Evening star., 1915-08-24
FIRST AID IN BATTLE
i FAILURE IN FRANCE
Dr.. Grille Tells Surgeons That
Infected Wound Treatment
j Is Same as in 1870.
PRESIDENT is ASKED
TO NAME A COMMISSION
Practitioners Would Standardize
Layman Treatment of Hurts.
Convention Ends Today.

Startling statements regarding the
inability of modern surgical and medi-
cal science to cope with the terrible
wounds of the fighting soldiers of
Europe were made by DR.. George w.
Grille of Cleveland Ohio. at today's
session of the conference on first aid
and accident surgery. which concludes
today at the New willard Hotel. DR..
Grille. while in no sense giving an
alarmist lecture, brought home to his
auditors, both by word and picture.
the terrible wounds and fractures
which modern warfare deals out to it's
participants, and showed that the
United States, in case of war, would
have to face the same problems which
the surgeons of Europe are facing to-
day.
Three statements made by Dr. Grille,
learned from his work with the American
Ambulance Corps in France. startled his
hearers. Reduced to their simplest
form. they follow:
90 That the Red Cross in France
off>rs absolutely no protection from the
fire of the enemy.
(2) That first aid on the battlefield
Is therefore, almost of necessity a fail
ure. since all relief to the wounded
must be given at night, and not in the
day.
go That in the treatment of infec.
tious wounds the doctors and surgeons
In France today have been unable to
do any better with wounds. once in
fected. than the doctors of 1870.
Urges Surgeons to Mobilize.
DR.. Grille declared that to have intel
ligent, effective work in modern war
surgery. it is necessary to have hos
pital units in which the men work to-
gether like clockwork." He recon-
mended the mobilization" of the sur
gecns of the United States sin times
of peace" for use in possible times of
war
ditors. which inficts such infectious
wounds. He said that a rifle wound,
even penetrating the chest. does not
usually result seriously, but that in
about ten days the wounded man has
complete recovery. and is able to be
back to the front.
But with shrapnel this is not so. The
wounds resulting from this much-di-
! that in the treatment the art of healing
seems not to have advanced beyond the
days of the Franco-Prussian war.
Strange tales of the English soldiers
on the retreat to the Marine sleeping
while they marched along the roads.
and only awakening by jostling one an
other. or, if they fell out of the ranks,
sleeping on, to be captured by the on
COIIlHS tTOopSTSs were HllH-
gled by DIR. Grille with many lantern
slides showing the awful wounds which
soldiers in the European war receive.
Sleep, DR.. Grille declared, is one of
when brought in to hospitals many of
them-most of them-sleep two days
without wakening. and feel no pain
from any of their wounds. The weak
ness produced by lack Of sleep is the
same as exhaustion produced by physi-
cal exertion.
Exertion. emotion and lack Of sleep
are the three great factors for war
surgeons always to keep in considera-
ton, he declared.
Soldiers March Asleep.
The spectacle of whole companies Of
English soldiers marching on while
asleep. Dr. Grille declared. was one Of
the strangest sights he ever saw. He
also cited another strange happening,
= of an English soldier at Mons
had his leg almost severed. but he
I'd not feel it. and. when told by a
'9,nrade of the fact. calmly completed
I'-a amputation himself with his Jack
l0%e, still utterly unconscious of
Then this soldier, hearing on
aing German troops, started to run,
astIally running on his one good leg
and the stump of the othsr. feeling
no pain whatever. He felt pain only
whrn taken finally, many hours later.
to tae hospital.
-. 1riie declared tnat the swiftness
with which modern bullets deal tissue
destruction allows of no time for the
brain and nerves to flash the warning
70 the person hit. and that therefore
Tor many minutes the hit man is abso-
iutely not aware that he has been
struck.
Views of the results Of lack of sleep
on the cerehellum. the adrenal gland and
the liver brought home the deadly effects
of the loss Of sleep. DIR. Grille declared
that his researches on battle-wounded
patients have shown him that bones will
neal after they have been literally shot to
pieces IL nature is allowed to take it's
course Frozen feet, he declared if
properly treated and not too hurried,y.
Will slough the outer skin and surface
cells touched merely with surface
sansrene and be whole feet once more
The immense amount of head sur
gerry necessary in the great war was
dwelt upon by the speaker. and illus
trated with some horrible and convinc-
ing pictures of these wounds.
Dr. Rupert Blue of the public health
service presided at today's session.
Ask First Aid Commission,
On the motion of Dr. Joseph c. Blood
good, secretary of the conference. a
resolution was passed at noon today
recommending to President Wilson that
he appoint a board on first-aid stand
ardization, to be composed of one mem
Der from the medical departments of
the navy. the army, the public health
service, the American Red Cross, the
American Medical Association, the
American Surgical Association, the
AWerican Association of Railroad Sur
geons. this board to recommend a
standard for uniformity in method, in
stIuction and package for first-aid
work throughout the United States.
This recommendation was made ow-
ing to the present great lack of uni
formity in these things. the resolution
stated.
Copies of the resolution will be sent
to the secretaries of surgical societies
throughout the country and to all chief
surgeons of railroads to get a survey
of opinion from men all over the
United States regarding first aid
The object of the board, which the
surgeons desire the President to ap-
point, is merely to supply a way of
bringing the question before the coun-
try. that when the surgeons shall
in some future hour possibly go before
the government with recommendations
these recommendations shall be repre-
sentative of all the surgical associa-
tions of the country.
Describes Care of Wounded.
An illustrated lecture showing how
the English and French army faka