The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1917-06-16

of them between the ages or n1teel
and forty-five, have been deporte'
into Germany, and the rest, young
men or old, were either in concentra
ton camps or in their homes.
"Of these, large numbers were be
ing returned from time to time t
France, either as they became ill anC
in bad physical condition and were
serious burden upon their captors
or when some military operations
which were being contemplated hat
rendered it desirable to evacuate the
portion Of the territory they occupied
Refugees Deplorable Plight.
when we were there, about 1000 g
day were being returned through
tSwitzerland by Avion and Geneva, and
these people came back in the most
deplorable condition. OF the first
20, 900 of these civilian prisoners re-
turned, it was said that 5000 were
suffering from tuberculosis. They re-
turned in the middle of the year 1915
in July and August. They had beer
back of the German lines for about
eight months and the majority OF
them had never had their clothes off
from the time they had been taken
from their homes They had been
kept in Germany and had been re-
turned to France wearing the same
clothes which they wore when they
left France seven or eight months be-
fore. You can readily imagine the
condition Of these people, so the esti-
mate that or 6 per cent were suf-
fering from tuberculosis is probably
very conservative.
There are now between 100000
and 100000 French prisoners of war
in Germany. Again it seems wholly
conservative to estimate that at least
or per cent. of these are suffering
from tuberculoss-the French esti-
mates run as high as 80 or 40 per
cent. This would give over 10000
more cases, and we may safely add
another 10000 cases actually now in
the active armies Of France. That
would be only one-half of 1 per cent
of the 100000 men France still has
in the ranks.
Few Physicians Available.
"In France there are no trained
nurses, and people do not employ
trained nurses in their homes. They
nurse their own sick, or have untrain-
ed people less efficient generally than
what we call practical nurse. There
are one or two small training schools
in France, but their graduates are
kept in the hospitals and SO there are
really no competent nurses. none that
we would call trained nurses . all,
and that complicates matters cry
much, because there are no social SER
vice workers. and, in fact, the French
people have no conception of what So
cial service or public health service
is.
1.-THE number of physicians in
France was always small and now
smaller than ever. There never was
more than one physician to every g.,
coo inhabitants in France. In the
United States the proportion is one
physician to every 700 people. AT
the time we were at Havre, there were
only seventeen doctors available for
the needs of the civilian population,
or about one doctor to every 5000
men, women and children.
Dealing With the Problem.
"Now, to deal with the problem
have attempted to outline, there are
available in France at the present time
only about 1000 beds in the social
ed sanitary stations which have been
created since the war began and in
the special hospitals and sanataria for
tuberculosis. 1t is pathetically made
quate. The best the French hope to
do is to increase the number of beds
to Is, 900 or 5000 before the end of
this year Then there are a few dis
pensaries; well organized, well equip
ped and administered-but only about
a dozen in all-and a few other dis
pensaries which have done and can
do comparatively little work.
One striking lesson may be brought
home by comparison between the
experience of France with that of
England in this matter Of tuberculos-
is. The English Public Health Ser
vice is the best in the world, it is
even more progressive than our own
and far better than Germany's ever
,yoc As q res,llt england was able