Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-08-09
SOLDIERS LEFT TO DIE
ON FIELD OF BATTLE
Impossible to Get Men Wounded In
Thorax OF Abdomen to Base -
Hospitals.
MORPHINE TO EASE SUFFERING
DR.. Joseph B. BisseII Tells of Lack
OF Treatment, Which He Describes
as Most Hideous Commentary on
Whole War.
Especial to The rtmes.Disna,cn1

Especial to The Times Dispatch
NEW YORK. August s.-British SOL
! diers wounded in the thoras or abdo-
! men, after a bayonet fight. arc left on
the held OF battle 10 die, owing 10 this
impossibility of getting them to the
base hospitals.
rms was the startling statement
made to-day by DR.. Joseph B. BisseIl.
the New York specialist. who returned
from England on the White Star liner
Lapland. where he has been instruct :
ing British surgeons in the use ~
Fao'um Tor the cure OF septic wounds.
! "a surgeon-colonel in the Roval
| Corps and in charge of one Of the
! largest hospitals in Great Britain. re
Gently returned from the front, told
me that 1t was the rule Of a surgeon on
the field to give a hypodermic injec-
ton OF morphine to soldiers with have
net wounds in the thorax or the abdo.
men. and leave them there TO die in
peace
II mat is true, Ii is the most hide
Gus commentary on the whole war
II make that comment not in a spirit
OF criticism OF the surgeons, but
against the cause which necessitates
their action.
1t was explained to me by the sur
Seon colonel that after a bayonet bat
,heie "ouiu De as many as 100
killed and a greater proportion OF
wounded
AS it takes three or four men to
carry wounded man off the field. IL
can be readily seen. that with 200 Or
SUI wounded II is impossible 10 get
enough men TO carry them back of fhe
INES. In Few rare cases the men SO
wounded live long enough after. the
morphine injection TO be picked up and
carried TO the base hospital for opera
ton. This was told me by the sur
geon-colonel l mentioned.
EXCELLENT HOSPITAL
SERVICE IN ENGLAND
In England the British have deye1.
oped an excellent hospital service.
Ihey have erected buildings known as
hut hospitals These are long wood
en- buildings that have sides which can
be opened in such manner as TO give
the patients open-air treatment.
Il was in Manchester, CAMBRIDGE and
Cliveden- on he-Thames, where such
hospitals have been erected. The lar
Ter place is on the estate OF William
waldorf Astor, and has been turned
over by him sto the military authori-
tingent.
IL was there demonstrated the ra-
dium treatment Of septic poisoning
The Canadian surgeons are ACHIEVING
a great deal of success with it, and
me men are being cured and able to
return to the front in half the time il
took to cure them formerly"
DIR. Bissell. in response 10 questions
said he had left some assistants be-
hind to aid in the application of the
treatment When asked how much RI
dunn he had left behind he repliad
laughingly:
Oh several thousand dollars worth"
Speaking of the war situation in
England, he said:
There is n strong public opinion
against the government over the Oar.
danelles operations. The general opm-
ION in England is that these operations
are doomed TO failure and should never
have been undertaken
Apparently the recruiting Is not
progressing so satisfactorily now. A
novel feature of the recruiting cam
pa!gn is the number of women who are
now making street speeches to induce
men to join the army"