The Sunday telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1914-1927, 1915-08-22
Ym-.Sanltaklon

possible opportunity to change their
shoes and stockings, or at least to-
remove these and allow their feet to
rest. Baths are not as frequent as
when the men are at home, but
whenever a change of detail is eff
are stripped and washed before be-
| ing allowed to rest. In this way,
dirt. the arch foe of health, is kept
| at a distance and the work of the
surgeons greatly facilitated.
| At times when IT is impractfcable
for the men to battle. they are in
structed to rub every part of the
body with a rough gunny sack which
may remove a portion Of thecuttcle
along with the dirt. but 1t at least
guarantees certain degree of clean
on6itions.
Official NIan.curcs~
Great emphasis is laid upon the
Importance of keeping the hands. and
especially the finger nails, as clean
| as possible, and there are many
places along the battle front where
| the arrival OF teh official manicures
is a regular event. These manicures
have little in common with the dainty
blondes who inhabit the majority OF
our barber shops. They are men in
the soldiers hands in order and pre-
venting their finger nails from get.
ting long enough to harbor dirt and
disease germs. Chiropodists also WIS.,
III the men regularly and attend to
their feet. seeing to st that those who
are In the condition warranting It.
are sent to the rear to be cared for.
The modern soldier is instructed
not to expose his head to the direct
l 81. TO al
on damp ground If it is possible to
obtain branches of straw to cover It.
He is warned against drinking too
frequently or two freely while on
the march and is given such useful
hints as that of holding leaf or
pebble in the mouth when no water
is available. In a word, he is in
structed in the common sense rules
CT hygiene which science has evolved.
The modern idea of prevention
rather than cure has also changed
the position of the medical corps
during the advance of an army. For
merly the surgeons remained in the
rear to care for the wounded: now
q number of doctors accompany the
first advance to inspect the wells and
test the drinking places which must
be used by the troops. The drink
ing places are labeled in three ways,
according to the results OF the tests:
Pure drinking water; Filter and
boil before drinking; Use for
washing only, not drinking" Occas-
ionally there will appear the sign
DEMONSTRATION" which speaks for
itself.
Surgery Trilnnphs Too.
But the Lrlunlphs OF modern med
ical science do not eclipse the tri-
umphs of modern surgery, both in
preventing death and in bringing
about the rapid healing of the
wounded.
The average number of deaths
anon 50 the men wounded in the Eu-
ropean conflict have been surprising
ly few. in most hospitals being less
than one in ten. Gangrene and
other deadly maladies that formerly
followed in the wake OF the bullet
or the bursting shell have been sub
dued to such an extent that
wounded man is much better life
insurance 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 it means
much to soldier to know that he
will receive the best possible atten-
tion If he is disabled