The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-01-08
WINTER IN SERBIA
COntesting Armies Face Most
Terrible Enemy of All.
Ineessant Rain in Balkans
Makes Roads impossible.
WOUNDED NEARLY ALL DIE
Lack of Care Gives Gas Gan
creme Full Sway.
Bulgarians Have Poor Facili'
ties for Hospital Service.
tBY WILLIAM c. sHEPHERD3


Monastir. Servia, Jan. 5.-Balkan
soldiers suffer more than those of any
other nation. How the Bulgarians.
the newcomers. will conduct their
medical corps remains to be seen.
Winter imposes almost insurmount-
able difficulties on an army in the
Balkans. owing to the few roads and
the almost incessant mud and rain
-rThe Germans and the Austrians, with
their automobile ambulances, nave
lodged the hardest and worst parts OF
-Seryia The German line extends down
tinto Ser.,ia only so miles and the
+Gerinans seem satisfied with that
There is little chance Of their coming
Further. The Austrian line reaches
sonly slightly deeper into the little ally
Country The Austrians and Germans
4appear to have the single intention OF
connecting with the Bulgarians, if pos
ssible. in the northeastern tip OF Ser
sNia and avoiding the Bad Lands. But
the Bulgarians will have not such easy
going. Their wounded and SICK must
be carried on sprinSless wagons
drawn oftentimes, by oxen winch
plod through the knee deep mud in
STOW and dismal procession
Gangrcnc Is Fatal
some Of the difficulties that will be
faced by the Bulgarians may be meas
.asred by what l have seen along the
roads near Monastir and in the nos
.3litals here. Most of the SerVlan
sounded suffer from gas gangrene,
owing to the lack of attention imposed
~ the long, slow cart journeys.
small wounds that would have meant
only g. week in the Hospital if prompt
medical attention could have been CIV
en-. are killing men with pam or
nOison American as well as SerVlan
doctors are helpless against gas gan
creme Quinine is being tried in Ser
via now and wounded men are being
given doses almost unbelievably large
and potent and the doctors fancy that
the gas gangrene victims are helped
Slightly by the new treatment.
Explosive bullets are another cause
Of horrible suffering in the Balkan
Fighting. Not content with sendinS
bullet through an enemy, the Balkan
battlers often use bullets that explode.
Eel one of these bullets strike bone
ana it creates in the flesh all the
havoc of a miniature Jack Johnson
shelf. actually shreddirg and spatter-
ing flesh in all directions from the
person of the unhappy target All OF
alea. or arm below the point where an
explosive bullet has struck, the bone
may as we'll be amputated. for the
hone will be splintered the flesh
blown away and gas gangrene 1mml-
rent.
In the hospital here IS farmer BOY
who was hit III the right and leg by
a bullet which came from above him.
The bullet exploded in the leg, shat
tering it, and the leg was taken OFT
hy the doctors. Gas gangrene set in
in the arm and that, too, was amputat
ed. The young man thereby gains the
doubtful distinction of having lost
leg and an arm by oue small bullet.
The world is likely to hear little this
winter of what is going on in Servia
because the fog of war which covers
actual fighting grounds obscures much
that the world ought 20 know. But
the Servians will be suffering incred-
IDLY. rs will also the invaders VINO en-
ter the heart of he country.