El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-05-11
No SICK IN THE
PER5HING ARMY
Doctors and Dentists Busy
Relieving Ailments of
the Natives.
BY GEORGE II. CLEMENTS.

~
ditiou. L. s. Army. Near Namiouip.
Mexico, May 11.-No~ithstanding the
stories to the contrary. sent to the
states by all sorts and conditions Of
men or carried there by physicians
/ and Others the health Of the men Of
the various organizations comprising
/ this expedition has been so good that
/ the great hospital equipment provided
at the outset can hardly be said to
have been needed.
There have been few wounded and
on rare occasions a chronic or two to
be cared for but for the most part.
the big tents have been vacant and
the large corps Of physicians. surgeons.
nurses and hospital orderlies idle eX-
cept for the regular routine Of duty
necessary TO keep the spaces devoted
to hospital purposes policed as they
should be.
There has not been a case Of dysen-
terry or typhoid. That this is true may
be due i'm part to the great care. ex-
erciSed by the medical corps to the
end that the water supply Of the camp
is protected against contamination Of
anv kind. The altitude. too. may have
something to do with the good health
of the occupants of the camp. The
days are hot and dusty, which is sup
posed TO be good" for germs. and the
nights have been cold enough to en-
able the men to sleep well. if they had
blankets enough, and sleep is fatal to
Doctors Aid Natives.
The medics have not been altogether
idle. Notwithstanding the good health
Of the men. They were not long in
camp before they had to look over
the town Of Namiquipa with a view
q.
the sanitary conditions prevailing
there
In the course Of their Investigations.
they ran into "a number Of cases Of
illness which they took in charge and
relieved. News Of this action spread
rapidly and il was not long before
natives from ranches and villages
many miles distant in the mountains
began TO come in for treatment
They were not disappointed. The
treatment was given and. in nearly all |
Of the cases handled, cures were effect /
ed. Some Of the patients presenting
themselves however, were chrOnics of
the worst kind, and. while relieved, /
could not be cured without q long hos
pital course which, under the circum |
stances. could not be given.
The dentistry department too. found /
much to do. The MeXicans of the rural I
districts, especially those living at this /
distance from n large city like Chi ]
huahua or from the border, have par !
tfcularly bad teeth They suffer from /
every disease of the mouth i'm the den
tai calendar and the work cut out for (
the camp dentists would have delight |
ed a dental student in search Of an /
opportunity for an all round study OF !
mouth diseases. Some of the crude 1
devices. used to supplement decayed I
teeth. found by the dentists should be /
sent to some dental laboratory in the /
United states to be placed on eXhi-
bitiOn.
Natives Are Appreciative.
All this attention on the part OF the !
medical corps Of the expedition TO the |
ailing natives is having the effect TO
make friends Of many who before this
time have been inclined to regard us
as common enemies and to make il /
easier for the intelligence department
TO find out the movements Of the ban
dit bands which are constantly moving
about the mountains along the Ameri-
can lines Of communication. Tt is hav-
ing the effect, too, of causing the ma
tives to bring more food to the quar-
termaster's department and to offer |
more tortillas. pan dulces and other
Mexican "daintieS' I'm the ''merCad0"
OF market place established just out (
side the camp by the camp commander !
The weather is mOderatihg. For two
days now the wind has not blown and
life is worth living on this great plain. |
Because Of the cessation Of the wind {
with its accompanying clouds Of dust. 4
he typewriters i'm the tents Of the cor
respondents have been worked to ca
Dacity. though there is little to write
lbout except minor incidents Of camp |
ife
Mail day is some day I'm this camp.
specially among the younger of the
newspaper correspondents and officers
Who have fond mammals, doting sisters
II sweethearts who send them candy,
oOkies or other goOnd things to eat |
BY the way, eating is the king Of both /
n and out door sports among men or |
oys who live I'm the open all the time |
we do here. The government pro- !
ides an abundance Of the necessaries !
oes. beans and hard and soft bread
rhen the bakeries are supplied with
lour, but the sweets other than the
Ugar in the coffee must come from
he outside If they are to he had at all.
ONE of the youngsters have called the
ttentiOn OF their friends in Gods
OUntry' to this condition OF affairs
nd il is being remedied as RAPIDLY as
he trucks can carry the good things
D this place. For a few minutes after
he arrival Of the mails, the tents Of
he correspondents look like the aver
&c American home looks on Christmas
forming. Each recipient OF n box from
ONE tears Off the wrappings Of his
ackaRe and passes Il to his less for
mate fellow in the CORPS and all en-
~ themselves as children are sup
,sed TO enjoy themselves when they
re given something good to eat.