Sanitary Reconnaissance

SANITARY RECONNAISSANCE, a set of measures of the sanitary service of the Red Army for determining conditions affecting the sanitary condition of troops and for organizing the work of the sanitary service itself. Depending on the objectives, sanitary-epidemiological and sanitary-tactical reconnaissance are distinguished. The object of sanitary-epidemiological reconnaissance is the sanitary properties of the terrain in which the troops operate and the condition of the population with which they come into contact. Among the information determining the sanitary properties of the terrain, besides general data on climate, soil, relief, atmospheric precipitation, etc., for S. r. special interest is attached to the characteristics of the water bodies of the given district (especially considering the saturation of troops with the most important sections under conditions of modern warfare), in individual cases - the fauna (e.g., the presence of the malaria mosquito). As for the population and populated areas, for S. r. the most important data are on morbidity, especially infectious, and on possible ways of its spread that pose an immediate danger to troops (housing, water supply and water use, disposal of waste). Sanitary-tactical reconnaissance is aimed at determining the conditions for organizing sanitary evacuation (staged, echeloned treatment) and the deployment of sanitary institutions (availability of suitable premises, local means for providing necessary property and equipment, installations for sanitary processing, local transport, etc.), as well as ascertaining the condition and capacity of communication routes (ground, railway, water). Initial data for S. r. are contained in sanitary descriptions of districts, in particular possible theaters of military operations; these descriptions are prepared in advance by the respective sanitary commanders. However, data taken from such descriptions cannot be considered practically sufficient due to changes occurring in the condition of districts (in the USSR conditions - the scale of industrial and municipal construction, improvement of the material well-being and cultural level of the population, laying of new roads, etc.). The existence of descriptions in no way diminishes the importance of S. r., which must ensure the continuous and timely receipt of reliable information by the sanitary service. Some tasks of S. r. can be resolved by troop reconnaissance, when the reconnaissance body sent out (detachment, patrol) is entrusted, along with other tasks, to ascertain certain specific data important for sanitary support (e.g., presence of patients among the population, number of wells, presence of covered approaches for removing and transporting casualties in battle). A more effective measure is the inclusion of medical personnel (doctor, medical assistant, sanitary instructor - depending on the tasks of sanitary reconnaissance) in the composition of advanced units, as well as their departure with the billeting officers of a military unit (formation) to personally inspect the terrain and population and obtain information from local civilian administration or health authorities. In view of providing support for larger troop units, covering a larger area, deepening the preliminary information obtained, S. r. applies all modern methods for studying factors of sanitary condition, resorting when necessary to laboratory (chemical, bacteriological) studies, collection of faunistic material, analysis of statistical data, etc. The results of sanitary reconnaissance, properly documented (report cards, summaries, diagrams), are used by the military sanitary service authorities to draw conclusions about the sanitary assessment of the situation, presented to the command as one of the elements influencing the actions of the troops; on the other hand, they form the basis for developing a plan for supporting troops in sanitary-prophylactic and sanitary-evacuation respects. In the pre-revolutionary Russian army, S. r. did not have a systematic character, and its conduct was in complete dependence on the subjective qualities of the sanitary commanders. On the contrary, in the Red Army sanitary reconnaissance is one of the most important areas of work of the military sanitary service and as such is regulated by the relevant regulations and instructions.

SANITARY DOG

60F

Among the information determining the sanitary properties of the terrain, besides general data on climate, soil, relief, atmospheric precipitation, etc., for S. r. special interest is attached to the characteristics of the water bodies of the given district (especially considering the saturation of troops with the most important sections under conditions of modern warfare), in individual cases - the fauna (e.g., the presence of the malaria mosquito). As for the population and populated areas, for S. r. the most important data are on morbidity, especially infectious, and on possible ways of its spread that pose an immediate danger to troops (housing, water supply and water use, disposal of waste). Sanitary-tactical reconnaissance is aimed at determining the conditions for organizing sanitary evacuation (staged, echeloned treatment) and the deployment of sanitary institutions (availability of suitable premises, local means for providing necessary property and equipment, installations for sanitary processing, local transport, etc.), as well as ascertaining the condition and capacity of communication routes (ground, railway, water). Initial data for S. r. are contained in sanitary descriptions of districts, in particular possible theaters of military operations; these descriptions are prepared in advance by the respective sanitary commanders. However, data taken from such descriptions cannot be considered practically sufficient due to changes occurring in the condition of districts (in the USSR conditions - the scale of industrial and municipal construction, improvement of the material well-being and cultural level of the population, laying of new roads, etc.). The existence of descriptions in no way diminishes the importance of S. r., which must ensure the continuous and timely receipt of reliable information by the sanitary service. Some tasks of S. r. can be resolved by troop reconnaissance, when the reconnaissance body sent out (detachment, patrol) is entrusted, along with other tasks, to ascertain certain specific data important for sanitary support (e.g., presence of patients among the population, number of wells, presence of covered approaches for removing and transporting casualties in battle). A more effective measure is the inclusion of medical personnel (doctor, medical assistant, sanitary instructor - depending on the tasks of sanitary reconnaissance) in the composition of advanced units, as well as their departure with the billeting officers of a military unit (formation) to personally inspect the terrain and population and obtain information from local civilian administration or health authorities. In view of providing support for larger troop units, covering a larger area, deepening the preliminary information obtained, S. r. applies all modern methods for studying factors of sanitary condition, resorting when necessary to laboratory (chemical, bacteriological) studies, collection of faunistic material, analysis of statistical data, etc. The results of sanitary reconnaissance, properly documented (report cards, summaries, diagrams), are used by the military sanitary service authorities to draw conclusions about the sanitary assessment of the situation, presented to the command as one of the elements influencing the actions of the troops; on the other hand, they form the basis for developing a plan for supporting troops in sanitary-prophylactic and sanitary-evacuation respects. In the pre-revolutionary Russian army, S. r. did not have a systematic character, and its conduct was in complete dependence on the subjective qualities of the sanitary commanders. On the contrary, in the Red Army sanitary reconnaissance is one of the most important areas of work of the military sanitary service and as such is regulated by the relevant regulations and instructions.