Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-10-17
DOCTORS At TAKU
REPORT OF SURGEON ON BOARD
THE MoNOCACY.
WHY THE SHIP DID NOT FIGHT.
Had Refugees on Loard, Women and
Children, and Could Not
Return Fire.

Washington, Oct. 17.-Admiral Van
Reypen, surgeon general of the navy.
has received a detailed report from Sur
Eeon c. j. Decker. who was on board
the Monocacy during the assault on the
Taku forts and who, later, established Il
base hospital at Tong Chu.
he report is a most interesting con-
tr,bution, giving the first statement of
the wounds made by the Chinese shot
and shell, and the remarkable stoicism
showed by the wounded. The British
officers We're SO grateful that Admiral
Bruce called at the American hospital
to e~Altess his thanks, and later Admiral
Seymour made similar calls.
Surgeon Decker first gives a graphic
DESCRIPTION of the storming of the Taku
forts and explains why the Monocacy
did not reply when she was struck by a
Chinese shell.
Ii appears hat she was crowded with
refuSees. many of them women and
children. ST. that her entering upon the
Csit would have jeopardizeu sceras of
women and children. The wounded be-
San coming IN about s O'Clock. Surgeon
Decker says. Only a few operations We're
performed on the Monocacy owing to
limited facilities. But tents We're set up
on Shore and soon Is japanese, 25 Rus
slams and 16 Chinese We're operated upon.
DR.. Decker says the stoicism of the
WOUNDED was remarkable. In one case,
that of a CosSack, whose hand was
shoclingly mutilated, there Were ampu
tations of the fourth and fifth meta car
pei bones and middle finger. The Cos
sack then asked for something to eat
and after being fed, returned to duty.
By ten O'Clock the japanese surgeons
were at work and took all their wound
ed. The Russian surgeons also began
work and the Chinese wounded We're
carried away by their comrades, al
though one, who was suffering greatly
from shock, was kept some days at the
American hospital. Surgeon Decker
then tells of the preparations for the eX-
pected attack on Tien Tsin. Many
wounded Were looked for. SO that he Sc
cured Admiral Remey's approval for
opening a base hospital at Tong Ku,
Where the founded could be readily
brought. In the absence of regular hos
pital equipment. the Yorktown, Newark
and Monocacy each having spring beds,
and mattresses as well as medical sup
plies were utilized. The first wounded
from Tien Tsin came in at II a. m. on
the 21st of June, including American
marines and some Chinese. For a month
the hospital was busily engaged, 41i
cases being recorded. During this time,
the English chief surgeon was taken with
scarlet fever and the American sur
geons took charge of the English hos
pital, caring for "a ounde 1t was
after this service that Admirals Bruce
and Seymour, with their staffs, called
and expressed their thanks to the Amer
leans. AS the American surgeons had
tha cnlI- pnpratino ia hlp il WAS rpSOcfpd
to by the Germans, Russians and French
surgeons. Chinese mines had mangled
many OF the patients. Ninety percent of
the Chinese We're armed with Mauser
rifles, or with Mannlichers and Jingals.
the latter a two-nlan gun, sending a sou
bullet, making an ugly wound.
Surgeon Decker describes each case,
showing the popularity of wounds made
by Chinese weapons, many of them novel
to military surgery.
One of these cases of extreme rarity
Of acquaintance, showing the pins
wound torn by a Chinese bullet IN a
marine, DIR. Decker describes as follows:
"A copper and lead Jacket from a
Mannlicher bullet became detached in
flight and became fiattened. 1t struck
the thigh, passed through the muscles
and came out just below the left tuber-
osity of the iscium. The wound of en-
trance was five and one-half inches long
and of exit nearly four inches. The lead
part of the bullet made a wound parable,
and Immediately beneath the large
wound. Both wounds healed rapidly ir
spite of being infected. This wound is
the only one of it's kind that l have beer
able to see or hear of, although the
stages of development of the modern
jacketed bullet it was a proving grounc
incident"
Surgeon Decker says the remainder O.
the cases treated We're mostly plain bull
let wounds made by shells. All of then
healed rapidly and most of them Wer,
sent back to work.