Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1916-01-15
TOMMY IS A sTO|C
Battle Wounds Fail to Shake
British Soldier.
Doctor Gets New Conception Of Word
Patriotism In Caring for Wounded
at tho Front--M edical Service
Highly Efficient.

Fighting Men" suggests itself as {
pretty good caption for the following
interview, writes Charles N. Wheeler
in the Chicago Tribune.
Doctor Chancellor was one of the
J Chicago unit that crossed over last
June to take charge of base hospital
up near the French fighting line. Only
English wounded and sick were
brought to this hospital.
The doctor had six months of it
not all of the time in the base hos
pital.
In the sector in which Doctor Chan
cellor was working they had accom-
modations for some 10000 wounded
and sick. In his own base hospital,
forty miles back from the first line
OF trenches, they cared for 1000 un.
der normal conditions.
After one Of the drives they
crowded it up to 1900.
The human mind is a wonderful
thing" said Doctor Chancellor while
resting at his club.
Il don't know just how many thou
sand wounded we handled. But In the
six months | did not hear a single con.
scious man groan. It was the same
with the seriously wounded-not
sound or protest. Only those who
had been rendered unconscious gave
expression to the shock. Ii was in
voluntary.
"The English boys took their medi.
cine quietly. It was a strange revela-
tion--this modern type OF the Spartan.
I'm the six months, working all the
time among the wounded and the sick,
didn't hear single man swear.
didn't hear single loud voice.
And there was no fear anywhere.
Il thought / knew what was meant
by the word patriotism. had no con.
ception Of it until we got to work be.
hind the trenches.
Some of the men were badly hit.
The wounds made by shells were
nasty. But not whimper out of one
of them--except the unconscious.
They asked no questions, offered no
protests-simply did what you told
them-did it with no thought of the
death that was all around them.
For their country was the only
thought that possessed their minds.
The ordinary human thoughts had left
them almost entirely.
Il have no idea OF how long the war
10 going to run. | have no means of
knowing what the resources OF the bel
ligerents are or what the programs
are.
"All | know is that the British on
this front will fight as long as they
get ammunition and food, and they
will fight, II they can get ammunition,
without much concern about the regu-
larity OF the meals.
THE whole world seems to know
now about the French Wonderful
people they are. Their inspiration is
beyond us ordinary mortals. They
die gladly and quietly. Their invo-
cations are all for beautiful France.
Il was educated for time in Ger.
many and l know something of the
great efficiency Of the German medical
staff But don't think Germany out
classes in this war the French and
English medical department, for the
latter is about as near perfect as HUI.
man brains can make it.
We had no typhoid. That is very
important statement at this time. How
is 1t accounted for? Vaccination and
patriotism. The men stand in muddy
trenches, but they are out In the open.
They think only of their country-of
the empire.
THAT was the big surprise for all of
us--no typhoid. The medical organi-
zation of the r. A. M. C. is most ex.
traordinary. 1t Is simply efficiency |
/ uilt on common-sense methods. We |
had no new method, no new an
esthetics, no new antiseptics We
used chloroform on the battlefield and
ether back In the hospitals.
But every trench was supplied with
pure water, mostly artesian. We used
some river water, but 1t was all Al
tered.
mo raw vegetables or fruit were al |
lowed.
Everything had to be cooked. Ev.
cry pint Of milk was boiled before it
got to the soldiers. II was simply the
method of prevention.
THE pathetic cases were the invol-
untary towards That's q new men
tai affection peculiar to this war Of
high explosives. When men are
brought back from the firing line suf-
fering with conclusion due to high ex-
plosives they are sent back home as
soon as possible. Their fighting days
are over.
Il think saw the real spirit of the
fighting men. 1t is still strange to
me in way. The word panic is un-
known, even among the wounded and
the dying. There is not the slightest
suggestion of fear anywhere"