The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1915-09-16

and a graduate of State College. class
Of '06, writes his former instructor in
chemistry, Prof. James II. Shepard, a
very interesting letter from which the
Register is permitted TO make such ex-
tracts as have passed the censor:
August 10, 1915.
Dear Prof.
You perhaps may be interested in
hearing a few first-hand remarks on
the situation here in Europe although
we are not allowed to say much and in
case We do the letters never reach
their destination.
/ have left the American ambulance
in Paris and since July 1st have been
with the British expeditionary force in
northern France a member of a vol
untary unit of the Royal Army Medical
Corps. Have the rank of captain and
have charge of a number of wards of
surgical cases. 1t is different in many
ways from our experience in Paris as
We are much nearer the front and con
s~equently we get the cases very soon
after they are wounded and we see an
in what is known as a receiving and
evacuating hospital and do not keep
the cases for any length of time but
send them back to base hospitals.
Most of the wounds are treated first in
the trenches with the first aid package
then are moved to the dressing sta.
tions which are still in the zone of
fire. From here they are carried in
ambulances directly to the hospital
train or to a distributing hospital and
from there to hospitals like ours-and
from there to the base.
The wounds we get now are mostly
caused by the high explosive shell-a
much smaller percentage by rifle and
this underground warfare there are
many hand grenade and aerial torpedo
wounds. All of the wounds are badly
inflicted and the aseptic first aid pack
age has proven of little worth in this
war. The severe character Of the in
fections may be explained by the un-
derground character OF the fighting
every man is covered with dirt when
hit and the dirt is carried into the
-,N- MI I'LL -. E,r-. a~I D@I
GUM too, has been cultivated so long
and so intensively that it's bacteria
content is naturally high-the bacteri-
ology of our wounds is similar to that
of the soil and in this fact it differs
entirely from the surgery of any of the
other modern wars. However the
changed conditions have been met and
the mortality is comparatively low.
Deaths from tetanus are very rare and
this is due to the fact that every man
as soon as wounded gets a prophylactic
dose of antitetanic serum and various
new things are being developed that
will effectually combat the other in
fictitious agents. The sanitation of the
camps and even trenches has been ad-
mirable and there have been none Of
those horrible epidemics of typhoid or
typhus that characterized our w con-
centration camps in the Spanish war.
OF course Servia was nearly wiped out
by typhus as you know but that is
now under control and is nearly ex-
tinct for the time being.
AS to the military situation | am not
qualified to speak about that and could
not write about it if | were. The allies
seem prepared for any eventuality
along this front and are in a much bet
ter state than the newspapers gen.
orally give them credit for. The sys-
tenn of purveying and transport Is mar
velous and if the same efforts were
put forth in peace would be called a
marvel of efficiency. Everything is
done in motors-big American trucks
are seen by the hundreds on every
road.
have a profound admiration for
both the French and English soldiers
although they differ widely in certain
personal characteristics they are alike
in their bravery and dash. The French
are entirely different from any precon
ceived idea OF them and the way the
French nation met this tremendous
crisis is beyond all praise. They are
quiet-not Enthusiastically de
termined and every man, and
child is making every sacrifice for the
common cause. There Is not a person
in France who is not in some way
working for the war and I do not see
; how a nation like them can be de
feated. England has not yet exerted
all her energy but is rapidly doing so
, They were not a military nation-ex
cept for their navy but will get there
. in time. Their are marvel
Gus and they are richer than our own
country mrch IN nv surnriSp. be