The Anderson daily intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson, S.C.) 1914-1915, 1915-05-02
WORK OF REQ GROSS
NURSES EXCITING
American Nurse Tells Interesting
Story Of Finding and Aiding
Her First Patient.

LONDON, May IAN American
girl who recently volunteered for SER
vice with a Red Cross ambulance in
Belgium sends the following account
OF her first case:
"The commandant doctor with
whom was assigned to work had
taken me far up toward the front,
where Belgian battery was station
ed. While he attended to some trfing
| Injuries, there came the sound OF
cannonading, and news that the Ger
mans were attacking the very sec
tions where we were working.
Suddenly, at what seemed the last
minute OF safety, two Belgian
stretcher bearers. without stretch
er. rushed up to me. They said there
was man badly wounded some
where up the road. l found stretch
er went off with them to look for him
I'VE went on and on. 1t probably
wasn't more than 500 yards, but it
seemed like a very long ways. It
seemed impossible TO find the house.
Then some women came running and
pointed out the place. The stretch
er bearers hurried off with their
stretcher. followed.
"The man. horribly hurt, with a
wound like red pit below his should
er blades, was brought and laid on
the stretcher. He lay there quietly
on his side. in posture of utter res
ignation to anguish.
HE was a Belgian peasant. clum-
silly built; he had broad, rather
ugly facd, narrowing suddenly as
the fringe OF his whiskers became a
little struggling beard. But to me he
was the most beautiful person had
ever seen. loved him. He was my
first wounded man!
| II tried-I still try-to persuade
myself that II hadn't bullied my two
bearers and Tepulsed an attempt to
get my stretcher away for some 9TH
er patients, he would have been left
behind in that little house. We got
him out OF the yard all right, and on
the paved road. Then, to my horror,
the bearers dumped him down on the
paving stones. They said he WIS
much too heavy. They couldn't pos
sibly carry him unless they rested.
II didn't think it was exactly the
moment for resting, and told them 30
In several languages. The Germans
were likely to come around the turn
in the road at any time. You never
know!
| But the bearers stood stolidly In
the middle OF the road and mopped
their faces and rutfed. The situation
began to be as absurd and terrible as
q nightmare. So I grabbed on ore
end of the stretcher and said would
carry 1t myself. said wasn't very
strong. and perhape couldn't do It,
but anyhow. would try.
| arThpv ntckaH ~ nm af onoa thao
and started of at a good swinging
trot over the rough caving stones,
jolting my poor patient horribly. /
suggested that they walk on the
smooth path at the side. They hail
ed this suggestion as a most brilliant
and original idea.
"As my patient was brought into
the village where the battery was sta
toned. the ambulance had got its
wounded and was ready to CO. But
he had to have his wound dressed. He
lay there in the middle OF the street
and / had to watch while the surgeon
stuffed his wound with antiseptic
game. I had always supposed that
the dressing of a would was eau
tious and delicate process. But II
wasn't There was careless audac-
ity about 1t. The surgeon worked
rapidly, unmoved. as IL he were stuff
fing an old crate with straw. And Il
was. all over In a moment or two
There seemed something indecent in
the haste with which my Belgian was
disposed OF.
Then the surgeon remarked cas-
ually that my patients wound didnf
amount to much. 1T looks mucl,
worse than 1t really is,' he said. ]
felt hurt. as IL this beloved person
had been slighted, also as IL there
had been some public disparagement
OF my find"