The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1917-10-25

Yet ne has better cnance OF coming
back home. safe and sound, than he
would have had in any great war that
has been fought. Base hospitals, as they
have been evolved in the present war.
together with superior methods of
surgery. are responsible for that
Roger Babson. the statistician, IS
quoted as saying that fourteen out of
fifteen men have been safe hitherto in
the Great War-and the losses at first
were vastly greater than the losses now.
He continues:
Under present conditions, where man
power is being saved. not more than one
In thirty is killed Only one man in 500
loses a limb. chance no greater than
in hazardous conditions at home
M. Andre Tardieu, French High Com
missioner to the United States, has
given out figures showing that the per-
centage Of casualties in proportion to
the modified strength of France has
fallen from 23o for the first six months
of 1915 to 128 in the last six months
of 1916
How does it happen that soldiers to-
day are safer than ever before?
Learning How to Care for the
Wounded
The answer, as suggested above. Is
that the nations have learned how 70
lake care of their soldiers. Camp sani-
tation, scientific rationing, business or
ganization of the supply service-these
things count, but the big vital factor in
saving husbands and sons for the
women who wait at home is the efh-
cheney of the medical service.
The second answer, also, is the Red
Cross AS Lord Vantage. father OF the
British Red Cross movement. said:
@Swever wei organized an Army
Medical Service may be. 1t never has
been. and neve. will be. able to cope
Adequately with the sudden emergencies
of war on a large scale. and voluntary
organizations, unimpeded by official re-
strictions. are alone capable of giving
auxiliary relief and of providing extra
comforts and luxuries with the requisite
promptitude and rapidity."
That is why, when America entered
The war. the first organized forces of
the United States to go abroad were
Red Cross base hospital units which had
been mustered into the United States
Army Medical Corps. That is why
right now you would find American
doctors and nurses desperately hard
at work behind the lines in France.
irving to keep British and French
soldiers from slipping out of the
Wounded" into the Death" lists Be
cause of the Red Cross they are ready,
lust as soon as they are needed. to per-
form the same service for American
boys.
How the Red Cross Prepared
Two years before America entered the
war. and thus suddenly had need OF all
The medical service at her command, the
Red Cross began the organization OF its
base hospital and ambulance company
units.
Under the direction Of Colonel JEFF
fcrson R. Kean. who had been detailed
to the Red Cross from the Medical
Corps of the Army. the Military Relief
Department set out to enlist the aid OF
the Red Cross chapters throughout the
country in providing trained personnel:
of doctors and nurses available for in.
slant duty in time Of war or nationa
disaster
Altogether total of forty-seven has,
hospitals were organized, financed. ane
largely equipped The national treasur,
of the Red Cross was scarcely drawn
upon at all in this work Not only dix
the chapters recruit the stats for eaci
of these units from their city hospitals
but in several cases they undertook t,
purchase the necessary equipment AM
to make the required amount of hos
pital supplies in the chapter woriuooms
In New York six hospitals were or
gained, In Chicago four. and in Phaa
deiphia four The New York Count
chapter, not content with the minimum
requirements laid down by the Depart
,nent. of Military Relief and the medics
authorizes of the Army. went ahca
on experiments to develop improvement
in equipment With some of the mos
prominent surgeons and doctors In tn
United States enlisted ON the STATS. tn
chapter organized committee on re
search and Standardization The wor
OF this committee has now resulted
the development OF new type of mo,
able food kitchen to be attached as
trailer to anbulances or field column
1t has made similar experiments II th
Geld kitchen attached to base hospital
Other cities show the same iai.iativ
All over the country the greatest II
terest was shown III the organization c
'bese great reserve relief agencies