AMERICAN HEALTH LEADERS 100 YEARS AGO HAD REGIMENTAL RELIABILITY
By JAMES A. MARPLES
******************************
People ask me why I like history so much? Well, we can learn from it. Major General Merritte Weber Ireland was the Surgeon-General for the Army, serving from October 1918 until May of 1931.
General Ireland was born in Columbia City, Indiana. Like many young men of that era, he joined the Masonic Lodge, Royal Arch, and Templar Commandery in that town. The latter group had a military-style drill-team, which undoubtedly inspired Mr. Ireland to pursue a career in the army. In 1910, he joined the Army Consistory #1 in Kansas, and later received his Thirty-third degree in Scottish Rite in 1921. He also was a member of Almas Shrine Temple in Washington, D.C.
The similar (yet different) Surgeon-General of the United States has morphed into a different breed of cat. Now, the post is almost relegated to that of a ‘cheerleader’ or figurehead. Very few of us can actually ‘name’ a former United States Surgeon-General. I generally only think of C. Everett Coop from the 1980’s.
Major General Merritte Garland was exceptional. So what were his duties? —
1. Providing leadership and management guiding physicians, nurses, and support staff ensuring the delivery of quality medical care.
2. Policy development, health-hazard assessments,
3. A driver of Medical research and innovation (and General Ireland even oversaw ‘funding’).
4. Ensuring prompt healthcare treatment, promote updated skills, issue bulletins on disease-outbreaks and prevention/remedies.
The office of Army Surgeon-General evolved since the year 1775. Oddly, the post of Surgeon-General of the United States began in 1871 evolved out of the Marine Hospital Service.
I wish we could chew through today’s bureaucracy and get that type of efficiency. That type of regimented format helped ensure a reliable chain-of-command as well as clearly understood medical standards. A century ago, very few soldiers scoffed or balked. While I am not advocating ignorant blind obedience; however, leadership that exudes “trust” and “confidence” via reliable data made for a smooth-running organization. The Army Surgeon-General had to look-out for ALL soldiers whether white/black/brown/yellow. There were ‘no labels’ of Republican/Democrat/ Independent. Every soldier bled ‘red’. The Army Surgeon-General was charged to make those under his command as healthy as possible before, during & after battle. Such a method would truly make America healthier and cost efficient if we had it for both the military world and civilian world. Today, the scope of “Health” reaches across military and civilian lines with the advent of bio-warfare, which can include chemical warfare, viruses in food, water, and even airborne ones. Drones are (to some extent) replacing tanks. Yet, the objective of war remains the same: Men killing men.
Top-notch policies cannot save every life, but it can save many lives with top-notch leadership and clear standards, with fair access and implementation