Report of Reexamination of 4,994 Men Disqualified for General Military Service

Much has been written about the physical fitness of men for active military service, and in many countries criteria have been drawn up to guide examiners in the choice of suitable candidates. Borderline cases and the range of the normal have furnished abundant material for discussion; but in the cardiovascular field, in particular, there is still a great deal to be learned. Two aspects of the problem which might aid in its clarification have not been explored adequately, namely the reexamination, by expert cardiologists, of a relatively large group of registrants rejected for cardiovascular defects, and a long follow-up of the borderline cases. The present study will deal with the first of these; it should also provide material for the pursuit of the second, which we hope may form the basis of another report several years hence. The major questions presented have involved the significance of heart murmurs, the critical