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THE BATTALION
-THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 1941
The Battalion
STUDENT TRI-WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
TEXAS A. & M. COLLEGE
The Battalion, official newspaper of the Agricultural and
’Mechanical College of Texas and the City of College Station,
is published three times weekly from September to June, is
sued Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday mornings; and is pub
lished weekly from June through August.
Entered as second-class matter at the Post Office at College
Station, Texas, under the Act of Congress of March 3, 1879.
Subscription rate, $3 a school year. Advertising rates
upon request.
Represented nationally by National Advertising Service,
Inc., at New York City, Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles, and
San Francisco.
Office, Room 122, Administration Building. Telephone
4-6444.
1941 Member 1942
Pbsocioted CbUe6iate Press
Don Gabriel Editor
E. M. Rosenthal -Associate Editor
Ralph Criswell Advertising Manager
Sports Staff
Mike Haikin Sports Editor
W. F. Oxford Assistant Sports Editor
Mike Mann Senior Sports Assistant
Jerry Gleason, D. B. Gofer Junior Sports Editors
Chick Hurst Junior Sports Assistant
Circulation Staff
Gene Wilmeth ; , Circulation Manager
Bill Hauger Senior Circulation Assistant
F. D. Asbury Junior Assistant
Bill Huber, Joe Stalcup Circulation Assistants
Photography Staff
Jack Jones Staff Photographer
Bob Crane, Ralph Stenzel Assistant Photographers
Thursday’s Staff
E. M. Rosenthal Acting Managing Editor
John Sleeper Advertising Assistant
Charles Babcock Junior Editor
Clyde C. Franklin i Junior Editor
Mike Speer Junior Editor
Reportorial Staff
Calvin Brumley, Kenneth C. Bresnen, Arthur L. Cox, W. J.
Hamilton, Jr., N. W. Karbach, Jack Keith, Tom B. Jounneay,
Tom Leland, Charles P. McKnight, C. G. Scruggs, John May,
Douguaiss Lancaster
Open Forum
Medical Fees Are Reasonable!_
Chronic Bleeders Reprimanded
Editor’s Note: The following article presents a
rather clear picture of the functions of the hospital.
While longer than the usual Open Forum article, it
presents a viewpoint which is not often expressed
and may serve to clarify the position of the hospital
to those students who are not acquainted with it.
While the College Hospital is still gathering
the “ill winds” about the campus—the source
being from those who blow the hardest and
yet know the least. Here are a few state
ments in reply to those chronic “bleeders”.
What do we get for our $10 medical fee?
One thing for certain, we do not get the ben
efit of paying those “doctor’s bills” that all
of us will have to meet eventually after we
leave A. & M.
Everyone wants facts and more facts, so
here are just a few.
If one were to walk into and independent
hospital and ask for an X-ray of a complete
set of teeth, it would cost approximately $15.
An X-ray of the chest or head at the inde
pendent hospital would cost $5 and $10 re
spectively.
Fluoroscope Prices
Any time the fluoroscope is turned on, a
“small $2.00 charge is assessed. However,
the college turns on its fluoroscope anywhere
from 20 to 50 times a day and does from one
to as many pictures as needed per patient
without any extra fee.
The college is willing to X-ray a bone
that has not been broken. The slightest in
dication of a sore region on a limb or on the
body is enough to warrant a fluoroscy.
The ultra violet at an independent hos
pital is $2.00 per minute. At the college hos
pital anywhere from 30 seconds to five min
utes is given. Diathermy is $5.00 for 15
minutes. At our hospital a 20 minute min
imum to a maximum of 30 minutes is given.
The infra red treatment is $2.00 for ten min
utes, here a minimum of ten minutes to 20
minutes. Morton Smart, which is used in the
treatment of fatigued muscles, is $5.00 per
treatment. Let us be reminded again that all
the above mentioned treatments are included
on our medical fee.
Diagnosis of Diseases
In the diagnosing of diseases many pro
cedures are used. Among a few are autor-
genous vaccines, which at an independent
hospital would cost in the neighborhood of
$19; blood sugars $3.00; pneumonia typing,
$10; complete blood counts $5.00; urinalysis
$2.00; throat and gum smears, $2.00; ma
laria routine $3.00. At the college hospital
no extra charge is made for these various
tests.
Let us consider drugs and medicines
next. Mylodol, which convalescents take, costs
us nothing. However, at the drug store eight
ounces costs $1.75. The boys using this drug
at our hospital may take it for a period of
three to six months and then longer if neces
sary. To date 75,000 aspirin tablets, 50,000
cold pills, and 24,000 quinine capsules have
been given out. A standard brand costs any
where from 25ff to 50^ a dozen.
Lotion Costs
Sodium Salcylate, used in the treatment
of sore muscles, deep bruises, and general
rheumatic conditions, costs at any drug store
75$ for a four ounce bottle. The hospital giv
es this out by the pint. Common lotions used
for the treatment of rashes, stings, and so
forth can be bought for 25d to $2.00 for a
small bottle. So far we are still using our
medical fee to meet the costs of drugs.
All first aid, such as dressing of simple
cuts and abrasions and taping of limbs would
cost a doctor’s fee at an independent clinic,
which would be anywhere from $5.00 up. In
the eye, ear, nose, and throat room sinuses
are shrunk, ears and eyes washed, nose and
throats painted and sprayed, and trench
mouth and pink eye are treated. Cold and
penumonia serum is given free, the only
charge being the cost of the materials. Any
of the above would be assessed as, the doctor
saw fit.
Venereal Disease Treatments
Until a comparatively short time ago
all boys having a venereal disease were sent
home, ecause of this ruling some of the cases
were not attended until such time that the
person afflicted could not walk. It was then
decided by college officials to charge those
boys having the disease the cost of the drugs
used in treatment and no more if they were
treated at the college hospital. Today with
the use of sulphanilimide and its derivitives
in the treatment of venereal diseases the sum
of $15 does not nearly cover the expense of
the drugs used.
A case of gonorrhea will be cleared up
whether it takes one week or six months;
yet for these no other charge except the $15.
Even the “quacks” whom certainly none of
us should patronize for our own safety,
charge at least $25, and most of the time the
disease will reoccur. Any reputable physician
would charge anywhere from $40 to $100.
In the case of syphillis, for which shots
are given, the reputable physician would
charge a minimum of $5.00 a shot, plus a
charge for giving it. The treatment is given
here for $2.00, and there is no extra charge
for giving it.
’ At other colleges the medical fee is" very
nearly the same as ours. However the stu
dents have to pay for all X-ray work done.
If a person remains in the hospital over the
time allotted him, he has to pay $5.00 and
up a day. Here, if necessary, a person can
stay in bed all year at no extra cost, as in
the case of Whadwhani.
Appendicitis Cases
Much has been heard about the “appen
dix jerking”. Once and for all, let this be
cleared up. No one’s appendix is taken out
unless the doctor deems it necessary, and
then only with the parent’s consent. It might
be added that attacks of appendicitis are
more prevalent among males from the ages
of 15 to 25 than in any other group. No
wonder then, in a group of 6,000 men that
there are so many attacks of appendicitis.
Much is said about the doctors not be-
able to diagnose illnesses. However, the rec
ord of recovery at A. & M. is nearly 100 per
cent. No doctor, or group of doctors, can diag
nose a case in ten minutes, as some of the
“experts” on this campus think they should.
Medical Fee Worthwhile
I have given you a few concrete facts
so that you will know without doubt what
soever, what we receive in return for our
$10 medical fee. However, if there is still
doubt come over to the hospital and find out
for yourself. Do not “blow off” twithou
knowledge of the facts.
It all comes down to this. On registra
tion day most of us buy everything that the
college has to offer. But when we have to
pay a few dollars for health insurance which
is essential, someone starts to bleed. If the
medical fee were optional, and someone had
to pay $80 for some kind of treatment in
Bryan, then maybe he would appreciate such
a nominal charge for something so import
ant as health. When we leave school and
have to foot those “doctor bills” ourselves,
I think everyone of us will know that he got
off pretty lightly.
Jack Blankfield, ’42.
The World Turns On
:By A. F. Chalk:
Kollegiate Kaleidoscope
COVERING
iSl y
- a
caps disMONS
WITH
§1
,4^
'■tut?
*%■'
Whew Clyde dd/ine
OF OREGON STATE y/iSW
THE OREGON KICKER
DROP BACK TO PUNT
HE HOISTED A TEAM
MATE ON HIS SHOULDERS
JUST AS THE BALL
LEFT THE KICKERS
TOE, ENABLING HI?
PAL TO BLOCK THE
KICK/ ALTHOUGH
THERE IS NO RULE
AGAINST IT, THIS IS
THE ONLY INSTANCE ON
RECORD OF THE PLAY.
Sipm li
ttiitft'i
law
SUPREME COURT
JUSTICE
HARLAN F
STONE
WS EXPELLED
FROM MAST. ST.
COLLEGE FOR
ALLEGEDLY HITTING
A PROFESSOR/ HE
ENROLLED AT AMHERST
WHERE HE BECAME THE MOST
POPULAR MAN ON THE CAMPUS'.
DR.. HENRY W.
Bn FORTY YEARS' AT THE
m UNIVERSITY OF TEyAS DR.
HARPER HAS ALWAYS WORN A
RED BOW TIE, THE SAME TYPE
OF SHOES AND CARRIED AN
UMBRELLA/
BACKWASH
BY
Charlie Babcock
“Backwash: An agitation resulting from some action or occurrence.”—Webster
It is seldom that a congressional investigat
ing committee renders any worthwhile ser
vice to the country. Such a committee is too
frequently governed in its actions by purely
political considerations. This accounts for the
lack of confidence evidenced by the public in
many investigations conducted by various
legislative committees.
The present Committee Investigating De
fense Contracts is, however, a distinguished
exception to the general rule. It has had
no small part in developing an understanding
on the part of the public of some of the basic
mistakes which are being made in our de
fense effort. Senator Truman, who is chair
man of the committee, has pursued a vigor
ous and relatively unbiased policy in his ef
forts to uncover practices on the part of la
bor and business which are seriously hamper
ing our rearmament program. His commit
tee has given much-needed publicity to some
ruthless practices of corporations and labor-
organizations. The Currier Lumber Com
pany case, mentioned in this column last
week, was an illustration of the bad effects
of jurisdictional disputes within the ranks
of labor.
The blame for retarding the defense pro
gram cannot, however, be laid solely at the
feet of labor organizations. Some bus
iness firms have not evidenced any great con
cern for the future welfare of the country in
making their contracts with the government
for defense projects. One such contract
which should soon be the subject for investi
gation by the Truman committee is that
which was awarded the Aluminum Company
of America for the construction of’ increased
production facilities. The details of this con
tract have not as yet been widely printed,
but some excerpts which the writer has seen
indicate that the government has signed a
contract with ALCOA which will be exten
sively criticized if it receives widespread
publicity. It appears this company has a con
tract which will permit the maintenance of a
monopolistic position in the Aluminum indus
try at the expense of the 1 defense program.
In any event, enough has already been
brought to light to justify a thorough inquiry
by a congressional committee. One thing
which is certain is that the terms of the con
tract are so loosely worded at certain vital
points that the legal obligation of ALCOA
are suspiciously vague.
Only 49 Days Until Christmas . . .
But Santa Claus comes to Aggie-
land when Texas University plays
here Turkey Day . . . That’s some
thing that we are going to have
to take in a more serious vein.
That Longhorn
team is plenty
tough, and no one
' will deny that.
The fact is it will
require a lot of
preparation to
beat them . . .
Food Finding
Facts in Hotard’s
Hostelry: The
Babcock world’s poultry
population drops about 950 every
time the Aggies eat chicken in the
mess halls. That amounts to 1,200
pounds. Then there is the ques
tion of pies which is settled when
1,500 are served at every meal,
and when quartered, the number
of slices totals 6,000 . . . The Cam
pus Theater is becoming the cam
pus lost and found department.
Latest among the valuable-appear
ing articles to disappear is a set*
of keys in leather case with the
name, Pressley Brothers, Cleveland,
Texas, engraved on the outside . . .
Reports from Austin say that Jack
Crain and Pete Layden have fail
ing grades in a home economics
course which they are taking, and
both need the hours to remain eligi
ble.
• • •
Innovation
Something new in the way of
Aggie football programs will be
on sale at the S. M. U. game Sat
urday.
Not only will there be the cus
tomary “names, weights, and num
bers of each and every player,”
but a pictorial interpretation of a
few phases of Aggie life will also
be included.
Accompanied with each picture
is a story, depicting the highlights
of the scene in photograph.
Included in the make-up is a
display of our own Reveille in sev
eral favorite poses. Then, there
is a shot of the World War memor
ial flag hanging in the Academic
building, a view of the interior of
the new mess hall, and a candid
picture of several Aggies thumb
ing a ride on the highway.
• • a
Bunnie’s Secrets
The warning has been posted,
and so with Miss Bunnie Bear-
kat, the gossipy columnist from
Sam Houston, pulling no punches,
we present her initial effort in the
form of a letter . . .
Maybe you’ve heard, this
is to be a short and snappy
version of what’s doing be
tween Aggies and Bearkitties.
So here goes—
Billy Edwards’ name should
be in lights. He escorted
Queen Eloise Barrow in her
coronation at the Trinity Val
ley Exposition. Billy, does
your hat still fit?
What happened to the Sen
ior class prexy, Dick Her-
vey? He was seen on the
Sam Houston campus quite
often last year. What’s the
matter, Dick?
David Benson, why the sud
den change from Evelyn to
Rava? Evelyn is cute, and
besides, they’re such pals. We
wonder!
Paul Riker seems to be go
ing steady with one of Elliot
Hall’s third floor cuties. Ask
him how he does it—or may
be you’d better not.
Here I am burning the can
dle at both ends. Charlie says
this can’t be too long, and
I’m a day late with it; and
say, why don’t some of you
write to Bunnie Bearkat at El
liot Hall, Huntsville, Texas,
and tell her how you do or .
don’t like her letter.
If you don’t like this, I’ll
gladly change my technique—
and why don’t you do some
thing spectacular for me to
write about?
Goodbye,
Bunnie.
“PRIVATE NURSE” is the fea
ture attraction at the Campus to
day. Jane Darwell and Brenda
Joyce are in the leading roles.
Nurses spend their time help
ing inebriates and racketeers re
cover from their ills and get start
ed on the straight and narrow path
once more. That is the gist of the
story. In view of the cast and size
of the show, it is an average pie •
ture.
A comedy that turned a little
flat is “OUR WIFE” showing at
the Campus tomorrow and Sat
urday. Melvyn Douglas and Ruth
Hussey noticeably overdo the dia
logue and neglect the action that
is so vital to a good comedy.
The picture more aptly could
have been titled “Our Husband”
rather than “Our Wife.” Douglas
is the only husband present, while
Ellen Drew is an ex-wife in the
process, and Ruth a prospective
one. Nevertheless the picture
drags along. The riotous scenes
are few and far between.
Calling Dr. Kildare! “THE
PEOPLE VS. DR. KILDARE” is
showing at Guion Hall today and
tomorrow. Another of the famed
Dr. Kildare series is here. Lew
Ayres and Lionel Barrymore and
Laraine Day continue their crusade
against disease and sickness right
on througfir the show.
This time most of the show takes
place out of the hospital. The
climax court-room speech by Bar
rymore is very impressive.
Bonita Granville is the guest star
for the picture. She is cast as
an ice-skater who sues the hospi
tal as the result of an operation.
In addition to his usual medical
duties, Ayres does some detec
tive work to clear his reputation.
WHAT’S SHOWING
AT GUION HALL
Thursday, Friday—“THE
PEOPLE VS. DR. KIL
DARE,” starring Lew Ayres,
Lionel Barrymore, and Lar
aine Day.
AT THE CAMPUS
Thursday — “PRIVATE
NURSE,” with Jane Darwell
and Brenda Joyce.
Friday, Saturday—“OUR
WIFE,” featuring Melvyn
Douglas, Ruth Hussey, and
Ellen Drew.
—BOYNTON—
(Continued from page 1)
eign service and technical work.
In his position as personnel man
ager for the Standard Oil Com
pany, Boynton has interviewed
around 75,000 people. During this
visit, his second appearance at A.
& M., he spent the afternoon inter r
viewing A. & M. seniors for em
ployment with the Socony-Vacuum
Company. He stated that the Ag
gies made a favorable impression
and were an exceptionally fine
group of men. In his opinion, sev
eral of the Aggies interviewed had
the qualifications necesary for jobs
in the foreign service of the Socony
Vacuum Company.
This lecture was one of the first
in an educational program being
sponsored by the ex-students asso
ciation of the college.
Let’s Beat SMU
Ole Army
BEFORE AND AFTER THE GAME
Come To
George s Confectionery
In New “Y”
EATS — DRINKS — SMOKES
Musical Meanderings
By Murray Evans
On November 6, musicians will
honor the 127th anniversary of
Adolph Saxe, the man who made
the modern dance orchestra possi
ble by his invention of the saxo
phone. Shep Fields will take the
lead in the ceremonies by a special
broadcast from Cleveland.
Fields now has about the oddest
combination in the business, what
with nine saxophones and four
rhythm instruments. Without any
semblence of brass, this concen
tration on reeds is exciting more
interest than any other hand in
this country. The total instrumen
tation of the band, however, totals
44, as each man is capable of
doubling on other instruments.
Recently Shep and Tommy Dor
sey were selected by Victor Record
ing Company to tour the country
in what is called a “dance caravan”
—a veritable traveling dance hall
which will start from Detroit, No
vember 3 and stop at least a
dozen cities in the mid-west and
south.
One of Field’s outstandingly
good records has just been released,
an old favorite, “Don’t Blame Me.”
Those versatile Merry Macs are
capable of doing just any type of
number in grand style. In their
latest picture, “Melody Lane,” they
sing a nursery melody, two novelty
numbers, a semi-classic, and wind
up with a hymn.
The Merry Macs, oddly enough,
never use lead sheets in the crea
tion of their unique bounce rhythm,
hut depend wholly on their talented
ears in developing that blend of
voices which has elevated them to
stardom.
“Back in the old days” the Ross
Volunteers gave their spring dances
to the whole corps. It was an oc
casion looked forward to by every-
The saying “can’t hear yourself
think” originated in the Aggie
gym during a basketball game be
tween Texas U. and Texas A. &
M.
GUION HALL
THURSDAY — FRIDAY
3:30 & After Yell Practice
Lew Ayres — Lionel Barrymore
Loraine Day
“The People vs Dr. Kildare”
Selected Shorts
SATURDAY
“Kiss The Boys Goodbye”
T- it •- • -~a _ ^