Interesting historical note about "medical practictioners"

[Aunt Val]

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!  I've been doing some reading and research about Guam in anticipation of moving there after Christmas, and I came across this historical note about professionals on Guam post-WWII known as medical practitioners.  Thought you all might appreciate this:

"In an attempt to further improve medical care for the rapidly expanding island population, on March 15, 1946, the Navy established a School of Medical Practitioners that offered a four-year course in general medicine leading to eligibility for certification as a medical practitioner.  Promising students from Guam, American Samoa, and the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands were admitted to the program.  While it was recognized that the course could not duplicate the caliber of training available in established medical schools of the United States, graduates were expected to be able to diagnose and treat ailments commonly encountered in their areas and to distinguish medical and surgical cases that would require referral for specialized care. . . .

With the advent of the civilian government in 1950 and the passage of stringent medical and dental practice acts by the local legislature, both the medical and dental practitioner schools were closed.  Although barred from practicing on Guam the professions for which they had trained, some of the graduates of these schools contributed to heath care in the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, where they were granted licenses as medical officers (MO).  Those who remained on Guam continued to serve the island in various other capacities in health-related fields. . . ."

--from History and Culture of Guam by Brandon Bell, p. 162-63 (which by the way is a terribly-put-together book that seems like it just copied and pasted from various internet sources, so I don't know what the original source of these paragraphs is)

[DelusionalEnthusiasm]

I wonder if the navy did 1 million in research on what to call them

[ventana]

9 hours ago, DelusionalEnthusiasm said:

I wonder if the navy did 1 million in research on what to call them

Or ignored the experts