The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-07-20
MEDICAL PROBLEMS .OF GREAT WAR ARE SOLVED BY R. A. M. [.
British Surgical Organiza. tion Has Accomplished Great Things-A New
 System of Surgery

London, June 20.-The war has
 brought many developments and irn- provements, but none greater than in surgery and sanitation. There has been
 much sickness, especially during the win ter, arising from wet and cold, but there have been none of those epidemics which have characterized other great wars.
 England is highly pleased with the Royal
 army medical corps, which. it is consd- cred, has solved great medical problems of war.
 The Somme advance put the corps to ] test the severity of which it Is almost | impossible to describe. The greatest armies known to history grappled in a continuous and furious struggle, not for a day or night or a week. but for l months. The wounds caused by hand l grenades and high explosive shells were oIten of terrible extent The battlefield tc
 a depth of five miles was under constant shell fire, and transport of the wounded
 for that distance was, therefore, always ! under fire, and roads were torn up al-
 most as soon as made
 Conditions of infection were extraordi- narily unfavorable. Traffic regulation had to overcome the most serious ob- stables, since railways, roads, and tracks
 had to provide for the constant rein forcements; for the frequent passage to and fro of relieving dvisions for food and water for men and horses, and also for ammunition unprecedented in uuan- tty At rough calculation there were 10000 horses and mules and 5000 motor ferries on the road constantly for the artillery service alone.
 The first thing to be noted on the
 military side of the R. A. M. C. organi- ! zation was the close and sympathetic
 liaison between the R. A. M. c. staff and the strategic and tactical staff The
 - division is going into action on the Somme, taking over area Q and designing to advance and take the village of - from the enemy. The colonel R. A. M. c.
 on the divisional staff is at once in close consultation with the chief staff officer (G. s. I) and with the engineer staff officer.
 It has to be decided what casualties
 may be expected; what of the existing roads and tracks can be given to the R. A. M. C., and for what hours what rew roads and tracks can be developed for them; what are the most sheltered , tracks by which wounded may be brought ] in from the position when it has been won.
 l The development of surgical Urea tment With this war has been as wonds dsrful l in it's way as the development of artil- 1 lery tactics. Our surgery now is as conservative as the best school of Amer l ican dentistry. Amputa tions have de- creased very greatly, and wounds which once would cause death with certainty are successfully treated. The system ot
 this new surgery may be epitomized. l 1. Prompt precaution against first in- 1 lection. Almost every wound received is foully infected from soil or air. This 1 effectiveness is met by training every | soldier in the use of the Iodine dressing for instant application to a wound, and providing him with it's material by push 1 ing the doctors posts up so close to the firing line as to ensure a more scientific and thorough disinfection as soon after wards as possible by establishing anti tetanus inoculation posts in the fighting line Casually they are about on the same l line as the field batteries)
 ?. Early clearing of wounds of bore l fragments, etc; thorough sitting of cases with prompt dispatch to the coast of al men who can travel after preliminary | surgical treatment. This involves keep 1 ing large staffs of operating surgeons at railheads and within the actual area of warfare. It saves thousands of am putations in cases of limbs smashed b, shell fragments.
 l 3. Patient reliance on nature to re pair tissue if thoroughly asceptic cond tions are ensured. Hospital reatmei
 may consist for many weeks Of sinpl. cleansing and dressing with salt water ! The surgical hospital nowadays puts it, chief reliance on four jars; one ha. 1 simply salt solution. another boric aoit solution, another peroxide of hydrogen Sovereign remedy for gangrenous condI 1 tions), another eusol, new disinfectan l liquid evolved during this war and mad, | by dissoving in boiling water equal quan titles of boric acid and chloride of lime 1 4. Bold surgery to replace losses O tissue by grating from other bodies ! or by the use of suitable artificial ma terial. This comes only after nature ha l been allowed and encouraged (by asepti, i dressings, massage. etc.) to do her ut
 most in the work of restoration.
 | With this system cures are effected st marvellous as almost to rival those ad vertised by vendors of patent pills ! e.