The Washington times., 1917-04-24
AMERICAN SURGEON
BACK FROM VIENNA
Or. Eastman Is Forty Pounds
Lighter After Year in
Austria.

1
pounds lighter than when he Ief.
these shores last spring, DR.. Z. I.
Eastman. professor of surgery in the
University OF Indiana, has reached
New York after long and
eventful journey from Vienna, where
he spent eight months as chief sur
geon in an Austrian army hospital.
The diminution in weight, he ex-
planned yesterday, was not entirely
the result of the short food rations
In the Austrian capital but was to
some extent at least the result Of
worry. For more than six months
DR.. Eastman was unable to get aly
news whatever OF his wife and fam
lily, who had remained In this coun-
try.
Copenhagen and the other Scan
| dinavian cities, he reported, are
crowded with Americans, unable to
obtain passage home. He himself was
obliged to wait nearly two months
in Copenhagen. and then 1t was only
through the efforts Of Maurice Fran
els Egan, the American minister to
Denmark, that he finally secured pas
sage on the Standard Oil tanker
Wico. bound for New York.
DR.. Eastman was obliged to sign
as ships surgeon for the voyage and
received a fee OF 20 cents. On Palm
Sunday, when they were about 100
miles northwest of the Farce Islands,
a submarine appeared about 800
yards away. A gale was blowing
and the Wico, one of the oldest and
smallest Of the Standard Oil fleet, was
tossing so that the U-boat was only
occasionally visible. Apparently the
submarine skipper also had hfs hands
full weathering the storm, for he
made no attempt to overhaul the
tanker, and after about an hour dis
appeared.
Twenty-four Days at Sea.
The voyage lasted twenty-four days
owing to the circuitous route followed.
and no lights were displayed, although
DR.. Eastman says the skipper described
the weather one night as being black
as the Earl of HeIl's riding boots"
Questioned as to the food situation in
the central empires DR.. Eastman said:
"Luxuries have absolutely disappeared,
and rich and poor are on the same basis
There was a time when servants were
allowed to hold places in the lines at
the provision shops. but that has been
done away with. The whole diet ques-
ton has been revolutionized. with some
interesting results. For instance the
health statistics of Vienna show a mark
ed reduction In diseases of the stomach
and intestines. On the whole the food
supply seems to be sufficient, though
fortitude Is required. Tubercular pa
tients have great difficulty in obtaining
proper food and there is come anaemia
among the children. The war bread 1
liked very much. Even without butter
1t was quite palatable."
DR.. Saborsky. president Of the Inter-
national Food Commission, has assured
him. DR.. Eastman said. that the food
shortage had reached its lowest ebb. and
that the supplies received from Roumania
and the new harvest would enable them
to do a little better.
Substitutes Are Being Used.
THAT does not mean," DR.. Eastman
said. "that there is not very great
shortage of things which we are ac-
customed to regard as necessities. In
Austria they are using a substance
made from corn pith as a substitute
for cotton in surgical dressings. We
found that IL did very well. Rubber
Is so scarce that we had no rubber
gloves for the surgeons. For a hos
pital OF 500 beds our allowance OF
eggs was thirty.two per day. To-
bacco Is very scarce in Austria, but
quite plentiful in Germany, and the
situation with regard to sugar is Just
the reverse. In the dining car be-
tween Berlin and Copenhagen tie CON
ductor carries small vial Of
saccharlne in his pocket and dIspenses
an allowance OF seven drops to each
passenger, placing It in the coffee
himself"
DR.. Eastman does not think the
man power OF Austria IL near ex-
haustion, although he said he had
seen wounded men more than fifty
years of age and others as young as
seventeen. Among the commoneSt
cases the hospitals had to deal with
were men with frozen feet, he said.
Hundreds OF them came from the Car
pathians and from the italian Alps
with one or both feet badly frozen.
generally the result of insufficient
footwear. Many OF the men have no
covering on their feet other than light
shoes and few pieces of rags tied
around the instep.
AustrIans Are Less Bitter.
The spirit OF the VIennese seems
to be unchanged by the war" DIR.
Eastman said. They are as cheerful,
courteous, and kindly as ever. 1 have
repeatedly seen Russian prisoners
going about unguarded," he continued,
land they received the utmost con-
sideration from everybody. There are
several hundred thousand Russian
prisoners in Austria, and from what
l hear great many OF them will
stay there after the war. A large
number OF them have been sent out to
work on the farms. After the break
between the United States and Ger
many il was gnerally felt in Vienna
that the course OF events would
sooner or later drive Austria to war
with us, but that made no difference
In the attitude OF the people toward
Americans. I believe that the Aus
tfians realize the difficulties Of
Americas position"
DR.. Eastman was at the head of
one OF the units sent out by the
American physicians expedition COM
mittce, and was in charge OF hospital
No. s, which handled cases requiring
serious operations. The Decoration
OF the Red Cross OF the first class was
conferred upon him by the Austrian
government in recognition of his serv-
ices. His work was undertaken with
the appreciation of the American Red
Cross and the War Department, and
ba aNnects 70 devote himself To bring