score from 1 to 8, with 1 being excellent and 8 being unfit for service. Although in theory all attributes can be scored from 1 to 8, in practice only eyesight and hearing can be graded 1. Although there is provision for grading a serviceman's physical measurements as P1, the examination required would be impossible within the constraints of the PULHHEEMS system. The Mental and Stability measurements are not exhaustive psychological examinations. The former is a test of the ability to form coherent thought processes, whilst the latter is a measurement of the serviceman's stress level. PES/MES Once a person in service has undergone a PULHHEEMS, they receive a score. In the Royal Air Force (RAF), the score is the MES, which stands for "Medical Employment Status." In the other branches, the score is the PES, which stands for "PULHHEEMS Employment Status". This PES is used to determine whether the soldier is "employable in full combatant duties (in any area) in any part of the world" or if they must remain away from the combat area, or within a specific geographic limitation. Sometimes it may be used in determining whether they are unfit for all duties. A PES grade of P2 is excellent, that of P7 is very poor, and P8 is unfit for duty. MES encapsulates the suitability of personnel for posting in the air, on the ground, and in different climates. Thus, a fully fit RAF serviceman will be graded A1 L1 M1 E1 (Only those that need to fly as part of their core duties would be awarded an A1 category. The highest anyone travelling as a passenger will get is A4 rather than P2. Conversely the Royal Navy, which includes the Royal Marines, makes no distinction between postings at sea or on land. History The PULHHEEMS system dates from WWII, although before 1983 it was simply PULHEEMS with one H. It replaced an earlier, simpler system which dated from before WWI in which soldiers were graded from A1 to D3 in four bands of three ratings. References A historical account of the British Army's circa-WWI system A description of the system put before the Welsh Assembly Fifty Years of PULHHEEMS - The British Army's System of Medical Classification Medical scales Military medicine in the United Kingdom