Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1917-09-20
MEDICAL SCIENCES
GREAT STRIDES TOLD.
BY DR.. R. PETIT.
OTTAWAN, NOW SOMEWHERE
IN FRANCE" WRITES INTER
ESTlNGLY OF WORK IN BRIT.
ISH BASE HOSPITAL.

The advancement made by medica
and surgical science in the treatment
of sick and wounded soldiers. is vi
wildly pictured by DR. Roswell Petit
in letter received yesterday from
somewhere in France" DR.. Petit
who is a first lieutenant in the Med
ical Reserve Corps, II. s. A., is now
stationed at British base hospta
and has the distinction of being the
only American in the unit
The letter received by Dr. and Mrs
J. w. Petit parents of the lieutenant
tells that the Ottawan is in charge
of Two wards and has the seat ol
honor AT the generals mess. sitting
on the right hand of the director
recognition that is considered a high
honor by men in army life In his
misSive, which passed the censor
without being opened, DR. Petit says.
Somewhere in France. Aug. 25.
Dear Father:
have been here now for about
10 days. AS told you in my last
letter | am assigned TO one of the
British base hospitals for tempor-
AIRY duty and of course do not
know how long | shall be here,
but | seem To he settling down
here and am beginning to feel as
If We're to stay for some time
This hospital is chiefly for infec-
tious disease typhoid. dysentery,
meningitis, diphtheria, etc but
Of perhaps 500 to 1000 beds. We
have room for about 300 surgical
cases am in charge of a couple
Of typhoid wards and am quite
busy. Typhoid fever in cases
that have received preventive
inocculation, as all of the soldiers
receive. Is a very much different
dsease-in fact an entirely new
one. Instead Of the severe infec.
tion we are accustomed to see in
the civil population, it Is quite
The fever. altho frequently rather
high, only lasts three to eight
days, and at no time Is the pa
tiept severely i'll. | think ii Is
remarkable, This modified ty
phoid in many instances. is very
similar to another disease quite
prevalent here called trench
fever" Many think it to be
modified typhus or relapsinC fc-
ver. As it Is very important to
ditferentiate them, great deal OF
work Is being done on methods
of separating the two. J have
started examining the blood OF
these cases and am putting in
about $ to 10 hours a day and
hope to have examined hundred
or more within the next month
and after an analysis Of these
cases, see if blood examinations
can be of any help along this line,
In so far as | know. this has not
been done before, and every one
rere seems quite pleased that
am undertaking 1t.
am very comfortably situated
here, The hospital buildings are
temporary shacks but very nicely
equipped and the service Is excel
lent The staff are most delight
full fellows and seem very pleased
to have me here. The director
of The medical service for this sec
tion. eats at our mess and | have
been given the seat of honor next
him. He Is general in the Brit
ish army, has been In the serv.
ice for many years. and has many
interesting tales to tell. On my
other hand is a captain from Brit
ish East Africa. There are many
Australians and New Jealanders
here in the town--in fact, the
whole world almost has come to-
gether here in France.
While | am still here at the
base and have not as yet been
subjected to the hardships of war
one cannot escape the horrors of
it. When push Is on. the
wounded come pouring in here by
the trainload; unshaven, covered
with mud, and some of the wounds
arc fierce--almost beyond de-
scription. But a very efficient
medical and surgical service has
been worked out. We are getting
here at the base, in some places
forty miles from the line, cases
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