The Elbert County tribune., 1905-01-05

Ism IA investigate japanese med
| lc.ll .ne,l.eds in war, read a paper be-
| fore the Association of Military and
Naval Surgeons of the United States
in session at st. Louis, Mo. Major
Seaman made an extended study of the
United States methods in Porto Rico,
years. His studies convinced him that
the great loss of men in war was due
to improper feeding of soldiers rather
than bullets. He said:
up to July 1 only about 100 wound
ed and medical cases had reached
| Toxic, mostly from the base hospital
| at Hiroshima, which was continually
| sending large numbers to other divis-
| ional hospitals to make room for fresh
| ones from the front. When tell you
that not one ended fatally up to July
| /, and that every one remaining in the
wards presented favorable prognosis,
you can appreciate the admirable
work that is being accomplished there.
1t is the rule of the Japanese surgeons
Mt the front to do little or no operating
| except in cases of extreme emergency
| or where hemorrhage threatens imme-
diate death. All cases are treated by
the application of the first aid dress
| ing and then sent to the rear as quick
ly as possible, thence by hospital boat
or transport TO the base hospitals in
Japan.
1.-THE Japanese soldier has been
taught how 10 treat his intestlnes-
and consequently his intestines are
now treating him with equal consid-
Grafton. His plain, rational diet is di-
bolized and assimilated.
1t is not an irritating, indigestlble fer
| menting mess, acting as local irri-
tant, and producing gastritis, duoden-
tits, enteritis, colitis, heptitis and the
long list of fnfiammatory intestinal
processes with which we were all IA
miliar in the hospital wards at Camp
Alger, Chattanooga. Tampa, Cuba. Por-
to Rico, Montauk Point, ETC., in 1898.
"The great hospitals are there, in
terne, conta gious and infectious de-
ments, their conspicuously empty beds
voicing more eloquently than words
the most important lesson Of the war.
A few cases of diseases of the respira-
tory system are found-colds, bron-
chitis, and an occasional pneumonia,
contracted through exposure in ford
ing rivers, exhaustive marches and
bivoucking ON wet ground, few more
of typhoid Il saw only three in Man
churia), occasionally one Of dysentery
and a number of cases of beri beri,
that former scourge Of Oriental arm
| les.
But of all the many thousands gath
cred in these institutions there were
but few medical cases, and of these
scarcely n bakers dozen came under
the heading of Diseases of the Diges-
tive System" Therein lies one of the
greatest secrets of the Japanese sue
cess. Napoleon never made more
truthful statement than when he said,
An army fights on its belly The jap
anese have that belly, and they take
gooe care to keep it in lighting order
not by insulting it three times day
by examining it with material totally
unsuited to the soldiers necessities,
thereby exciting irritations and dis
ease, but by supplying it with plain,
palatable, easily prepared and easily
digested ration that can be thoroughly
metabolized and converted into the
health and energy that makes its OWL
er the ideal fighting machine Of the
world to-day.
1.-THE organization Of the medical de-
partrent of the Japanese Army and
Navy is modelled after that of the Ger
mans, with many added improvements.
Too much praise cannot be bestowed
upon the medical department of the
army and navy for their splendid pre-
parato-y work in this war. The jap
anese are the first to recognize the
true value of an army medical corps.
| The medical officer is omnipresent. You
will find him in countless places
where in an American or British army
| he has no place. He is as much at
| the front as in the rear. He is with
the first screen of scouts with his mi
croscope and chemicals, testing and
labelling wells so the army to follow
shall drink no contaminated water.
| When the scouts reach a town, he i'm
mediately institutes thorough exam
| ination of its sanitary condition and If
contagion or infection is found he
quarantines and places guard around
the dangerous district. Notices are
posted SO the approaching column is
warned and no soldiers are billeted
where danger exists. Microscopic
blood tests are made in all fever cases,
and meteorological experts, fully
equipped, form part of the staff of
every divisional headquarters.
1.-The medical officer is also found in
camp, lecturing the men ON sanitation,
and the hundred and one details of per-
sonal hygiene-how to cook, to eat, and
when not to drink, TO bathe and even
to the direction of the pairing and
cleansing of the finger nails to prevent
Il f..1.I1a ha