Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-05-17

While the Atlantic fleet was at target
practice on the southern drill grounds,
| in the spring Of 1910. patients had to be
| transferred daily from the ships Of the
feet to the Solace. The inadequacy Of
the facilities for getting them aboard was
soon recognized. Surgeon e. NJ. Black
we'll of the navy was asked to devise a
better scheme than was had, and this
was done. Now, for operating the ap-
paratus four men are required, and there
is no more jostling and attendant agony
to the wounded. One workman handles
the guide line which controls the stretch
er, one handles the loose end Of the
purchase and the line controlling the
trolley. while two men hoist the patient
carefully by hauling up the purchase.
'tAt present the nursing afoat Is well
done by the corpsmen attached to the
hospital ship. A systematic course Of In
struction and a thorough organization Of
the training necessary for the duties Of
corpsmen were instituted in 1907 as a
regular part Of the work of the United
States Navy. Among the applicants de-
string to enter the work there is the
most painstaking selection made by the
officers supervising the corps. Their
services may some time be supplemented
by the navy nurse corps. young women
who are now especially trained for naval
hospital ashore.
Before the Spanish-American war the
nursing in all naval hospitals of the
United States was done by men not al
lied with the navy. On board ship the SOL
diers who were lying about wounded. Sc
verely or otherwise. were taken care OF
by deck hands.
Each United States battleship has
twenty beds for wounded men, and the
naval hospitals and the hospital ships
now in commission accommodate about
5000 beds.
But the number is not sufficient"
said the surgeon general himself. as he
entered his office at this point in the
conversation and fell to talking Of the
| subject nearest his heart
I'm a war with Mexico he began,
our hospital ships are not sufficient to
provide the satisfactory evacuation Of
the wounded. In times of peace, even,
these ships are most important factors.
They provide for the sick of the fleet,
they insure their return to their own
ships. and: mot least by any means. they
prevent valuable men from being left
in ports where their services are use
! less during the cruise.
Hospital ships are ever medical sup
ply ships. They carry stores OF medi-
| cines and surgical dressings and sup
| plies. They store foods that are par
/ ticularly planned for the sick, and
many comforts that can be utilized for
the naval ships established far from
! home on some coast where modern
| medical care is hard to find They, fur
| thermore, enable us to give to any body
of military forces in any part of the
| world the advantages which could be
obtained in any great metropolitan in
stftution, where skilled specialists and
trained nurses, with all the apparatus,
such as H-ray and laboratory facilities
/ ire Of
ease. are to be had
| In years past the medical department
of the navy has had much experience
with hospital ships, and so has devel-
oped perfected type, of which com
plete plans are on file It is the hope
that in the near future Congress may
make an appropriation large enough to