Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-12-26
AMERICAN AMBULANCE
DOES WONDERFUL WORK
French Sanitary Service Sends to II
for Treatment Only Most
Difficult Cases.
REMARKABLE DIsCov ERIEs
None. However. Rivals DIR. Carrel'S
Method Of Treatment of Septic
Wounds, Which Has Been Used
With Gratifying Results.

! been as Yet no single discovery tina,
mas rtvaird DR.. Alexis Carrots method
" the treatment OF septic wounds az
tho most notable addition 10 surgical
science. according to Il senior surgeon
OF the American Ambulance Hospital
al Ncuiliy, near Paris. who has just
returned to this country. "Thc French
hospitals are slowly adopting the Car
rel method" he said. "and in the
American Ambulance Hospital We have
been using IT for several months. with
gratifying results. which seem to show
that DIR. Carroll has proved his thesis.
The reduction OF septic wound treat
'hent to an almost mathema teal ba sis
is feature OF the CarreI method that
suggests TIE fanciful thought Of tho
possibility that the day may come when
surgeons work will IN some rcsn.cts
I've like that of a train DISPATCHER
Having brought TO him from day to
"aE the microscopic count of the germs
in given wound. the surgeon may
perhaps figure with prccisencss The ,la "
on which the wound will be in shane
To close completely. The tl,o-hourly
irrigation OF the wound by the Dalliu
or other solution. is II highly important
feature of the Carrcl method but the
most interesting factor Is the daily
microscopic count of the germs These
germs are taken from given areas of
the wound. placed under nicrosconc
and counted. and from this count the
progress OF the healing Is gagged
There are perhaps less germs to-day
than yesterday. so many less to-
morrow; and so the rate Of the dimin-
tShing suppuratlon Is established.
The surgeon. almost withou, looking
at the wound. can determine. when the
count gets down TO given number.
hat ii is safe to close II.
The American Ambulance HOSPITAL
IS the best single thing which
America can do for France he said
The hospital has been at all times
since its establishment two years age
one of The best hospitals in the world
1t enjoys the confidence OF the French
Sanitary Service To such degree that
:; ordinarily receives only the most
difficult cases. The most severe shell
wounds are constantly encountered.
There arc scores OF young American
surgeons who. from time TO time serv-
INK at the hospital. have become
familiar with these phases or surgery
They may rarely have occasion to use
this knowledge In their ordinary
civilian practice al home. but should
the United States be At war within the
neSt generation II will find that many
OF It's surgeons In civilian practice are
acquainted with ever: sort of wound
now known IN warfare. AT the hos
pital. further there has hccn constant
cooperation between the surgeons and
dentists. An ordinary operation Is
that OF grating bone cut from the tibia
or shin bone Into tho lower Jaw. I
have seen young soldiers so frightfully
wounded in the face that had they been
my sons should have almost preferred
they should have died. but il is not for
the surgeons 20 let tho spark OF life
be cxtinGuished through neglect Of sur
gical Sciencn.
Tile appreciation. gratitude and en-
tire simplicity OF the wounded French
soldier is something that gets one alb
Solutcly. have never seen the
sliGhtcs, resemblance 10 anything that
could he called bi avauo In his mukc-up
The American surgeons feel that they
cannot b" kind enough t" the soldiers
All through France the efficiency
OF tho American Ambulance Hospital
has become known. and distinguished
surgical men are daily visitors They
come not only from the French hos
pitfalls. but from all OF tho allied and
neutral countries. examining with par
iicular interest the many forms Of
special apparatus which the Americans
have developed for the management OF
fractured extremitics These devices
A,,.
upon largely by the younger members
OF our surgical star. When young
surgeon comes 10 us from America
FOR service at the hospital. he is as
signed to ward with request that
he improve the apparatus-and 1t is
rarely that he fails to do so. 1t has
see how readily and successfully the
Younger men have taken up this work.
HUNDREDS UNDER CARR:
OF AMERICAN AMBULANCE
There arc probably 1900 wounded
soldiers under the American Ambulance
surgeons at this moment. There are
$40 i'll the hospital al Neuilly. and
1000 more In auXiliary hospitals under
our care. Al Neully the entire hos
pital force. Including the ordcrlies and
other attendants. numbers some 500
men and women. Among them We
have many OF birth and education serv-
ing a ordcrlics. An Episcopal clergy
man Of Philadelphia did this work all
summer. and an American college pro-
fessor who came In asking simply for
som cthing 10 do has been very valu-
able in taking the histories Of cases.
The spirit OF the wounded them
selves is seen in Il little incident that
recently occurred at Neuilly. One little
soldier who had been nicknamed by
his comrades Tout Petit had botl,
OF hs arms shattered. One OF his com :
rades IN the hospital had lost leg
and two others had each a shattered
arm. These four had no far recovered
that they asked permission to dine al
n little restaurant outside the hospital
They were granted this. hut came ba y:
late. and the chief nurse gave them q
friendly livery Notwithstanding. The
one-!eggcd man said: You must blame
me. miss. You see. had TO cut food
for the other three, and 'Touts Petit
didn't have any arm. So ! had to feed
him. BY that time myself got Sc
hungry that ate more than ! should