Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1917-11-22
LETTER FROM
Or. koNIoMAcHER
Base Hospital, Camp Dodge,

Nov. 16, 1917.
Hon. j. S. Dewell,
Missouri Valley, Iowa.
My Dear Sir: Today is a beau
tiful Indian summers day out;
couldn't be beat.s Wish you were
here to make the, rounds of the
camp with me. Twice each week l
must visit each regimental hos
pital and check over cases as
signed to duty after leaving base.
Because of crowded conditions we
are forced to send convalescents
to regimental hospital and not re-
Itain them here as intended. Have
a motorcycle with side car to
make the trip. One sure can get
over the ground in a hurry this
way. Received special order
from, adjutant general to enlarge
base hospital another 600 beds.
This will give us bed facilities for
1000 cases. Each day the clinic
grows and more medical officers
are assigned to duty here.
Was certainly pleased TO have
Mrs. j. b. Barrett and Mrs. R. c..
Hills call upon me and visit the
Hospital. Will leave it. to them
to tell you how long the main
corridors are. think they can
tell you with more emphasis than
|. One who saw the camp one
month ago would hardly recognize
lit as the same now. No lumber
piles in sight, all building debris
disposed of, streets paved and
we'll lighted at night. Twice per
day the entire camp is policed, not
a scrap of paper to be found any
where. All very clean and neat,
with excellent sanitation estab-
lished.
Pneumonia is on the decrease.
| am happy to state, only 60 cases
reported i'm the last. twelve days.
This is SO per cent less than it
has been. The 337th Field Artil-
lerN are having.a bad epidemic of
measles. Have entire regiment
guarded and since then no new
cases have been reported by the
sanitary corps. IL don't take
them long to block every channel
of exit in the spreading of acute
contagious disease. Any civilian
board of health could get many
good pointers from the army san
itary corps.
One week ago was held the
farewell banquet to our COM
handing officer, Major Ed Croft.
He was forced to retire because
of i'll health and we were all sorry
to see him go, as he was more
than kind to us all, and very eff
ficient man for the position. Ma
fjor Cooper of the army medical
school has been sent here to take
his place. The officers presented
Major Croft with a beautiful large
silver loving cup with our names
engraved thereon. Col. Shook
from headquarters delivered the
farewell address and his remarks
were very befitting for the occa-
sion
| Last evening Fred Osborne
called upon me. Was certainly
surprised and pleased to see him.
They just arrived from TT. Doug
las, Utah. While enroute they
had train wreck, four killed and
fourteen injured. The injured are
all at base hospital here and do
1 ing nicely under the existing
conditions. Fred said it was only
luck that saved him, as only a
few hours previous he was as
signed to the same coach and for
some reason had been taken out.
Fred looks fine, straight as a
string and has put on consider
able weight. Everyone coming
into the army puts on weight
August 13, Che first day at Fort
Riley, ! weighed 1873 pounds; now
4 weigh 1853; gained 20 pounds
and never felt better in my life
The whole solution is regularity
| am sure.
Many troops are leaving hero
| for southern cantonments; why
| don't know. 5000 have already
Igone and the same number arc
i going nexl week to Fort Pike
\ Each day troops are transferred
| hundreds coming and going all
the while.
| The 200 regimcnlal surgeons
land base hospital surgeons have
/, organized medical society tina
meeting every Monday night
Have listened to some excellen
|papers by the various medical Of
A ficers. Next Monday evening
give mine on "Observations O
Skin Diseases at Base Hospital,
dealing chiefly with eczema am
it varieties. To date have treated
POS cases of eczema. Also re
jectcd ~ chronics from servic,
because of that disease,
a Chronic heart disease disquali
4 flies more men than any other dis