The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1898-03-27
TIE SICK BAY IN BATTLE
Problem. of Caring for the Wounded
in "a Naval Engagement.

One Of the most serious problems which
have confronted naval officers since the
introduction of modern warships con-
Germs the provision for the wounded in
time of battle. a naval conflict today
between the huge steel fighting machines
which have replaced the wooden ships Of
a quarter of a century or so ago would
inevitably be a scene Of frightful slaugh-
ter. and with the change in the type Of
vessels and the increase in the destTuc-
tive power of their batteries there has
come an unfortunate decrease in the
amount of room which can be spared for
the wounded. In other words. while the
chance Of injuries has increased many
fold. the facilities for attending to them
have been necessarily greatly curtailed.
II is stated that "a battIeship with
complement Of 500 men, ia action, if not
sunk, viii have within a few minutes 80
killed and 100 wounded" The naval fight
ing between Japan and China in 1894. the
/ only important occasion upon which mod
! ern war vessels have met in deadly con-
/ fict, showed how terrible the loss of life
must be under such circumstances
! In the battle of the Yalu, on September
| Il. Of that year, the fragments of one
! shell, fired at long range at the Isl Yuen,
/ killed seven men and wounded fourteen.
/ In his description Of the battle Comman-
/ der McGiffin said that one steel shell,
with a bursting charge of ninety pounds
/ OF powder, struck the japanese flagship
/ and killed instantly forty-nine officers
J and men and wounded over fifty. In the
same engaga ment a japanese vessel was
/ struck by a shell which entered the ward
/ room and killed a large number of wound
! ed men. together with the surgeons and
! their assistants. who had transformed the
| Wardroom into a temporary sick bay,
| as a warship's hospital is called.
Facts like these show how great would
be the undertaking Of attending to the
I wounded during an action. The subject
| Is one which has received much atten-
! ton from naval authorities and many pa
! pers have been written upon il. Valuable
/ suggestions have been advanced but with
! the best methods yet devised il is evi-
dent that comparatively few Of the men
! injured in a hard fight could be aided in
Rny way until after the action. Even a
{ slight understanding Of the construction
/ Of modern warships VIII show the reason
for this
The space upon their several decks.
! and in their holds. Is so extraordinarily
( subdiyided and so fully equipped, that
there is little room Tor an adequate sick
! bay, even in time Of peace. Every war
/ vessel has some apartment Of the kind,
Z but IN many cases the room IS so small
/ that it viii accommodate only half
! dozen cots-sometimes even less than
( this number. Generally speaking, there
( IS the greatest amount of available space
/ on board the cruisers though even here
4 ii is cTamped enough. and on the battle
+ ships and monitors the hospital quar-
tiers are much smaller. The size of the
/ sick bay IS not always DrOpOrtOnate to
the size of the vessel either for II de-
ponds largely upon the interior plan and
4 arrangements
For several reasons It is desirable that
the hospital in time of peace should be
in different place from that which it
would occupy in action In the former
case. where there is no danger from
projectiles to be guarded against, it is
best 10 have the sick bay in an airy
. Well-Ventilated place where ii may get
the sunlight. Consequently, it is fire.
| quenuy located on the forward berth
deck, although its precise situation va
/ ries with each vessel. on account of
the greater amount Of noise in the for
ward part OF the ship it is sometimes
placed more nearly the waist.
1t Is. as was said, very small, and even
in ZINE Of peace often has all its cots
filled and some extra patients in cots OF
hammocks swung in a nearby room. us
uaily a part Of the regular mems quar-.
tiers. The equipment Of the sick bay
consists, besides the swinging cots, oil
the surgeons dispensary and the most
necessary Of the appliances to be found
ia every well-conducted shore hospital
OF course, considering the fact that II is
on ShpbOard. the hospital outfit IS mucf
simplihed. the more complicated accesso
Ties. such as steam-steriiizing apparatus
> etc, having to he omitted.
In choosing a location for the sick bay
. / in an engagement, there are two para
I mount considerations 10 be observed
safety and easy accessibility from varl
Gus parts Of the ship. Theoretically. tht
I wounded should be sent to the most pro
| tccted part Of the vessel. which in tn
battieships would be below, within tn
belt Of 1S-inch amor. But there ar.
many difficulties In the way OF trans
[ porting men 10 such a place in all tn
: | confusion and carnage Of a battle. II i
} | found troublesome enough. even in drill
nlaneuyres, to lower a well man dowr
| through two or three decks, by way O
r narrow and often tortuous hatches an,
| il is easy to see how the danger woul
. be increased when the wounded man
his comrades VINO were lowering him
and the cot or hammock, ropes and all
| would be in constant danger of beini
! shot to pieces while they were engages
in the work.
Thus. although the injured would un
| doubleday be better off well below, pro
tected by the heavy armor. the process o
, | getting them there is. in many cases, too
/ slow and complicated TO be considered
and the need Of an accessible place some
times compels the selection of one con
. 1 sIderably more exposed.
2 Just what balance shall be struck be
tween safety and accessibility must b.
> determined for each vessel, according L
her peculiarities Of construction. so tina
} an attempt to describe here the temper
: airy sick bays Of thu Navy would in