Omaha daily bee., 1917-06-29
The Plaque of the Trenches
By Frederic j. Haskin

By Frederic j. Haskin
Washington, June 26-It was the third day of
battle. The enemy's guns had ceased firing for
some reason which the air scouts were trying to
discover and several thousand Frenchmen. stand
ing knee-deep in ice water that flooded the
trenches relaxed their holds on their rifles for the
first time in thirty hours. Occasionally khaki
clad form stopped over what appeared to be an
empty place in the trenches and lifted another
khaki-clad form, inert and water.soaked, onto an
army ambulance that teetered slowly down the
line through the snow and mud.
An officer in mud spattered uniform, his face
lined and gray as the surrounding mist, pulled
himself stifly out OF his trench and walked over
to where an army surgeon was working with
group of men lying unconscious in the snow. The
officer observed that the surgeon was using not
the usual hypodermic OF morphine, but strong
reviving stimulant of hot whisky
"WoundedI" he asked, as the surgeon lifted
one man on his arm and thrust canteen between
his lips - 4, - ,you.a.a u,;.h
tuberculosis"
"Wounded with tuberculosis" is one of the bit
terest phrases the war has coined. 1t is bad
enough to die the battlefield, but at least death
comes quickly under such circumstances But to
be sent home to die slowly Of the white plague,
often in a poor-law institution-that has been
the fate OF thousands Of trench soldiers. France
has discharged nearly 100000 soldiers on account
of tuberculosis since the beginning of the war, and
the spread of the disease in the British army has
reached such alarming proportions that the civil
ian population has organized to combat the situa-
| tion
1t has taken some time for France to realize
its plight, but today the French combative spirit
! is aroused. An ant-tuberculosis campaign is un-
der way in which it may be stated with pride that
| Americans are contributing the major part both
in money and service, The officer OF the above in
| cident was an American, and it did not take him
! long to discover that the whole French army was
| rapidly being weakened by the dread scourge.
Later, when wounded he was sent back to France,
| he got in touch with his friends from home, to
| whom he gave grim account of conditions.
Something must be DONE" he concluded. "and
| done quickly, or there will be no French army"
| The Americans in Paris Immediately organized
themselves into commttee-that being one OF
the things for which Americans are famous-and
| called upon the French government The French
| government was sufficiently alarmed concerning
the spread Of the disease but unfortunately it was
| already handicapped with too many obligations
to offer any adequite remedy for the situation 1t
simply had to be left to the civil population.
| In a subsequent investigation it became appar-
ent that the civil population was largely respon-
| sible for the disease anyway and not the army.
While trench life certainly aggravates any. ten
dency towards tuberculosis, it was discovered that
there. In other words, the terrible fact was re-
veaed that the whole of France was highly tuber-
| culous.
Before the war the death rate from tubercu-
osis was nearly three per thousand OF population,
in the cities the percentage running much higher;
| In Havre, for example, the death rate from all
| diseases last year was over three times that OF
New York City. The death rate from tubercu-
losis alone was equal to 40 per cent OF the entire
death rate Of New York City.
Searching for the cause of this large mortality
from tuberculosis, the investigating Americans
soon found it. The United States has suffered
| sufficiently from the scourge to make most OF its
citizens intelligent and sympathetic anti-tubercu-
losis campaigners. Every American, although he
value of fresh air. The French, although ex-
| tremely enlightened people in the sciences of
anaesthesia and surgery, are not by any means
an example to the world in sanitary matters. The
fact of the matter is that the French do not get
enough fresh air.
Fresh air cleanliness and disinfection are the
three greatest essentials in combating tuberculo-
| sis. Naturally, when a country neglects all of
them more or less and lives in positive terror Of
the first, you can expect to find the disease -four
shing.
In December Of last year the war victims fund
was established to take care OF French tubercu-
lous soldiers. The sum Of $ll6,llS was collected
| and Z number of sanitarums opened. Soldiers
| were COLLECTED rom poor institutions anu tHoSe
arriving from the front were given the best Of
care. The Americans worked as if inspired 1t
was their chance to show the French civilian
population the proper methods Of treatment while
curing their soldiers, and they made the most Of
their opportunity.
The work has been slow, owing to lack of
funds, but it is accomplishing its purpose. Many
soldiers have recovered and the French people
becoming educated to the value of fresh air.
Windows are being sawed in hundreds of peasant
homes which boasted none before the war The
propaganda Of fresh air and sanitation is having
its effect
The United Hebrew Charities, in connection
with the Society for the Relief of Jewish Tuber-
culous has created a new ideal in the care OF
tubercuar victims in its fresh air schools and
sanitary factory. In the latter simple tasks are
provided for tubercular employees, who are thus
able to earn their livngs supervised by physicians.
If four hours is all person is able to work with
out tiring, doctor is there to see that he works
no longer than that. There are nurses to take his
temperature; lunch room, where nourishing food
is served at bare cost, and, when needed, milk is
served two or three times day to patients. The
products made by these people are thoroughly dis
infected, so that there is absolutely no danger in
releasing them to trade.