Evening star., 1898-05-07
WOUNDED IN BATTLE
Preparations That Have Been Made
for Their Care
IN THE PRESENT War With SPAIN
How the Hospital Corps VIII Work
in the Field.
PLACE OF ARMY SURGEONS

Written for The Evening Star.
War means BATTLES and battles mean
wounds. and all the dictates of humanity
and expediency require that these wounds
shall receive prompt and efficient surgical
attendance" said Lieut.. Col. Brown of the
surgeon generals staff. in speaking of the
work of his department in the present war
For the past two months our department
has been as bsSy as every other branch of
the army and navy in preparing for actual
hostilitiss. At present the work is well in
hand In addition to the regular force OF
army surgeons. a large number of volun-
teer enistnents have been placed on
file enough In all probability to meet
every requirement. Most of these have
come from young surgeons who have
recently completed their training in the
big city hospitals. and who are as well
equipped for this kind of work as anybody
who has not received a special training in
military surgery can be. A comprehensive
plan of field work has been drawn up. and
1t Is not likely that there will be any hitch
In this branch of the service.
IN laying its plans for field work the
surgical department has some entirely new
problems to face with practically no expe-
rience to- guide IT. Since the most recent
war OF any extent between two civilized
nations there have been two revolutions
which Will have marked effect on field
surgery One of these has taken place in
The science of surgery itself, by the intro
ductio1 and general application Of anti
septic principles. The other has been in
the character of the weapons employed in
warfare The small steel projectile used
in modern army rifles in1icts different
sort Of wound from the old-style bullet As
to the exact effect of this change in the
style OF weapon employed there has been
no practicai demonstration, but some rea-
sonaoiy accurate guesses may be made.
Work of the New Bullet
an the first place greater velocity.
greater penetration. greater rapidity of
fire and rhe use of smokeless powder.
should mean larger number of men hit
In the course of an engagement. OF those
VINO are hit. probably a larger proportion
will be killed outright, or will die before
aid can reach them. The new styJe bull
let VIII make a clean cut wound more IA
vorable to internal hemorrhage. or to i'm
mediate death if vital part is touched
But OF those who survive to reach hos
pieai or 10. receive surgical attendance a
greater number should recover The very
1act that wound is clean-cut instead of
ragged makes it easier to dress, and the
penetrating power of the new nroiactiIao
make il less likely that bullets or ma ~.
OF bullets will remain lodged inside a mans
Douy- Ihe improvements in surgery should
hNcWiSe nave an influence in ipcrea the
proportion OF recoveries
nile these possibilities are interestins
taere are other considerations of more i'm
mediate Importance Modern army rifles
nave much longer range than the guns
employed say in the civil war. This make.
IL inevitable that a modern engagement,
VIII be fought with more extended Jina.
than were previous conflicts, and that the
nospltal dressing station. which must
necessarily be out of firing range, will be
turther removed from the line of battIa 7,
may take one or two battles to decide Ger.
tam OF these matters, but the general DIar
aor neld hospital work is already arrang I'd
and Will be followed out according 10 the
directions OF the surgeon general"
How the Corps Will Work.
In the United States army the hospitaI
corps is divided into two detacnments. one
for service in the field hospitals, the other
TO man the ambulances and iitters for the
removal of the wounded from the field
The plan of field hospital. as outlined bv
Lieut. Col Forwood. deputy surgeon gem
eral, provides for four lines separated Inv
distances which will be determined by the
character of the battlefield. The first line
OF hospital service is coincident with the
line OF BATH. and includes the regimental
surgeons, orderlies and company bearers
On the second line are located the hrst
dressing stations. at the nearest point be-
yOnd range OF the snemy's fire Here am
cuiance surgeons attend to the wounds and
ambulances and litter bearers of the hos
pitaI corps convey the wounded to the third
me This is called the ambulance station
reception. operating and dressing tents are
erected, where the wounded can he attend.
60 until they can be removed to the diyi-
sion hospitals at the base of supplies.
:, None OF the hospital corps serves in the
me OF battle The wounded are conveyed
TO the fist dressing stations by priyatas
from the ranks. The army regulations pro-
vide that four priyates from each company
snail be designated as company bearers
They are taught how to handle wounded
men. and in hrst aid, in addition to their
regular duties as armed combatants They
light in the line until their services are re-
quired 10 attend the wounded, whom they
convey 10 the nrst dressing places There
the injured are turned over to the hos
pitai corps. ana the company bearers re-
turn TO their places in the ranks They
are under the direction of their own Off
GERS, and nave nothing to do with the
dressing of wounds Their only care is to
convey the wounded beyond the reach OF
the enemy's fire.
At the Dressing Stations
At the first dressing stations. where the
wounded receive their first attention, aside
from such hssty bandaging as the regi-
mental surgeons may be able to provide.
there is a completely equipped field hospit-
ai in miniature. In the United States army
the main medical stores are carried in
army wagons. but these cannot keep uo
with the line of battle, IL Is proposed that
pack mules oe employed to carry supplies
to these dressing stations. \ medical ca Sc
or pannieT. so built as to fit the back of
the mule, contains all the materials re-
quired. variety of antiseptics, medicines
for the relief of pain. bandages, spIints
piasters and operating Instruments A
cook accompanies each of the divisions,
carrying a ca SO of portable cooking uten-
sfls. A soon a. this detachment reaches