The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1870-10-15 00:00:00

INSIDE PARIS.

We(Times) have been favoured with the following
letter front 6urgeon.Major Wyatt:—

-.. Parts, Saturday, Oct. 1.

tt I have just been Informed that an opportunity Will
occur to-morrow by one of our remaining American cousins
for despatching some letters to England, and I am allowed
to send a couple, one of which shall be to you. We have
had a continuance of most glorious weather, but on Friday
morning the ball was opened, the result of which was that
the French lost about • tholliand men In killed and
wounded. It appears that • reconnainaece In force was
made at • very early hour towards the villages of lionigval
and Chevllly, near Ens Mondon, where the Prussians occu-
pied a strong position, concealed within the woods and
behind the walls. The French attack, I hear, WAS made
with great bravery, and the young soldiers wished to give
the enemy • taste of the bayonet. However, the retreat
being sounded, the Prussians escaped from their places of
concealment and inflicted considerable damage on the
French. Stich is the account as I heard it from the lips of
one who was wounded in the affair, and who was brought to
the Val de Grace, where I ho every morning at eight o'clock ;
indeed, since I last wrote to you our official position here
has been much changed for the better, and, so far as I am
personally concerned, I could desire nothing more consonant
with nay wishes than what has happened. hut It Is real
hard work to keep pace with all one would wish to achieve,
as I seldom return home till late in the evening. 1 endea-
vour to oscillate about equally between the military and in-
ternational or civil element, represented by the Vol de Grace
and the Palate d'lndustrle, so as to be able to deduce • (sir
comparison between the system, administration, and surgery
of both institutions.

The cannonade commenced about four o'clock on Friday
morning, and we could not for some time Imagine what was
the nature of It. However, as 1 wee thinking about going
to the field and making the neat ..... preparation., I met
several ambulance waggons full of wtainded coming to the
Military Hoepital, to which I returned and remained there
until past noon, the arrivals being incessant all the time.

"I remarked that the wounds were principally in the
upper part of the body and nearly all from the effects of the
needle ride bullet, which certainly is a mod deetructive
comminuting the bone. in every direction, and ren-
dering operations neceneary which from the exceeding small-
flea ot the external wounds would not appear to be so upon
superficial examination ; hence the greater risk of attempt-
ing (olive &limb, aa 1 have seen in Invent instances to-day,
shell we have been obliged to resort to amputation from the
supervention of acute mortification. 01 course, greater
efforts can always be made to follow a conservative or pre-
servative line of action in hospital' permanently established,
when the wounded are not subjected to the liability id sub-
sequent locomotion, than in temporary field ambulance.
" I paised the afternoon of Friday and the whole of yes-
terday at the Petals d'lndustrle, where they received 211
wounded, the Vol de Grace counting 192 of all ranks. It
was the first occasion on which any real pressure has been
put upon the International Society's central eetablishment,
whch has rLsen to the emergency with considerable success.
This is not • moment to criticise, but 1 may safely say this
much—that I consider the large military hospitals per-
manently established here should be first filled before the
private and international ambulances are occupied, and
that one system should co.openate with and assist the other
without too much attempt at exclusive action, otherwise I
venture to predict very considerable inconvenience will
arise.

Many of the wounded were shot quite early in the morn-
ing, and did not reach Carla till quite late in the evening.
They were nearly all in • condition which we call shock'—
cold, trembling, and sometimeii in • almost pulseless, which
Is a condition well known to military surgeone, requiring
warm beverage. to asaW in producing sufficient reaction for
an examination of their injuries, the consequence of which
was that moat of the operations were not performed until
yee tenter, which WU indeed • bloody day, and remindeS me
of Crimean association.. The wounded here during the
siege will have many very important advantages which they
could not possibly obtain in the moveable field ambulances,
not the least of which will be the benefit of every species of
modern contrivance applicable to their individual circuits.
stance., and I have already seen many novelties, suggestions
ci priclical importance which IshoUld he glad to be able to
procure hereafter.

" As I waked through the long vista of wards this evening,
it occurred to me that the aspect of a military hospital on
the second or third day alter so action conveyed a deeper
impression of the horrors and realities of war than the
revAti•ig sights on the aeld of battle.

_
I have always entertained the greatest admiration of
those noble women, the Steam do Charite, who glidr about
In the performance of their duties hke true ministering
angels. Compare their gentle, soothing manner and
manipulations with that of our rough untrained soldiers,
eveu with the best intentions for the welfare of their com-
rades ; or, rather, does it admit of any comparlsrn Y But
I hope to have something more to say stout this subject
in a different manner, as 1 have always felt strongly about
It. The nursing at the Central International estaliiihrnent
is done by women who are not connected wtth any sisterhood.
There is ore for each 'stile,' with two male assistants, who
are all under the surveillance of one of the lady patronesses.
The French are certainly a most Intelligent race, and allow
no opportunity to escape them of profiting by it, especially in
matters of science, for the benefit of other.. For Instance,
it any gun shot injury ',resents any external peculiarity, •
model i• at 0111C0 taken or it in the most delicate manner pos-
sible, and I need not say that mery proper Investigation is
made alter death, by which the most valuable information
Can be obtained. Hence their po lon if the unrivalled
museum of military surgery at the Val de Grace.

" I am sorry to Say that -the Pallid. d'lndustrie Is about to
have Its lower part converted into • large depot for stores of
all kinds as well as for munitions of war, which I cannot
help feeling has bees • mistake but the oflicers of the so-
ciety are now rentoved from the building. Each day's tiny
newspaper informs us of some new ettablishrnent at which
horatttesti can re procured, and to-day we are informed of
the nutrition. qualities of bullocks' blood. Meat Ii getting
very difficult to procure, and especlaty so, I regret to nay, Is
flimsy,

tt The Garde Mobile are becoming admirable soldier., and
are still drilled in the most indefatigable manner In every
direction. It is a curious sight to witness their departure
for the lortillcations, laden heavily, and with their axed
bayonets thrust through gigantic loaves of bread enough to
sustain half a thaan people. 1 believe very littis of what
read In the papers during these sensational timer, but I
cannot refrain from mentioning two circumstances which
have come under my immediate knowledge and are not happy
coincidences.

There are two of the wounded at the Palate d'lndustrle
who denrihe their hlstcry as follows :—One, a lad of 16, ac-
ccrupanied his father and mother, with theft few worldly
possessions, when they escaped from their cottage on the
arrival of the Prussian. near %tendon After their departure
the mother recollected that she had left a blanket behind,
which the poor lad desired to be lent in search of, and did
so but on his attempting to remove it was shot through
the lungs in the garden. Another poor child of 10 has been
allot through the arm while picking some flowers, but is pro-
gressing favourably.

ear that he circumstances attending war almost
necessarily harden us all more or leu, but a touching sight
presented itself yesterday to me which I could not help being
arrested by. A son-officer was lying badly wounded in bed ;
his faithful dog, who looked as it he knew all about it, sat
by his side, and could with difficulty he removed. Ills
master could not speak much to the poor brute, but their
eyes appeared to convey an intuitive mutual remembrance of
happier moments.

"The Prussians have now certainly lost 811 chance of any
possiLle success by assault, for the delay hem rendered the
place almost impregnable, which seems to be the unanimous
opinicii of welLinformed people here. 1 only hope thAt the
available rearm.. within the walls are as great in muni-
tbms of food Inc the inhabitants as they are of war for their
enemy.

" We know nothing still of what is going on in the outer
world, for although the balloons are Wel to be a tolerably
sale method of conveying lettere hence, they brkg us
nothing in return by way of news, if they return at .iç Chic
I doubt.

' JOUR WYATT, Surgeor.-Major Coldttream Guard,.