The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1917-08-31
British Surgeon Tells
Of The Horrors Of War
On the French Line

Correspondence ii The Associated Press
LONDON. Aug. 30.-A graphic ac-
count of war as I'm army surgeon secs
it is given in series of articles by
Captain Robert V. Dolbey, q surgeon
from British Columbia who enlisted IN
the British AIcdcnI Corps early in the
war. Describing u sharp bit Of fight
INK on the British front in France. Inc
says:
".lll day long the machine guns ham
merrd and schrapnei swept that un-
happy regiment. BY evening they had
iG0 casualties Including sixteen Off
GERS So light was the field OF fire
the brewery behind them was ablize-
that the doctor could not get 10 all his
wounded. and they lay out that night.
When morning nl okc and the fire died
down only the slightly wounded we're
alive; the cold. rain and exposure CT
fectually robbed ;he rest OF their chance
OF life.
"Hrre then, was an instance OF the
value of warmth. tea and sheltered
dressing station. or one thing one can
be certain. that severely wounded men
will not stand the exposure OF night on
the field and survive. Hounds assoc
cialed with much shock. compound frac-
Iure Of the hip ard shoulder joints and
fracture Of the thigh. chest wounds.
will often do quite we'll. and rapidly
recover from the initial shock when the
slider is kept warm and morphia
given"
Hero Is his description OF busy
night in his field dressing station:
Very busy were we In that little
house: sixty wounded for morphia and
dressings They were most grateful
l,aI 49,
fer acutely from shock. they are go
cold. so sweaty and so thirsty. When
the morphiu acts and the tea and the
inevitable cigarette. that Incompatible
sedativc for shaken nerves. arrive, tho
whole aspect OF dressing station al
rers. Unless Imam is wounded desper-
ately he soon becomes quite cheerful
and very talkatlre. Morphia stills the
pain without having great narcotic eff
feet in times of excitement like this.
Doctor Dnlbey gives the following ac-
count of the work Of an army surgeon:
'How does rcgimental medical Of
ficer do his work and what Is his equip
mcut? This I WAS curious to know:
for had not been a surgeon TO bat
TALON in the field for thirteen years.
Tine doctor to each regiment Is now
provided with light. two-wheeled Nal
tese cart that carries the medical and
surgical instruments medicines, con-
dcnscy milk. and beef extract; all "a
complete as 1t ia compact Lacking
only rubber glove and stcrilisable sur
gical gowns. there Is hardly an opera
ton. Of an urgent character that an
adaptable surgeon cannot do in an emer-
Gcncy. Given house. q stove. and
""eimcntHl. doctors equipment his
trained non-coElrlisSIoDed officer and
he will have all the essentials OF a tenn
porary hospital
His first experience with the work OF
the German snIpHrs is thus described
The German Shippers were posted up
tho trees in the rising ground on the
right flank and took 4 steady toll or
our men; it was they who got Amos in
the open. and Pennyman serving his
machine gun. One felt that one was
very glad tn be SO close up and to br
50 helpful. and yet one felt so strange.
Is helpless There was so much to be-
done, and so many for whom surgery
could do 50 littln--the abdominal cases
that died so soon: the brain cases tina:
took 90 long TO die And Of all the
dreadful wounds In war the lacsrat ting
brain wound is the most narrowing:
restless. noisy. dcIirlus. the unhappy
victims struggle with the men who
would restrain them. habhling OF pr'-
vrtc matters. OF domestic things. crying
TO- water and yet splitting IL out When
brought Morphia is useless. chloro-
form alone prevails 10 still that brain
TO sleep. for an hour nr two. until Tie
morphia acts. But we were never short
Of norphia or of chloroform: for that
We can be grateful"