The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1914-12-13
SOLDIERS WOUNDED
IN POLAND BATTLES
SUFFER HORRIBLY
Transported Long Distances
Before Reaching Hos
pitals-InfectiOn Ere
quently Sets In

Gleiwitz, Germany, November %.
correspondence of the Associated
Press. BY Courier to Holland. 1.-The
hospitals of Gleiwitz and Cosel. filled
mainly with wounded from the bat
ties before Ivangorod and Warsaw
present striking contrasts to thosa
farther from the 'front.' which are nor
so unattractiye
Here are gathered men who were
worn, haggard and suffering long be-
fore they were wounded MANY of Them
had not removed their clothing for four
or five weeks, and had slept in mud and
NTH. Water was scarce and food
scarcer A large number lay on the
fields for a day or two after being
injured before receiving medical al
tention. Followed then journeys of a
day or more in jolting peasants carts
and three or four days nerye-raclling
riding on railway trains until the base
hospitals finally We're reached.
These delays caused at. least go per
cent of the wounds to become infect
ed. making the problems of the sur
geans more difficult, Every effort is
| made in the American hospitals TO
save as many limbs as possible re-
CARELESS of the length of time tn, pa
tients must be kept. To the cores
pondent of the Associated Press were
geon said. could have been discharged
days before If amputation had been
resorted to- But bone and skin graft
ing is thought to be more humane.
even though it takes longer
1t is no reflection upon the German
sanitary arrangements that the wound :
ed suffer as they do. On the western
front conditions are better. The
wounded in France and Belgium come
back rapidly to comfortable beds in
field and base hospitals and receive
speedy treatment which heads off in
lection. The wounded who are expect
ed today or tomorrow from the bat
tiefields just across the Russian from
tier VIII be in far better shape than
| their predecessors because they have
been wounded but few miles from
good German roads and a few hours
from clean hospital beds and adequate
medical care.
| Only few of the wounded Wal die.
Nearly all will recover eventually, al
! though recovery cannot proceed nor
broken bones knit. until suppuration
ceases. Many of them will spend
| christmas in the hospitals. Some can
write postcards, read the daily war
bulletins. play checkers or even shut
file about the wards and corridors AL
most all can eat and the dietary pre-
scribed for these seriously wounded
! soldiers would make many an Amer
| lean physician gasp.
| Dinner today comprised for each pa
! tient two large slices of meat, sew
eral large spoonsful of cooked cauer-
! kraut, several potatoes and spoon
| full of gravy, all served in large bowl.
Each man gets a large loaf of rye
bread daily, which he keeps beside his
bed to cut from whenever he is so in
clined. Food is served in one form or
| another five times day. Not all the
wounded but most of them, get this
| dietary, which was laid down for the
| American surgeons by German ex-
! ats familiar with the needs of the
German soldier.
The Americans have been most well
| come guests In Gleiwitz and Cosel and
! their presence is appreciated not only
by the medical and army authorities,
| but by the civilian population. At Glei-
| witt the president of the district court
on service with the troops. turned over
his villa and servants to the American
surgeons for residence. The nurses
are Chartered at the hospital. Surgeons
| and nurses at Cosel have been fur
nished quarters at the hotel.