Norwich bulletin., 1916-12-26
STORIES OF THE WAR
surgery's Development in the War.

Surgery's Development in the War.
 Great as have been the surgical achievements in the course of the pres ent war, there has been as yet no sim gle discovery that has rivaled Dr. AL eXis CarreYs method of the treatment of septic wounds as the most notable addition to surgical science, accord ing to a senior surgeon of the Ameri- can Ambulance Hospital at Neuil1y, near Paris, who has just returned to this country. ''The French hospitals are slowly adopting the Carrel meth od," he said, land in the American Ambulance Hospital we have been us- ing it for several months with gra-lfy- ing results which seem to show that Dr. Carrel has proved his thesis.
 'The reduction of septic wound treatment to an almost mathematical basis is feature of the Carrel method that suggests the fanciful thought of the possibility that the day may come when a surgeons work will in some respects be like that of a train dis patcher. Having brought to him from day to day the microscopic count of the germs in a given wound, the sur ness the day on which the wound VIII be in shape to close completly. The two-hourly irrigation of the wound by the Daiin or other solution, is high ly important feature of the Carrel method, but the most interesting fac the germs. These germs are taken from given areas of the wound, placed under 8 microscope and counted, and from this count the progress of the healing Is gauged. There are perhaps less germs today than yesterday, 50 many less tomorrow; and so the rate of the diminishing suppuration is es- tablished. The surgeon, almost with cut looking at the wound, can deter mine, when the count gets down to 8 given number, that it is safe to close it.
 '"Fhe American Ambulance Hospital is the best single thing which America can do for France" he said. "The hospital has been at all times since 1ts establishment two years ago one of the best hospitals in the world; 1t enjoys the confidence of the French Sanitary Service to such a degree that 1t ordin- arily receives only the most difficult cases. The most severe shell wounds are constantly encountered. There are scores Of young American surgeons who, from time to time serving at tl,e hospital. have become familiar with these phases of surgery. They may rarely have occasion to use this knowl- edge in their ordinary civilian prac- tice at home. but should the United States be at war within the next gen. eration it will find that many of its surgeons in civilian practice are &C., quainted with every sort of wound now known in warfare. At the hospital, operation between the surgeons and dentists. An ordinary operation Is that of grating bone cut from the tib1a or skin bone into the lower jaw. I have seen young soldiers so frightfuily wounded in the face that had they been my sons I should have almost preferred they should have died, but it is not for the surgeons to let the spark of life be extinguished through neglect of surgical science.
 The appreciation, gratitude and en- tire simplicity of the wounded French soldier is something that gets one absolutely. have never seen the slightest resemblance to anything that could be called bravado in his make up The American surgeons feel that they cannot be kind enough to the soldiers.
 ~All through France the efficiency Of the American Ambulance Hospital mas become known, and distinguished suI- gical men are daily visitors. They come not only from the French hcs- pitals, but from all of the Allied and neutral countries, examining with particular interest the many forms of special apparatus which the Ameri- SoAlo lidFC OSpSlOP0u 1OI L1lc IildIlcEC- ment of fractured extremities. These devices have been originated and im- proved upon largely by the younger members of our surgical staff. When 8 young surgeon comes to us from America for service at the hospital he is assigned to a ward with request that he improve the apparatus-an1 it Is rarely that he fails to do so. It has been wonderful for the older men to see how readily and successfully the younger men have taken up this work.
 : There are probably 1,5oo wounded soldiers under the American Ambu- lance surgeons at this moment. There are 575 in the hospital at Neuilly, and a thousand more in auxiliary hospitals under our care. At Neuilly the en.ire hospital force, including the order.ies 300 men and women. Among them. we have many of birth and education serving as orderlies. An Episcopal clergyman of Philadelphia did this work all summer and an American ct-l- iege professor who came in asking simply for something to do has been very valuable in taking the histories of eases.
 "The spirit of the wounded them selves is seen in a little incident that recently occurred at Neuilly. One little soldier who had been nicknarned Dy n1S C0mradGg 'TOut Pef1T naQ Doth of his arms shattered. One of lis comrades in the hospital had lost leg, and two others had each shat tered arm. These four had so far re- covered that they asked permission to dine at a little restaurant outside the hospital. They were granted this, but came back late, and the chief nurse gave them a frdendly-very friendly scoldins. The one-legged man said: You must blame me, Miss. You see I he'd to cut food for the other threa, and "Touts Petit" didn't have any arm so I had to feed him. By that time my self got 90 hungry that ate more than should, and that's why we were late"