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Originally Posted by Kosh
-Guynemer was "ruined by tuberculosis"
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Well, if you read Coppens' DAYS ON THE WING (aka FLYING IN FLANDERS), he refutes most strongly the idea that Guynemer was a consumptive.
"Were he consumptive, how then could he have flown at a high altitude, day after day", said the piqued Belgian, IIRC. Perhaps Dan-San could verify this one way or the other, as he knew Coppens personally.
As to the USAS' medical standards, one of whose "exams" consisted of spinning the subject in a chair till dizzy or nausea set in, then seeing how well they could get back on their feet-- real sciency stuff-- one of their favorite catch-all terms was "staleness"... whatever the hell that means!
Yet this term was used again and again to disqualify an otherwise healthy and proven pilot. "Staleness"-- no set definition was ever made to my knowledge, but it sounded something like normal fatigue ("battle fatigue", perhaps?).
Imagine, if you will, Boelcke being disqualified for "weltschmertz"!