Arizona republican., 1904-09-11
Japanese Rations and Treatment of .tIt1-s.a Wounded.

.-Esf-ti .TF..s w OuH0co.
 The Japanese are teaching the war t and naval departments of other gov eFnments many valuable lessons in the present war. Among them are the proper treatment of men wounded in battle and the right diet necessary to Keep the troops in the highest eondi- tion of efficiency and the best condition for withstanding the shock and other effects of gunshot wounds.
 J. Gordon Smith, correspondent of the London Morning Post, has written a long letter to his paper from Tokio upon the results of his observations and investigations in the hospitals of that city where the wounded from the battlefields of Atanchuria are taken for treatment. The success of the Japan csc surgeons with the injured men is marvellous, and it appears to be due almost entirely to two things; first, the rarity of operations on the field or ev- ell in the hospitals, and secondly, the nature of the diet or rations dealt out to the troops. r
 4 generous allowance of rice is given daily to each soldier. This is supple mentd by biscuit and occasionally only a meat ration. Meager and unsatisfy- ing as this would seem to Americans. it serves to keep the Japanese in su- perb physical condition both for the terrible hardships of field and march IrQ nd hi ence when wounded.
 An American surgeon who accompa- nied the correspondent in his visit to the hospitals, Dr. Seaman, contrasted the health and recovery of the Japan csc with those of our own troops dur ing the war with Spain. He accompa- nied the First Volunteer Engineers to Porto Rico in 1898. There were a thous- and men picked from 600O applicants. They arrived in Porto Rico without sick man in the party. They were not G1deP fire and endured no hardships yet collectively the regiment lost be- t&een five and six tons in weight the few weeks they were there. Thirteen nsn died, 25O had to be carried on Stretchers and all the others were greatly reduced in strength and health.
 The Japarese. on the other hand, IlosE through the most trying service on the march and in battle with re- puaFRably few incapacitated by illness
 Esut the most interesting part of the correspondents letter is that dealing with the treatment of gunshot wounds. In no case, except in one of extensive hemorrhage or wounds in the region of the throat threatening suffocation, is an operation performed before the Sec ond day, and even then rarely. First aid is administered, that is, the wound Is bathed With antiseptic washing, ban daged, and then, as an American sur geon said, they let the Lord do the Test-and He does it." The wounded are taken to the hospitals and not uri- til then is anything done to the wounds after the first treatment.
 Up to the beginning of July over 1000 sick and wounded had been received at the two hospitals in Tokio. Of that number not a man had died at either hospital. There were fifty men with perfOrating wounds in the chest going through the pleural cavity, but there had not been a case of pleurisy. Six eases had ben treated where the balls had perforated the abdominal cavity and come out of the back; yet within six weeks some of these men were walking about and complaining of the delay in getting back to the front There were cases in which bullets had perforated the jaw and others had gone through the brain, yet the pa tients were recovering.
 Surgeon Major Seaman told the cor respondent After what I have seen l should hesitate to operate in a sim gle case at the front The feature of the Japanese surgeons work is that he leaves the wounds alone, and there are few operations; indeed, almost none at all."
 Another feature of Japanese practice is shown in the fact that their sur geons are sanitary engineers. Among other things they inspect the water sources for the troops, going ahead and before the camp is pitched putting up placards at springs or other sources, ' such as: This water is good;" This water is bad;" This water should not be used until it has been boiled for nalf an hour" All this to the Ameri can Philistine will seem superfuous but the extraordinary talent for detail sad taking pains shown by the Jap