The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1914-12-16
HOSPITALS
|NC|TY OF BERLIN
Very Large Proportion of
Wounded Soon Recover
ARE IN GOOD SPIRITS
Injured Are Lodged in Royal Con-
servatory of Music and School of
Applied Arts-Had Hard
Time in Russia
ARE IN GOOD SPIRITS

Berlin, December 5.--(Correspondenee
Of the Associated ss.)-Berlin has at
present about 100 hospitals for the
wounded, the smallest accommodating 40
cases while the larger ones have from
400 to coo beds.
In all there are said to be about 10, 900
wounded in Berlin hospitals. the num-
Der being maintained fairly constant al
though the individual patients are con-
stantly changing. very large proper
ton OF the wounded, 1t is stated. are soon
discharged as again ut for duty and re-
turn to the front. No definite figures
are available but an army surgeon who
has had large experience both in the field
and In the base and reserve hospitals
estimated that about 70 per cent OF the
wounded are returning or will return to
duty. only 30 per cent being permanently
untitled for military service.
Had Trying Experience
The Associated. Press correspondent was
taken through six OF the larger Berlin
hospitals and found there many of the
wounded from the recent campaign against
Warsaw and Ivangorod. These men had
had particularly trying experience.
Many of them, wounded before Ivango-
rod for example had been transported in
wagons for two days before reaching the
Russian railroads and had been another
two to four days en- route over the Rus
sian railroads before reaching the Ger
man railroads at Kattowitz, silesia
Thence to Berlin the transport had gone
forward smoothly and comfortably in the
wonderful German hospital trains to Ber-
lin, but the first part of the journey had
been protracted stage OF pain and dis
comfort. Nevertheless, they were prac-
tically all in good spirits and In most
cases making rapid progress toward re-
covery.
Wounded lodged in the Royal Con-
servatory OF Music. now converted into
model hospital. have in their wards
pictures by Van Dyke Rubens, Vales-
+. quez and other old masters, the works
in the school gallery having been dis
tributed among the various rooms. In
the School of Applied Arts, now also
a hospital, the wounded had before
them for study beautiful porcelain,
enamefed curios and tapestries. In one
of the officers casinos, now converted
into a hospital, another large collee-
ton of pictures of military subjects
confronted them on the walls.
Field Hospital Erected Quickly
Field hospitals are erected quickly.
A visit was paid to a new 'barracl hos
pitar" composed of wooden, transport
aDle barracks, each holding 80 men.
In a few days this hospital to hold
1900 had sprung up on Templehofer
Field. hot and cold water had been in
| stalled, heating service provided, a
thoroughly modern operating room
equipped and It was figured that in
four days. if necessary. the entire hos
pital could be taken to pieces and
placed on automobiles ready for ship
ment to any place REQUIRED.
/ Little Is said in the German papers
about sickness in the army. There has
been considerable enteric troubles but
this Is disappearing with the advent of
cold weather. The entire army in the
west had been vaccinated against ty-
phoid, the men assigned to service In
the west have in addition to be in
| oculated against cholera. Pneumonia, It
| Is said. Is comparatively not a danger
since the men in the trenches are
warmly clad but other diseases of the
| respiratory system are quito frequent.
| Overstrain of the heart Is also a fire.
quent cause of men being invaded
home or sent to hospital, many reserv-
| lists and volunteers breaking down un-
der the strain of hard campaigning.