Preparation.

By the time the United States entered World War I in April 1917, improvements in medical education, medical skills, and medical resources meant that the country was far better prepared to grapple with the problems that would arise. In 1916 President Woodrow Wilson appointed a Council of National Defense that included a medical division headed by Dr. Franklin Martin of Chicago. With the cooperation of the American Medical Association and the American College of Surgeons, Dr. Martin organized the medical profession for the war effort. Once war was declared, much of the work of the medical division was planned and controlled by its executive committee, which included the three surgeons general of the army, the navy and the U.S. Public Health Service, together with noted physicians from major medical centers throughout the country.

Poor Health and Death from Disease.

The physical...