South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1877-10-26
Russian Horrors

An Austrian surgeon just arrived
from Bulgaria gives terrible report OF
the neglect and inhnmanity practiced by
Russian officials on their own soldiers :;
and in particular of the horrible treat
ment Of the wounded. even OF their own
army. He says the treatment Of the
wounded is tho most damnable outrage
on humanity have ever read or heard
of, or conceived to be possible. 1t is a
sin whichcries alond to God for His ven
geance, and to man for the stronoe est
possible announcement OF his loathing
and adherence. After the men are re-
moved from the battle field they are ia
ken to field hospital, where they are
allowed to lie, just as they fell, in their
uniforms, stiff and stained with blood,
wallowing in their own cxcrements
Nobody attends TO them, brings them
food or water. or does the least thing
for them. They groan their wretched
lives out in agony of body and despair
Of soul Whatever
assistance profered was uniformly
refused on the plea that none but n
graduate of Russian surgical college
could be allowed to touch Russian
wounded Over fifty hours certainly
elapsed between the time at which these
poor wretches received their wounds to
that in which they had any treatment
whatever. My blood cur'lles in my
veins when | think upon the sufferings
they must undergo during those two
days and two nights Of physical pain,
privation, jolting and exposure. Utter.
L., -, Ill al.
ness Of the Russian army surgeons. es.
pecially, to cases where the utmost
gentleness is needed rs psychological
means OF soothing and encouragement
to the patient. have repeatedly been
distressed and indignant witness Of
brutalities and even sheer crueltics
practiced by the medical officers to-
wards wounded soldiers, such as / could
not have conceived IL possible that any
civilized human being would have been
guilty Of. For instance. j Has present
! at an operation performed on one fellow
whose wound was not only dangerous
but Of n peculiarly agonizing character.
He was lying on his filthy litter. The
necessary operation might have been
perfectly we'll performed upon him
whilst in rccumbent position. IL was
horrible torture to him to move. hut the
surgeon insisted M on his getting up
and seating himself upon n stool, which
he did with the greatest difficulty. The
| surgeon who was just about to begin his
work when he caught sight of the SOL
dier's long boots, which had not been
removed since he was taken off the
field. lie broke out into q torrent OF
| abuse calling the man an "accursed hog"
and asking him chow he dared TO pre-.
sent himself for operation with his filthy
boots on" The poor fellow stammer-
ed that nobody had taken them off for
him, and that he was not strong enough
TO pull them off himself. II will teach
you, you pig, TO keep your boots on i'm
the hospital y shouted the surgeon, and
kicked the unfortunate creature three
or four times furiously on the legs.
Just before another operation, bound
TO be attended with hideous pain to the
patient, asked the surgeon in charge
why he did not administer chloroform
or ether to alleviate the sufIerinas Of the
soldier, at least during the operation.
He replied scornfully: "Do you think I
have time TO wasteiupon giving anesth-
eticsY lie must make the best of it. 8"
The treatment Of the Russian wounded
from the time Of their removal from tho
field upon which they have fallen to
That of their delivery at Gorny Studen,