Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-05-05
Sidelights on the European War

LouuOH.-tC correspondence OF The
Associated Press. )-Major Priestley of
the army medical corps has supple
mented the recent official report on
the typhus epidemic among British
prisoners Of war in the Wittenberg
camp in Germany last year with fur
Their descriptions of the horrors that
he encountered there. Major Priest
ley, it will be remembered, was one
of the six British doctors sent to the
Wlttenberg camp by the Germans
when, it is alleged, the German medi-
cal staff abandoned its post at the
camp after the typhus broke out. Ma
jor Priestley is one Of the three sur
vivors among these six British doc
tors the others having succumbed to
the fever.
I'VE were pushed through the barb
ed wire by the German guards" said
the major to an Associated Press cor
respondent in describing his introduce
structed to proceed to a certain hut,
where we found our mattresses on
top of a stack of collins.
1T was dusk when we arrived and
it is impossible to give you an ade-
quate impression of the terrible con-
dition in which we found the camp.
We walked through the compounds to
No. s, reserved for hospital, and al
though $4,000 prisoners were crowded
into space of 10 acres, we might have
been walking through camp of
| ghosts for all the notice that was TAX
en- of our progress. The men seemed
dazed and apathetic. That night We
began our desperate fight against
| typhus with all the odds in its favor.
Our only stimulant was camphora-
ted oil which, although slow in action,
can serve that purpose when other
stimulants are lacking. But that is
only one indication of the hopeless
lack of facilities with which we were
faced from the start. The compound
reserved for hospital was such in
name only, and it was not only with
out the more ordinary equipment and
sanitary conveniences, but utterly
lacked the most elementary comforts
There was not a regular bed in the
place and mattresses were filthy and
uncomfortable. Typhus is essentially
a filth disease and to combat it sue
cessfully cleaning materials and
changes of clothing are prime necessi-
ties. Many of the men had only the
ragged remnants of their uniforms
their great coats having been lost OF
taken from them by the guards, while
some had to go about wrapped in q
blanket with strips Of blankets in the
place Of boots. Soap had been sent
to the prisoners from England, but
the men were not permitted to re,
ceive any of their packages until Mr.
Gerard, the American ambassador
made his inspection of the camp after
the epidemic was over,
THE most amazing feature Of tht
eplQe1QIC from Inc STANDPOINT OF
physician was the number of prison
ers who recovered from the disease
Their gratitude was pathetic and en-
barrassing, as they gave the doctors
so much credit for their recovery, ant
the heartbreaking fact was that W.
had but little to do with it, for our ia
cilities were so limited that we coult
not give them even the ordinary com
forts which fever patients ought t.
have Diet means much In typhus anc
the best l could give my patients at
ter receiving certain concessions il
response to reiterated requests was
three small cups Of milk daily ant
occasionally some watery soup fol
each patient The highest death rate
was among the devoted men, who vol,
unteered TO nurse their comrades. A
the beginning Of the epidemic there
were only three men OF the medica
corps in the prison and their place.
prisoners, who volunteered for tn,