Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-07-23
The SCHOOL OF FIRE
III.-The Medicos Take the
Field.
By Frederic ]. Haskin.

4 doctor serving with troops in the
field is soldier Sanitary troops are
as essential a part OF a military or
eanization artillery or cavalry. and
they must march. camp. endure fire
and perform all the other functions OF
q soldier except the actual fighting.
This fact was somewhat forcibly i'm
pressed upon the members of the Aledl-
cal Reserve Corps who gathered at To-
byhanna to learn the duties of an
army surgeon. The Medical Reserve
Corps. il may be explained. is body of
America doctors Who have indicated
their Willingness to serve as army sur
geons in time of war This body of
about fifteen hundred men includes
number of the most distinguished
specialists and practitioners in the
United States. For their training in the
military phase OF their duties camps
have been established in connection
with militia schools at Tobyhanna, Pa
Sparta Wis and San Antonio. Tex.
At these schools the medicos, as they
are always called in the army. have
decidedly new experience AT Tobyhah-
ma for example. Mai. Page of the reg
ular army who had charge of the
doctors routed his DISTINGUISHED pu-
pills out at reveille and made them go
through the setting-up exercises every
morning The sight of these dfstln-
guished gentlemen. many of them of
portly girth and impressive whiskers,
going through calisthenics before sun
rise was an impressive example of NIL
itary discipline.
The training of the doctors consisted
In 4 series of lectures setting forth
the duties of sani-
: Doctors Trained tary troops in the
I'll, field. and of a
IN Field Duties. most unique drill,
in which all the conditions and ext
sencies of actual battle were repro
duced in minute detail.
This drill was technically called "a
problem and. like all other problems
worked out ct Tobyhanna. was first
set forth and explained on a black
board. The medicos were told that an
action was to take place between the
blues and the reds. The batteries OF
the reds held strong position on the
hilltops across the millpond. The bat
teries of the blues were to dislodge
them. if possible. A severe action.
with heavy firing. would take place.
and the medicos would be compelled
to esta blish field dressing station and
a field hospital. and to care for the
large number of wounded.
The problem having been explained,
part of the staff of the field officer.
This officer then gave orders for bat
teries &C. and % to take up their po-
sition behind a stone wall this side OF
the millpond and open fire with blank
ammunition) upon the imaginary reds.
An orderly dashed back to camp, the
battery was assembled and rushed into
position at a gallop. The guns were
carefully concealed with brush. so that
they would be invisible to the hostile
aeroplanes. Then the order to fire was
given and series of salvos of black
ammunition were fired. creating a very
realistic atmosphere of battle
=
Meantime, three small attachments OIL
geants had arrived
Dummy Wounded just beyond the mr.
", ing line. Each of
HIDE IN brush. these men wore a
small tag. as though he were going to
be shipped somewhere by freight. Upon
this tag was inscribed a hypothetical
wound. Thus one of them might be
labeled fractured femur. skull
wound from shrapnel." rifle ball
through left shoulder"
4 wounded man. like wounded ami
NAL, always seeks cover. and SO the
sergeants had been instructed to care
200 yards of the firing line. This order
was carried out with great enthusiasm,
being ably abetted by the brusky
nature of the Pocono mountains.
They compelled alleged wounded re-
cruits to crawl into the very middle of
the thickest bushes they could find.
Then the medical corps was brought
into the field. with its stretchers, and
told to find and treat the wounded.
Instantly these dignified family physi-
clans. accustomed only to the Office and
the bedside. began quartering the
country like setter dogs. With such
energy and determination did they
work that all but about ten per cent of
the wounded were quickly found and
treated.
The Hypothetical wounds were ban
Gagged just exactly as though they had
been real o6es. Thus a man who was
abeled "Shrapnel through abdomen"
had his shirt ripped off in trice and
was bound up with antiseptic bandage.
fractured femur presented the most
difficult problem and resulted in the
most brilliant solution. AS it hap
pened. This wound fell to the care of