The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1916-02-05
David Willard Tells of Dis
tribution of Surgical
Dressings
PLANNING TRIP
TO ITALY SOON


America-Now 700 Branches of Sur
gical Dressings Committee in United
States.
David Willard, who in October, 1914,
began in this section to quietly organize
women into groups to prepare surgi-
cal dressings for the wounded in Eu-
rope has again returned from France
and is in BrattleborO recuperating
from physical and mental exhaustion,
the result of several strenuous months
in France. He has the satisfaction of
knowing that there are now in the
United States 700 branches of the In
ternational Surgical Dressings commit
tee 200 of which have been organized
since July.
Mr.. Willard plans to remain in
Brattleboro another week, and after
two weeks in New York he plans to go
abroad to establish bureau of the or
ganization in Rome, if it is found de-
sirable TO DO so. In the event that the
Red Cross in that country is organized
to do the most effective work the sur
gical dressings committee viii continue
I to send its dressings through that or
I ganization in Italy.
! 1t was after Mr.. Willard had been
|
branches of the surgical dressings com
mittee in this and other sections that
he volunteered in New York at the
headquarters of the committee to re-
turn to France last summer in an eff
fort TO determine exactly what was
most needed in that line and TO arrange
for the most effective means of dis
tribution.
Funds Were Tied Up.
The French government before the
outbreak of the war had made no pro-
vision for the handling of materials
and supplies usually handled through
the French Red Cross, depending upon
that organization entirely. When the
war began it was discovered that all
1.-THE resources of the French Red Cross
were invested in German and Belgian
securities and the Red Cross there was
absolutely without funds and with no
means of realizing on their securities.
This made confusion worse eonfound-
ed The surgical dressings committee
had been sending from New York such
supplies as it was thought might be
needed in the hastily organized hos
pitfalls. The work was more or less
hap-hazard. When someone heard of q
hospital that had been established,
1 letter was written asking what was
: needed in the line of supplies. Letters
required far more than the usual time
: for delivery, due to the censoring. Re
: plies were delayed also. As for the
I shipment of a case from New York TO
Paris. it requires two months, six
! between the time of the arrival of the
i case at Bordeaux and its arrival IN
/, Paris.
! Then, too, hospitals, especially on the
, line of action, were fy-by-night af-
/ fairs They shifted almost daily as
necessitated by the advance or retreat
of the forces they served. Under the
circumstances that pertained during the
early days of the work of the surgical
: dressings committee there was small
chance of supplies reaching a hospital
when needed, and in many instances
i they never reached their proper desti-
m nation.
# The committee learned that not all
Al of the articles being made by the
N workers of the various branches were
% exactly what was desired by the sur
=. geons in France. As the fighting con
tinued the surgeons found it necessary
20 to meet new demands caused by the
nature of the wounds, but by the time
= anything could be done in this coun-
try to meet the demand the necessity
Il had long passed.
French Government Approves.
u 1t was to endeavor to simplify mat
ters to make more effective the
whole-hearted service of the American
women, who all over the country arr
giving of their time and energy to re
10 lieve suffering, that Mr. Willard went
to France in July. He expected to re
turn in September, but found the situa
mr. tion utterly lacking in organization anC
go thoroughly ineffective, so he remained
,o and by earnest, persistent, diplomat,
25 effort has turned the surgical dressing
Iv committee into an international or
~ ganization.
60 Not only did he do this, but he en-
~ listed members of some of the frs
H. families of France in the work of tn
h organization and finally secured the ap
,nr proyal and cooperation of the Frenel
IS government, which finally came to real
-, ize that Mr.. Willard had develope,
"- an efficient service in spite of tire
mendous handicaps. The government
realized that he had done what tn
government, itself, and the French Re,
Cross had failed to do
Mr.. Willard immediately after hi
= arrival began the task of finding on
exactly what was wanted by the sur
s., geons. At the same time by letter an
H.