NEW MEDICAL ADVISERS

With the appointment of Dr. Bock as Director of Hygiene and the resignation of the Medical Staff, it is possible to anticipate a reform of the entire Hygiene Department. The floods of protests and the general dissatisfaction felt by the undergraduates as a whole indicate the need for a radical reorganization.

It is wrong to lay all of the blame for gross inefficiency on the former regime. In fairness it is essential to recognize the obstacles that they faced, obstacles which often precluded the possibility of successful operation.

Most observers now recognize the fallacy in the appointment of Dr. Worcester as director of the Hygiene Department. Despite the excellent reputation which years of service had given him, the position demanded a younger man whose youth and vitality would ensure vigorous execution of the office. In Dr. Worcester Harvard undergraduates have always found a sympathetic friend and it is with profound regret that they see him forced by declining years to give way to a younger man.

The Department has always been severely handicapped by a deficiency of personnel. This lack of sufficient medical advisors has led to the hasty examinations and insufficient treatment which constitutes the main criticism of the for men organization.

The scheme tentatively announced by Dr. Bock indicates that he recognizes the need for a radical reorganization of the entire system. To undergraduates who have suffered the privations of Stillman Infirmary, the partial elimination of this antiquated monstrosity is a welcome innovation.

But if the new organization is ever to function effectively there must be a decided increase in the number of doctors who are available to the undergraduates. Furthermore some of these men should be on duty during the entire twenty-four hours of the day. Of what use is a medical organization if the ailing patient is unable to receive immediate and efficient treatment. In the light of past experience, Dr. Bock's success will rest ultimately on the care with which he chooses his new assistants.