent, up to January 13. This was small, only amounting to 25 men for a draft of 2500 men. It was difficult, of course, to entirely eliminate such cases owing to the varying opinions of medical officers as to what really constituted efficiency. Undoubtedly men who' had been cooped up on. board ship, as our men -were, for eight weeks pr more became soft, and were liable to have any weaknesses accentuated by the rigorous training to which they were subjected on arrival at Sling Camp. The 1 per cent, eliminations in England- comprised mainly cases of rheumatism, men prematurely old, and flat fe'et. None of the men hitherto sent Home had been passed by the medical boards under the ballot system. , Every endeavour had been ma3e in the past to secure as ninny recruits as possible from the First Division, but in doing this the instructions, laid down By the Army Council had always been strictly observed. These regulations issued some time ago had admitted of slight relaxations in the stanuard. of recruits as regards taking men with mild hernia, slight deformities,' etc. It was found as the result of experience that the opinions of medical men differed considerably as to •what' constituted, fitness capable of standing the conditions of active service, ' and in consequence it had been deckfsc! to adopt a more rigorous standard. This had been done, and the results already were becoming considerably better. He hoped ultimately that they would be able to practically eliminate the dispatch of unfit men from New Zealand.

Regarding the suggestion that provision should be made for the early examination of members of t*e 2nd Divisfon of"tlie Reserve, so that they might know their position, General Henderson said that this was. altogether' impracticable. The supply of medical men in the country was already getting down to the minimum, and the medical hoards were hard put to it in overtaking; arrears of work in examining recruits rejected under' the voluntary system and men called up under the ballot. Each board could only put through a certain number of men per day, and in dealing with members of the. First Division they would Be kept fully employed for several months to come. Under these circumstances, it was obviously impossible for them to undertake the examination of 120,000 members of the Second Division as well. They could not do the work. Moreover, he doubted whether it was advisable. It did not follow that a man passed fit to-day would be fit in 'six, eight, or twelve months! time. The same applied to present-day unfits, some of whom might be classed as fit when tTieir services were required. In atfaition, it was impossible to say what would be the standard required months ahead. The standard might be altered at aily TTmo.