Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1900-04-25
Red Tape Must be Respected, If it
ThrottIed Victims,
BUT A CHANGE IS WORKING
British Army Medical system Being
Transformed BY tue Necessities
In South Africa.
tEarly Dlspatchosl


London April 2i.-Correspondence OF
the Associated Press-T Capetown
correspondent OF the Times continuef
his analysis OF the army medical sys.
TEN. and his view Of lts workings up
20 today. This week DE deals with the
private and phIlanthroplc ventures in
the way Of hospitals that have been
sent out, On which money and men and
women from America have taken such
prominent carts.
AT FIRST declares the correspondent.
no rules were too rigorous no blu,
paper manual too exclusive 10 be ap.
piled 20 these offers. Granted that all
must De under some sort of military
control ana their movements here sub
/ Jtct 90 military direction. was 80 nee
ess"IJ 10 set up cast iron frame work
INTO every sim joint ~ which each de-
tau OF the enterprise must me- War
Establishments We're as the law OF the
Medes and Pcrsiansi red tape must be
respected, II il throtued It's victims.
bul not Tor long as with the offers Of
lulutafy assistance. change came over
lhe scene Al FIRST one wanted "a hos
plti up the country. where IN dne air
ana healthy climate the wounded could
recover without being sent down 500
miles 10 the base. No. IL must Doe alb
s0iuteiy section of q base hospital.
nothing more, and nothing less could
DE expected. the committee had said
10 and the law allowed 10. But now.
/ ihe latest OF these hospitals Is going
| straight up the country 90 render eX-
acily the service which the earliest Of
iered ana was refused Another want
ga female nursing instead OF male No.
| The manual said nine nurses 20 each $50
| patients. No more than that proper
Ton could be allowed, Eventually. by
"a terrible effort, this was stretched 10
-FOUR nurses for lO5 patients Now. one
OK these voluntary hospitals Is permit
tea 20 Lurses
THE c0nyalCscent accommodation
here is limited 90 the Officers home at
Olarenont containing f1rty-siX beds,
and the Green Point non-dieted h0spi-
tai, with room for 100 priyates. t0geth-
| On drop I'm the ocean OF requirements.
The former Is an admirable institution
/ carried on voluntarily by Mrs Pitcher.
the Vile u! % well-knoWn commander
of the expedition 20 Douglass the lat
zen is a healthy situation. but subject
10 terrible sand storms which in 1--WE
minutes choke up mouth, ears and
nose rendering those organs worse
than useless aud making a face quite
unreCOgnlzable. With beautiful sights
lu the suburbs OF Capetown and even
/ healthier districts q little way up the
railway, there seemed 10 be a special
opening tur an extensive system Of
ConvalesCent homes.
ut is ungracious TO criticise philan-
thropy and as difficult 10 con-
duct Il into the most useful
channels as It is to turn the
course Of trade; but the observation
can hardly be avoided that II some OF
the many private efforts referred to
above, had been devoted 20 this purpose
Instead of 60 enterprise more attractive
and heroic, the Incidence Of relief would
have been more justly apporuOned and
the aggregate OF benefit largely in
creased, Indeed. the advantages. both
economic and military are SO obvious
| that 10 would almost appear 10 have
been the duty OF the army medical
department 10 take an initiative On this
direction. But the secret pages of the
I manual contain no mention of con-
NaltsCent homes. SO there the matter
ended. Al present az least One-thlrd
of the beds In general hospital are
occupied By Conyalescents who require
no nursing ana hardly any medical
treatment, who SIT about AN day chat
ting, reading and smoking, make their
own beds and generally do them
selves
Gases Of serious injury and men
who. through their wounds are healed.
have received a nervous shock of a
bullet through the body are properly
sent home. Thirteen days after the
battle OF Spion Kop / saw five men.
wounded In that disastrous engage
ment, lying side by side IN their beds
az Nynberg one was shot through
the upper back-there was a cross fire
from three sides-the bullet going out
in front close 20 the heart, IN another
case the bullet had entered the thigh
ana come out through the middle VI
the stomach. They had been transport
ed an the way from the Turela by
road and rail and sea. and again By
rail aud road 20 where they lay Both
wounds We're perfectly healed and only
showed small round scars. but the
shock 90 the nervous system remained.
Such men can take no more part iu this
war. OF many others their fighting
days are finished Their right place is
at home amongst their families and
/ friends
with the vast majority OF the
wounded the case is different. Whether
| 10 is the climate or the skill with which
| the antisepuc dressing has been applied
| an the front. making sepsis almost I'M
/ known condition 10 the base hospitals
| or the clcanness of The wounds made by
| the long. thin bullet with its swift pen-
/ otration, or all three cases together. the
I general rate of recovery "a quite be-
/ wildering. There are barbaruus eX-
/ captions. A neat little TOW of seuu-
| nels stand on the table before me-half
/ "a dozen Mauser cartridges taken from
| the pockets OF Cr0nie's men. Their
/ heads are cut on fat exposing the lead
at the end and in each nlckie Jacket
| there are four long almost invisible
| Sits 90 allow the soft metal Go bulge
and Natten against whatever it
strikes They smash up a human body
like a charge OK dynamite And Cr0u.
Sc IS living Ike a prince 10 the Tag
captains Quasters m Sim0ns Bay and
the humanltarlaus OF the house OF CONF
mons viii raise a sympathetic cheer
when they hear Of The fact What
cheer for Tommy with his body
mashed into q marmalade or the big
Joint Of his thigh scattered into the
air?"