In 1917 less than one-third of the Army recruits were turned down for physical defects; in 1941 the number of rejects had averaged 43%.
These startling figures are not so bad as they look, for physical standards for the two armies are not comparable. Army officials of 1941 are more particular than those of 1917: thousands of recruits who were accepted in 1917 would be turned down pronto in 1941. Today doctors have more precise methods of detecting diseases; for example, tests for venereal disease have been greatly improved.
No clear picture of the nation's...
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