IN PLANNING this presentation I have considered three basic factors: (1) the contributions made by dermatology and dermatologists that are of direct and indirect value to the Armed Forces, (2) the contributions that the Armed Forces and the office of the Secretary of Defense have made to dermatology, and (3) the answer to the question, "What further should be done to make dermatology, dermatologists, and the Armed Forces more mutually advantageous?"
Dermatology as a science and dermatologists individually have contributed much to various and broad aspects of military dermatology, especially when it is remembered that prior to World War II dermatology and dermatologists were not recognized as such by the Armed Forces. Throughout the first year of World War II it became clear that dermatologists were a necessity and that cutaneous diseases constituted one of the major causes of hospitalization and disability.
In 1944, the total number of