Equality for Women Doctors

The President last week signed a bill giving women doctors equal status with men in the Army & Navy. This is a step beyond World War I, when the few women doctors with the forces were hired under contract (like those already with the WAACs).

The U.S. now moves nearer the practice in Russia (where half the doctors are women and many are with the Army) and Britain (where regular Army doctors for home service include U.S. War Secretary Stimson's surgeon niece, Major Barbara Stimson). Neither the Army nor the Navy shows any sign of using many women doctors and none will be used at the front. The Navy has immediate plans for only 60 for the WAVES. The Army will use women medicos at the rate of one to every 500 WAACs, and in U.S. hospitals where there are many women patients.

Though 3.000 of the 8,000 U.S. women doctors could probably qualify for service, most of them are content to work at home. What gets their dander up is to see an outstanding woman specialist hampered on account of her sex. Such a physician is Dr. Alice McNeal, anesthetist of Presbyterian Hospital, Chicago. The operating team to which she belongs went to General Hospital Unit 13 at Camp Robinson, Little Rock, Ark. Forty Chicago doctors went, but Dr. McNeal was left behind.

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