The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-02-11
CARING FOR THE WOUNDED
PRAISE FOR THE WORK or BRITTsH
SURGEONS UNDER FIR

Defeat mt Colenao-Letter From u Sol
der mt Modder River Says Methuen's
Defeat Wal Not the Fault Of tho Men
His Explanation Cut Out bv the Censor.
LONDON. Jan. l0-There Is probably greater
interest taken IN the letters written from the
front By tho men and officers than in those OF
the professional correspondents. whilo Sir
william MacCormac. President OF the Royal
College OF Surgeons who volunteered for SER
.Ice In South Africa. Is. az It were. In a class OF
his own az a writer OF war Sir Williams
last report TO the Lancet contains the following
passages:
Dec. l8.-we arrived at Chieveley station
about l 80 ?. N. yesterday. The cannonading
had ceased about l O'Clock. We found the
station occupied by q hospital train under
MAJOR Brazier- Creagh. R.A.M.C.. and every
one available helping TO provide comforts for
tho freight 1t carried. There were 10
wounded In the train. They had been taken
on board direct from tho field. tho train having
run into the actual scene OF action In fact. II
was ordered back by the principal medical Of
ficer. two shells having fallen close to it. This
train carried the first results OF the battle. and
II WAS a very distressing sight. The wounded
filled the carriages lust as they had come from
the field every wound had been dressed, and
had been dressed extremely well under fire.
A noticeable feature was the fact that very
few OF these dressings needed read ustmen
Rife splints. tourniQuets. and other dressings
had been adjusted carefully under circum-
stances OF great difficulty and danger.
There lad been. We learned. a rush with tho
wounded TO the train. which was rapidly filled
and had then immediately steamed away. and
when We saw It at ChIeveley, four miles from
the battlefield, the men were still under the
excitement OF the action. The wounded were
cheerful and thankful for their treatment.
many remarking that their chief anxiety was
to get back soon enough to pay the Beers out.
We saw the train start away from Estcourt 1T
was back again at Chieveley last night. On
its arrival No. 1 Hospital was Immediately I'M
loaded and the erection Of the tents began at
once. before the weary officers and men Of the
Royal Army Medical Corps had had a chance OF
sleep. The Stationary Hospital was yesterday.
therefore. evacuated OF sick at Frerr. the
whole equipment packed and brought to
Chieveley. the tents reGrectel. made ready for
100 wounded. and almost Immediately they re-
ceived about 5O-all this being completed be-
tween 7 A. VI. and midnight strength, 1 officers
and 81 men Of the Royal Army Medical Corps, }
ITO return to ourselves, having obtained the
necessary information and permission we
walked to tho field hospitals OF the Fourth.
Fifth and Sixth BriGades. situated about three
miles from Chieveley and under the crest Of a
hillock about 400 yards outside the fire zone.
Each Of the three operating tents contained
two operating tables, and as fast as a patient
was taken of the table another took his place.
Awaiting their turn the wounded were lying
outside in rows which were being continually
augmented by the civilian bearers coming in
from the field. As each wounded man reached
the hospital he was served with a hot cup Of
bovril. large cans Of which were boiling
outside the tents. The way In which the
wounded had been dressed on the field and
each man ticketed with the nature Of his wound.
his name and regiment, was excellent. and
was very useful for Identification This also
saved much time at the field hospitals. because
the seriously wounded could be at once dis
eliminated from the more trivial cases. The
latter went away at once to the tents and the for
mer we're redressed and operated upon when
necessary by the four officers Of each Of the
field hospitals and the three surgeons Of each
OF the bearer companies. The praise OF the
regimental officers and men in respect to the
way In which tho Royal Army Medical Corps
had done their duty under heavy fire was
unanimous and unstinted. An officer OF the
Devons. wounded in the foot. told ne that no
managed TO get TO a hut near the bank Of the
river which was being used as a dressing sta
ton. This hut was continually under heavy
fire and he describoi the behavior OF the med
cal officers as magnificent
The spectacle at the field hospitals was
most painful. Ambulance wagon after wagon
and stretcher squad after s,retcher squad
came in while | was there. pouring in the
wounded. SOM Of whom had died on the way
md onulI upfortnnatplv only hn rarrial IN tha
mortuary tents. The work performed in the
operating tents was. in my opinion. of great
efficiency, the operations being deliberately
carried out with skill aud despatch under the
very trying circumstances Of intense heat.
hurry and excitement all round. The Royal
Army Medical Corps officers Of these hospitals
had started their surgical work about 3 A. NJ.
and when ! visited them in the evening
they were still hard at IL, having hal no
food meanwhile aud no time for rest. and the
work went on for hours afterwards. | gave
advice in many cases whore | was asked. and
advised against operation in the case NJ n poor
fellow with a fearful shell wound Of the hip.
Altogether some eight hundred patients passed
through the field hospitals during the day. The
men showed the utmost pluck and endurance:
there was not the smallest despondcncy. the
predominant feeling being anxiety to return
and fight again. This was very splendid OF
them after such q dav "a they had cXpcrl-
enccd, and makes one feel very proud Of their
fine mettle.
The hospital trains rapidly took them away.
Each train carries on an average loo cases and
is equipped with every possible requirement.
besides ICED soda. champagne, soup, and other
comforts in abundance, so | an certain that all
that human foresight could accom- rlish was
done during the Journeys for the mitigation OF
the sufYerings OF the wounded"
Sir William MacCormac concludes his ac-
count by saying; Considering the great strain
OF the work and the number Of the wounded
after this hotly contested engagement where
both rifle and shell fire were something. it Is
said. never seen before l would like to draw
attention to these facts: l. The skill and care
displayed in treating compound fractures and
injuries requiring calm attention and time
under heavy FIRE. .. The skilful and efficient
way in which serious, major operations we're
performed on the same day as the battle
(under considerable pressure and disad-
vantagesl by the medical officers Of the field
hospitals. 3, Eight hundred wounded were
cleared from the field by u F.. NJ. the action
having finished at . l. NJ. 4 BY midnight on
the second day after the battle tonight the
last wounded man will have left the hospitals
at the front and will have been conveyed TO
Estcourt. Pietermaritzburg. Durham and the