The undersigned have been constituted a committee by the
President of the American Medical Association to cooperate with
the American Red Cross, in the matter of medical work.
The Committee feels that a great deal of substantial good will
come to all communities by providing a body of representative
physicians of approved qualifications to direct or participate
in medical work carried on by the Red Cross in different
localities in times of emergencies and to advise with the
representatives of that society on questions of medical policy
and procedure. Besides its activity in emergency relief work,
the Red Cross is engaged in an educational campaign for the
mitigation of human suffering and the saving of lives. So
far it has extended this movement only to the teaching of
prevention of accidents and first aid to the injured, but it is
hoped in future that it shall include popular instruction in
the prevention of disease. These medical committees are not in
any way bound to this educational work of the Red Cross, but
members of the committees who may be interested are invited to
correspond with the First Aid Department of the Red Cross.
In the opinion of this committee, the plan may be properly
considered under the following headings:
1. OBJECT. Primarily this service is designed to meet local
emergencies when conditions of disaster are such as to call for
the intervention of the Red Cross. When exigencies come about
in any community the Red Cross would be glad to feel that it
might call upon carefully selected physicians in that community
to lend their aid in the medical work incident to the situation.
2. ORGANIZATION. It is desired to have in every county a
central committee of five physicians, two of whom shall be
the President and Secretary of the County Medical Society,
_ex officio_. The President of the County Medical Society
shall select the other three members, preferably from the list
of councilors or of the executive committee. This committee
should be designated the “Committee on Red Cross Medical
Work.” The names and residences of the members, immediately
after organization, should be reported to the chairman of the
American Medical Association. In case of disaster, requiring
relief action by the Red Cross, these county committees will
be called upon to nominate qualified medical men in their
respective counties for Red Cross service. The committees will
also serve in an advisory medical capacity to the Red Cross in
time of disaster and in other lines of Red Cross activity as
indicated in a preceding paragraph.
3. QUALIFICATIONS. The certification of physicians by County
Committees will be accepted as ample evidence of the physical,
moral and professional qualifications of the gentlemen
recommended for appointment. It may be pertinent to state that
service in time of disaster may entail severe physical effort
and physical fitness of appointees to perform hard work is,
therefore, important.
4. COMPENSATION. In some instances the Red Cross may require
the services of physicians at a distance from their places of
residence and for varying periods. Under these conditions the
Red Cross will be prepared to pay traveling expenses and a
moderate honorarium to be agreed upon between the physicians
and the National Director of the Red Cross.
It will be obvious to you that the arrangement here proposed
is primarily intended to provide for emergencies which may
suddenly arise in any community or, on the other hand, may
happily never occur. Thus it may be that the committee which
we are inviting you to create may never be called into action,
while, on the other hand, it may have occasion to perform a
very great public service. Your cooperation in the completion
of this plan at as early a date as convenient will be
appreciated.
Please address all communications bearing upon the contents of
this letter to the Chairman, Doctor George M. Kober, care The
American Red Cross, 715 Union Trust Building, Washington, D. C.
Very respectfully,
GEORGE M. KOBER, M.D.,
_Chairman._
F. A. WINTER,
_Lt. Colonel, Medical
Corps, U. S. Army._
E. M. BLACKWELL,
_Surgeon, U. S. Navy._
At a meeting of the Executive Committee of the American
National Red Cross held in Washington, D. C., February 14,
1913, the foregoing plan of cooperation between the medical
profession and the Red Cross was unanimously approved.
GEORGE W. DAVIS,
_Major General, U. S. A., retired,
Chairman Central Committee._
CHARLES L. MAGEE, _Secretary_.
Many replies are coming from county medical societies indicating a
cordial acceptance of the committee’s plan. It may be said, in this
connection, that the medical profession has always been generous and
responsive in the highest degree in all its relations with the Red Cross.
The purpose of the new plan is to provide a simple system by means of
which this cordial relationship may become more effective.