The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1917-10-16
LeatherWood Goes TO the
Hospital About It
By Carl Leatherwood
Intelligoncer Correspondent

WITH THE W. VA. OF AETtjlthAS-
TER rORTS. CAMP SHELBY. Miss.
oct. lI.--A soldiers life is. one rnntinu-
aus round ri experiences. snnr OF which
ar" prrasurr;,hle. others exciting. some
amusing and Il few serious. ! just
passed through ono which l am unable
to classify but inasmuch rs my name
isn't Winchester don't care I" have 1t
repeated. | had my first experience in
government hospital and had impress
al upon me for III" first. time just how
our Inrl" Sam looks after his sick boys.
. just passed through the experience If
flirting with thu surgeons; knife for an
nprral ion for that Fashionable afflictinn
called Appendicitis. Til" physicians
called il that hut ! haze heard 1t called
other things. y soldiers life isn't COM
plctr until he has spent q few days IN
the hospital.
SUNDAY morning was awakened about
: \. VI. 10y Suiu'. one sticking mlyonet
II my back. | tried 10 kid myself int"
achieving that | had. just b".'n IN the
receiving end Of a mosquitoes anger but
IN" pain wasn't that kind Of "A girl. When
4. daylight cam" decided /" Z" up to The
hospital tn hnv" IT diagnosed and imng-
iru, my feelings when told that was
due FIR an operation 1T 9 E'rl"Ck Mon
day morning. From that time on | WIS
III the hands at Uncle Sans medical
men. had No sumnrr been tucked away
in II snowy whit" he'd SpntlcsSly clean
10y trained army nurses when III came
f. surgeon who extracted - prrScrlhcd
amount ri ll''nd from my car and nm
scr Another nurse took my temporal
lure. y lieutenant doctor my Family his
tory, q wnrdmaSl"r my belongings while
two or thrr" "th'r attendants busted
themselves in Dir, ssine m" in 'pajama*.
u bathrnh and n'h"r equipment. Within
n half huuT after landing III I'll" huSpi-
tai had my sid" nnl back packed III
IT," and a lypcwrttcn history of my cnse
pinned on tho foot Of my he'd with every
detail carefully set out. Every one
seemed To have II special duty To per
form and moi - Wir" Was crossed. M
nuraI inns were asked. there was no con-
fusion Whatever Everyone seemed 10
know just what IT, do and when 10 do
Il.
When the physician had completed
test Of my blood h" came back and Mt
,achod that Ia Ih- other data on the ll*I
al the rud nf the bed. Major Crawford.
rrcuEuIsrti us one of the hest surgeons
in the entire south came III after all III"
data vas available and with two con-
sultinc physicians. OIic 4 ma jnr and the
ether Il lieutenant. examined me ami
passed Judgment. Major Crawford IN
Il cool and dclihcrnt" manner said
Young Man you can hr thinking about
an operation in the morning. Keep
cool" ThrS" fourteen words meant
more than ANY r"urt"cn l".lf"vc I ever
Iinl spoken l., mr. but made up my
mind that wouldn't bc operated upon.
All ni"ht Ions Thought what , O'rluGk
the next LAY had in Stnr" for me. !
thought ni u million things. All dur
ing that wak"Gul night was watched
lil. nn eagle by faithful nurse. some
lin,"S IN" AMI my temperature" WAS TUX
ru at least six Times. AT y. N. ! was
awakened from drhwsy slunlb"r 10y
a captain VIM. examined me. IL" was
Can't. Jones who sand h" was officer "f
tin. day AMI I am SUN ii Il j. ~ lu know
how il" knew | MAS even in the h"SII-
tai. Tlr morphine given mo carly IN
the afternoon hogan To- take effect and
went IT, sl,rD. NJ awakened md
took irtNcnlnrv. | know "rr thing and
tia; Vas t | hnd any pains lrft | WAS
ga. for tina: operating room which |
later Learned lad all hr"n prepared to
r.. civ. M. Slowly and cautiously
'urrrd Over. r'm"..,d TIA" ;rs pads and
felt rnr tI:,' sure spot. The only one ]
could locate WAS small ~Hrd one N my
t,t,.. anil | ;'nli"'h il away.
Seen I'clrrk passed. and $50 ana
c\nr'!y ni So in walked Major traw-
ford with what l""l.cd /" b. II Cnmplct"
.taIt. nUrs>"S anil all BEFORE hc reached
r.," said "Mni"r I'm nfra.d you'll have
to hunt for nunth"r victim this morn
in." and hr h'h hut not without Il thor
,ri%n examination. My stock 50 low
lr.frr,. r"s;, :" a million points above par
reaching tn" Gilman Wednesday, Morning
when | got permission In leave thr hos
r!tnl. My experience taught me ono
;hiug and thal Inclc Sam is better pre-
yar"t l." look after the sick than many
rC tho ilnrs, hospitals in tho world and
nv Inuihcr who has son IN the army
meet! worry about him in case he Is
stricken. Tho government has every
thing known To- Tho medical profession
IN it's hospital and spares no cost In car
Ing for the sick.