“Angels in Army Drab”: The Medical Specialists Corps and COL Emma Vogel

"Angels in Army Drab"1 is the name that COL Emma Vogel (1889-1981) affectionately gave to the group of men and women in the Medical Specialist Corps for their tireless work of rehabilitative, long-term care for service members and their family.

The role of rehabilitative care in the military is a relatively young concept. At the turn of World War I, most rehabilitation was performed just for mental health patients. Even orthopedic surgery was considered a new and potentially unreliable specialty. Orthopedic surgeons were early adopters of rehabilitative therapies to provide postsurgery treatment and allow individuals to return to the workforce.2 World War I provided an unprecedented number of orthopedic injuries and a need to provide additional care for soldiers.2,3 In 1917, Surgeon General William Gorgas authorized the use of reconstruction aides (RAs) to enhance postsurgical care.4

RAs or physiotherapists were initially civilians who volunteered to provide massage, hydrotherapy, electrotherapy, or physiotherapy to soldiers who suffered from battlefield injuries during World War I.5 (Fig. 1) The first wave of RAs were sent to Europe in June 1918 as civilian contractors. RAs were paid a minimal salary, purchased their own uniforms through the Red Cross, and were not protected under war-time insurance or benefits. During this time, Emma Vogel began her path to the Chief of the Specialist Corps.3,5

In August 1917, the War Department called for 1,000 trained aides to handle rehabilitation of the wounded. Vogel entered the physical therapy program at Reed College that included a 9-month training program, 240 hours of certified hospital experience, and a 4-month course in both theoretical and practical physiotherapy.3 After receiving her degree from Reed College in 1918, Vogel entered the Army in 1919 with her first assignment at Army General Hospital No. 24 in Pittsburgh, PA. Within a few short months, she was transferred to Walter Reed General Hospital in Washington, DC.6,7

After World War I ended, Vogel continued to work at Walter Reed as a supervisor of physical therapists rehabilitating veterans from the war. In 1922, she helped organize the first training course for therapists. This course was also the first one recognized by the American Medical Association and the American Physiotherapy Association (presently known as the American Physical Therapy Association).8 In August 1942, Vogel was appointed Superintendent in the Civilian Personnel Division of the Surgeon General'sOffice which included training activities, personnel management, and creation of manuals and overall administration of the Physical Therapists Branch. Even with the professionalization of the field, therapists still did not receive military status until 1943.6,8

In January 1943, Public Law 77-828 finally granted therapists relative rank in the Army and the Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson appointed Emma Vogel as Director of Physical Therapy Aides with a commissioned rank of Major. After World War II, physical therapists, along with dieticians and occupational therapists, were integrated into the Army as the Women's Medical Specialist Corps. Vogel was appointed the first Chief of the Corps and promoted to Colonel, and remained Chief of the Corps until she retired in 1951, serving for 33 years. During her tenure, she continued to improve training courses, formalize uniforms, and provide the utmost care for service members. 1,6,7 (Several artifacts that belonged to Emma Vogel are on display at the National Museum of Health and Medicine in Silver Spring, MD.) (Fig. 2) Today, the Army Medical Specialists Corps includes dietitians, physical therapists, occupational therapists, and physician assistants, which continue to rehabilitate service members and their families.4

American Registry of Pathology, in support of the National Museum of Health and Medicine, U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command, 2500 Linden Lane, Silver Spring, MD 20910.

The National Museum of Health and Medicine, a Department of Defense museum founded as the Army Medical Museum in 1862, is committed to documenting the nation's military medical heritage while sustaining a repository of contemporary medical technology to advance military medicine. This series of articles illuminates objects and collections of interest to AMSUS readers. For more about NMHM, visit www .medicalmuseum.mil.

The contributor hereby certifies the contribution to be a work of the U.S. government, which has been prepared by an officer or employee of the U.S. government as part of his or her official duties, and therefore precluded from copyright protection under 17 USC §105. The contribution is in the public domain by operation of laws of the United States of America.

The opinions and assertions contained herein are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the National Museum of Health and Medicine or the Department of Defense (DoD), any of the military services, or other DoD components or any other government agencies, and does not constitute an endorsement by the DoD of any of the opinions expressed, or any information, products or services contained therein.

doi: 10.7205/MILMED-D-15-00219

REFERENCES

1. Davis HM, et al: United States. Office of the Surgeon General Department of the Army. Army Medical Specialist Corps. Washington: GPO, 1968. Print.

2. Linker B: War's Waste. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, IL, 2011.

3. Schleichkorn J: The origin of a tradition. Advance Healthcare Network for Physical Therapy and Rehab Medicine 2004; 15(8): 53. Available at http://physical-therapy.advanceweb.com/Article/The-Origin-of-a-Tradition .aspx; accessed January 20, 2015.

4. Souvignier A, Brenner A: Serving the Underserved: Physical Therapy in the Federal System, On and after the Battlefield, on the Rez, and Behind Bars. American Physical Therapy Association. 25 October 2013. Course. Available at http://www.apta.org/uploadedFiles/APTAorg/National_ Conferences/NSC/Programming/Handouts/ServingUnderservedCommunities .pdf; accessed January 21, 2015.

5. Low JF: The Reconstruction Aides. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy. 1992; 46(1): 38- 43. American Occupational Therapy Association. Available at https://ajkot.aota.org/; accessed January 21, 2015.

6. Ussery PA, COL Emma Vogel: first chief of the Women's Medical Specialist Corps. The AMEDD Historian Newsletter. 2013; 2: 2. AMEDD Center of History and Heritage. Available at http://history.amedd.army .mil/newsletters/AMEDDnewsletter2.pdf; accessed January 20, 2015.

7. U.S. Army Medical Department: Office of Medical History: Office of Medical History, U.S. Army Medical Department, n.d. Available at http://history.amedd.army.mil/booksdocs/wwi/MilitaryHospitalsintheUS/ chapter27.htm; accessed January 21, 2015.

8. Finding Aid, OHA 353, on file, Otis Historical Archives, National Museum of Health and Medicine, Silver Spring, MD.