Medical Memos

USAREUR Office of the Surgeon HQ US Army Medical Command Europe

Medical Training Conferences 1974 Medical Service Corps/Army Medical Specialist Corps Training Conference: Date: May 8-9-10, 1974 at the Armed Forces Recreation Center, Garmisch. Proposed Attendance: 300, Medical-Surgical Training Conference: Date: May 15-16-17, 1974 at the Armed Forces Recreation Center, Garmisch. Proposed Attendance: 400. Dental Corps Training Conference: Date; September 11-12-13, 1974 at the Armed Forces Recreation Center, Garmisch. Proposed Attendance: 350. Environmental Health and Aviation Medicine Training Conference: Date: October 2-3-4, 1974 at the Armed Forces Recreation Center, Berchtesgaden. Proposed Attendance: 150. Veterinary Officers Training Conference: Date; October 9-10-11, 1974 at the Armed Forces Recreation Center, Berchtesgaden. Proposed Attendance: 50 (plus 30 USAFE Veterinary Personnel). (Ofc of the CofS, HQ USAMEDCOMEUR). Warning On Phytonadione Inj. Warning on Intravenous Administration of Vitamin Kl (Phytonadione inj, USP): Merck, Sharp and Dohme have advised that fatalities have occurred immediately after intravenous injection of Phytonadione. Package inserts are being revised to warn and alert physicians to avoid rapid infusion of item and that intravenous route should be restricted to those situations where other routes are not feasible and the serious risk involved is considered justified. (Ofc of the ACofS, Prof Svpcs, HQ USAMEDCOMEUR). The European Society for Preventive Dentistry will conduct a seminar at the Von Steuben Officers Club, Wiesbaden, West Germany on January 11 and 12, 1974. Attendance is open to military and civilian personnel. Type of absence granted to participants will be determined by the local commander. (ACofS, Dental Svcs, HQ USAMEDCOMEUR).

Dental Specialty Seminar

Medical Memos

The 1974 USAREUR and Seventh Army Medical-Surgical Training USAREUR & 7A Medical-Surgical Conference will be held on May 16 and 17, 1974 in Garmisch, It is anticipated that the program for the conference Training ConferenceGermany 4 will provide a broad coverage of medical and surgical subjects of interest to all physicians assigned to military installations in Europe. To assure a well rounded program on subjects of military medical interest, participation in the program by medical officers assigned in USAREUR is desired. Accordingly, all physician officers in USAREUR are invited to submit abstracts of papers for consideration for presentation at the conference. Proposals should be in the form of a 200300 word abstract complete with title, author(s), organization, and duty assignment of author(s). These should be submitted in duplicate, through your MEDDAC Commander or Corps Surgeon, to the Chairman, Program Committee, Assistant Chief of Staff, Professional Services, HQ US Army Medical Command, Europe, APO 09403, not later than February 15, 1974. Individuals whose papers are selected for presentation will receive round trip travel reimbursement, and full per diem for the day of presentation only. In the case of multiple authors, only the presentor receives the remuneration. As in past years, the conference affords an excellent opportunity for the display of clinical exhibits. Medical officers should be encouraged to develop exhibits of either general interest or specialty interest. In this connection, the services of the 26th Medical Detachment (Illustration) are available for use in the development and construction of clinical exhibits, as well as production of slides, charts, or teaching aids for papers. It is requested, however, that those medical officers who are interested in presenting an exhibit first submit a resume to the Assistant Chief of Staff, Professional Services, HQ US Army Medical Command, for approval. As in the past, we expect guest military and civilian consultants to participate. In addition to general sessions, specialty sessions are being scheduled in Surgery, OB-GYN, Orthopedics, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Neuropsychiatry, Radiology and Pathology. Time and conference room availability restrict the scheduling of meetings in all other specialties .may and sub-specialties dependent upon desire and need. (ACofS, Professional Svos, HQ USAMEDCOMEUR).

Turner wins Hinkson Award

COL Guthrie Turner, Jr., Surgeon at VII Corps was presented the Dehaven Hinkson Award by the National Medical Association at their recent conference. The Dehaven Hinkson Award is given by the National Medical Association (NMA) to Black doctors for outstanding achievement in the medical profession. The award is in honor of Dr. Dehaven Hinkson, who served in France during WWI, and was the first Black doctor to command a medical treatment facility. The NMA was formerly an all Black association but is now an integrated association.

Medical Memos

prior to coming to VII Corps, COL Turner was Hospital Commander of Beach US Army Hospital, Fort Wolters, Texas. He was the first Black Army doctor to hold a hospital command. The 43-year-old Army doctor received his BS from Shaw Uniyersity, Raleigh, N.C., in 1949. He received his MD from Howard University, Washington, D.C., in 1953. In 1966 he completed his Masters in Public Health at Harvard University. COL Turner has served as Surgeon, 503 Airborne Infantry Combat Team, in Okinawa. He also served with the Surgeon's Office at USAFE Tactical Air Command, Langley Air Force Base, Hampton, Virginia; and later was Surgeon of the 1st Cavalry Division and Commander of the 15th Medical Battalion, Republic of Vietnam. COL Turner has also received the Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal and Seven Oak Leaf Clusters, and the Army Commendation Medal. He is a member of 11 professional societies besides the NMA. (PubZic Affairs Div, HQ USAMEDCOMEUR). BG Pixley Visiting Visiting Medical Command recently was Brigadier General Medical Command Charles C. Pixley. BG Pixley is the director of Health Care Operations in the Office of the Surgeon General, Department of the Army. Before arriving at Medical Command for a briefing by MG Frederic J. Hughes, Jr., MEDCOM Commander, BG Pixley attended a Medical Conference in Belgium. (Public Affairs Div, HQ USAMEDCOMEUR). Drug and Alcohol Abuse Control Division The Drug and Alcohol Abuse Control Division has been established as a separate MEDCOM Headquarters staff agency. The division is now the Office for Drug and Alcohol Abuse Control, and is directly under the chief of staff, MEDCOM. The change became effective Sept. 1. LTC Nicholas L. Rock is the chief of the new office and the other personnel resources which were assigned to the Drug and Alcohol Abuse Division are now under the new established office. The mission of the office will also remain the same as that of the old division. (Public Affairs Div., HQ USAMEDCOMEUR).

Medical Memos

Hepatitis

Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver which in this case is due to a virus and has shown a disturbing increase among American troops in Europe over the past one and one-half years. The virus of hepatitis is found in all body fluids and therefore is transmissible by hand to mouth contact with infected food, water, body wastes such as urine and feces, and blood. Thus, personal hygiene, such as hand washing, is extremely important to break up the chain of hand to mouth spread. Also, use of another's razor or smoking utensils (passing the "bowl") could conceivably be a cause for spread of the disease. There is very good evidence to believe that the increase of hepatitis among American troops in Europe today is related specifically to the use of contaminated hypodermic needles by drug abusers, one or more of whom are carriers of the virus, who pass the virus from one to another. Principal reasons for relating hepatitis to drug use are (1) it occurs in the same age group as those known to use drugs (primarily under 26 years) and has the same geographic distribution as the troop population, (2) many patients with the disease admit use of or show evidence of shooting drugs, and (3) a similar increase has not been noted in the remainder of the general population located in the same areas. Hepatitis is frequently associated with jaundice. However, many cases occur with serious liver involvement, but without jaundice. The usual symptoms are fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea or vomiting, generalized aching, and as mentioned, occasionally jaundice. Symptoms may not come on until weeks or months after exposure and the duration of illness is usually from three to four weeks. A significant number of patients will develop continuing or chronic liver disorders which may persist, or even shorten life. There is no specific treatment or preventive vaccine. What can be done? As indicated previously, the most important means of protection is meticulous attention to personal hygiene and the use of one's own toilet articles. Most of all, of course, the would-be drug shooter should realize that he is literally taking his life into his hands when he shoots, not only from the drugs themselves, but also from the very appreciable risk of acquiring hepatitis. (Public Affairs Div, HQ USAMEDCOMEUR).