The evening times., 1900-03-16

LONDON, March THE problem oi
caring for the wounded during stiff fght
| attracted no end of attention early in the
conflict and events have proved the wis
dom of this careful consideration. Some
of the most eminent surgeons at the front
have become enthusiastic over the arrange
ments made for giving aid Immediately
the battle was over
One OF them. Sir William MacCormac,
| telling of the work done at Mooi River,
says:
During the three days after my arrival
| the two hospital trains made ten journeys.
carrying the wounded between them from
| Frere TO Estcourt. to the hospital to Pie
! termaritzburg. and to the hospital ships
at Durham. Each train can convey sixty
nine patients lying down, and great
many more patients sitting up. During
these ten journeys they brought down
close upon Lilo cases. and there are at
the date of writing this still about go to
bring The field hospitals with the brig
AIDES in the fighting line were situated
the further side.
Carried Wen Twenty-Five Miles.
The wounded were carried by stretch
ers and ambulances back across the river
to the Stationary Field Hospital, situated
on this side of the Tugela, twenty-five
miles up the stream from Frere This hos
pital has become enlarged from its origl
nal size OF $50 beds to one of 400 beds The
wounded have been treated and operated
upon in this hospital and as they become
fit for transport have at once been convey
ed by hand stretchers and wagons across
the twenty-five miles of plain 10 Frere
Station. The stretchers are carried by
volunteer ambulance bearers.
After this excessively tedious journey
the patients are at once loaded. on arrival
into the hospital trains, the excess being
temporarily accommodated in field hos
pital of 1C0 beds at Frere The hospital
trains are well supplied with luxuries. and
the wounded are at once fed with comfort
ing soup and drinks On their arrival at
Mooi River those OF the wounded who are
destined TO remain al this hospital are con-
veyed in most comfortable and easy man
rer by means OF the MacCormac- Brooke
wheeled stretchers to the hospital on q
kill about half a mile from the station"
TakinE Wounded from spion kop.
Frederick Treves, consulting surgeon
with the forces in letter from Spear
mans HILL dated January IS writes
In spite of the immense number of the
wounded. they were all got under shelter
by Thursday night, had had their more Sc
rous injuries attended TO- and had been
made as comfortable as circumstances
would admit They bore evidence of the
excellent work done in the field hospitals.
These hospitals bear the brunt OF the trou-
bile and carry out the first treatment. They !
did splendidly Oh Wednesday and Thurs
day The volunteer ambulance corps and
the large body of coolie bearers did ex-
cellent service. The larger number Of the |
wounded were on the top of Spion Kop.
The path down was two miles. was |
steep. and in places very difficult The |
of he wounded down the hill had |
all to be done by hand. From the foot OF |
the hill 10 the hospital the carriage was
by ambulance wagons, and in some cases
by coolie bearers. All the stretchers had |
hoods. There was no doubt that the
wounded suffered much on account OF the
tedious transport. but il was rendered as
nearly perfect as possible. As 10 the
wounded. there was the usual proportion |
of minor injuries but on the whole the
wounds were more severe than those re-
ceiyed al ColensO. This is explained by
the large number Of wounds from shell and
The men. moreover. were much /
exhausted by the hardships they had un-
dergoue. In many instances they had not
had their clothes off for a week or ten /
days.