Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-08-24
Soldiers Manicured
at Stated Periods.

at Stated Periods. not Accumulate
there; his feet are examined and given
attention, that infection may be pre-
vented and other handicaps to march
ing avoided. The men in the trenches
are given every possible opportunity to
change their shoes and stockings, or at
least to remove these and allow their
feet to rest Baths are not as fire.
ouent as when the men are at home.
but whenever a change of detail Is eff
fected and it is possible. the men are
stripped and washed before being al
lowed to rest. In this way dirt, the
arch foe Of health, is kept at distance
and the work of the surgeons greatly
facilitated.
the men to battle, they are instructed
to rub every part OF the BODY with
rough gunny sack. which may remove
a portion of the cuticle along with the
dirt, but it at least guarantees a GER
tain degree of cleanliness. even under
the most trying conditions.
Great emphasis is laid upon the i'm
portance of keeping the hands, and es-
possible. and there are many places
along the battle front where the ar
rival of the official manicures is
regular event. These manicures have
little in common with the dainty
blondes who inhabit the majority of
our barber shops. They are men in
trusted with the labor of keeping the
soldiers hands in order and preventing
their finger nails from getting long
enough to harbor dirt and disease
germs. Chiropodists also visit the men
regularly and attend to their feet, see
ing to it that those whose are in the
condition warrantinsy 1t are sent to the
rear to be cared for.
~
The modern soldier is instructed not
to expose his head to the direct rays
of the sun
Must Not Drink Freely and never to
While on the March. sronn 1' d "a ~
is possible to obtain branches or straw
to cover it. He is warned against
drinking too frequently or too freely
while on the march, and is given such
useful hints as that of holding a leaf
or pebble in the mouth when no water
Is available. In a word, he is instruct
ed in the common sense rules of hy-
giene which science has evolved.
The modern idea of prevention rath-
err than cure has also changed the po-
sition of the medical corps during the
advance Of an army. Formerly the
surgeons remained in the rear to care
for the wounded; now a number of
doctors accompany the first advance to
inspect the wells and test the drink ing
troops. The drinking places are
labeled In three ways. according to
the results of the tests: Pure drink
ing water; FILTER and boil before
drinking: Use for washing only, not
drinking" Occasionally there will ap-
pear the sign. "Beware-Poison,"w which
speaks for itself.
But the triumphs of modern medical
modern surgery. both in preventing
death and in bringing about the rapid
healing of the wounded.
The average number of deaths among
the men wounded in the European con-
fiict h We
Deaths Among Wounded been sur
Are Surprisingly Few. = ew. 'ns iy
most hospitals being less than one
in ten. Gangrene and the other
deadly maladies that formerly fol-
lowed in the wake of the bullet
or the bursting shell have been
subdued to such an extent that a
wounded man is much better life in
surance risk than his brother In the
trenches. The latter may be killed at
any moment, while the man in the
hospital will have the best Of care,
that he may resume his place.
The great majority Of the men
wounded during the first six months
Of the war are back in the ranks. or
have been there, and 1t means much
to a soldier to know that he will re-
ceive the best possible attention if he
is disabled. This, together with mod
ern sanitation and the perfection of the
ly responsible for the great vitality of
the millions of men now fighting
abroad. Uncle Sam is getting the bene-
At Of all the experience.