Metropolis weekly gazette. (Metropolis, Ill.) 1???-19??, 1917-03-23

plans of the American Red Cross cor
responds with that suggested by Dr.
X. Connell, member of the surgical
staff at Roosevelt hospital, after his
service with the American ambulance
in France and his inspection of the
military medical service of the German
army" continued Colonel kean. ut Is
encouraging TO know that we are pro-
ceeding in this advocated manner. Per-
haps the most important factor in con
Quoting such system is that the per
sonnet of the base hospitals and the
field columns be organized in times of
peace.
Under war conditions such an I'm
dertaking must surely be unsuccessful.
The shortage of supplies and the diff
culties OF purchase and transportation.
together with lack of organization of
the medical icorps. would necessarily
delay the actual establishment of any
sort of hospital accommodations. II is
the trained STATS of our existing hos
pitfalls THAT will prove most efficient in
stress of war.
IOSpILdl OnftS fNFe mopllt.
: "Under the present system the sur
geons, internists. nurses and, in fact
the full personnel of great civil hos
pital will be transported to any place
needed and continue work as before
Nearly any sort of building can be
successfully utilized when supplies
have been properly provided and med
zeal aid is Immediately available.
''These base hospital units. mobile in
character. are being organized in New
York, Chicago, Boston. Baltimore
Cleveland. Detroit, Rochester, y. Y.
and Rochester, MINI. The work viii
soon be extended to other cities where
there are large, well organized civil
hospitals and where the spirit of pre-
paredness and patriotism is sufficiently
in evidence to insure that the equip
ment of these large and expensive
units can be secured by popular sub
scription without great difficulty and
delay.
''In Brooklyn. where for the past
two years the American Red Cross has
had spacious warehouse room for the
storing. boxing and shipping of Euro
pean war relief supplies, the generosl-
ty of Irving II. Bush of the Bush
terminal has again been manifested by
the provision of space for storing the
equipment of three OF the base hos
pitfalls now being organized in New
York. Display of patriotism Of this
character is making the work possible.
Perhaps very general idea of the
way in which base hospital is put
into service may be Interesting" sug-
gested Colonel Kean. after a first
dressing given by the service at the
front the wounded or sick soldier IS
transported TO the base hospital. This
Journey is usually in two stages first.
TO an evacuation hospital. or, as it is
called by the English. a clearing hos
pitaI. where the wounded are sorted
out and classified and where the slight
" wounded and those too severely in
iured to stand further transportation
remain.
1.-The second stage of the journey.
which IL to the base hospital. will
usually be made by hospital train.
boat or automobile, The provision of
this transportation and the care. of the
patients en- route is the special func-
tion Of The field column. Although the
Red Cross organizes and equips the
base hospitals in times Of peace, when
called into active service they pass
with their entire equipment under ma
tional administration.
"The only regulation Of the army
and navy which affects them before
actual service. however, is that these
units be inspected once year by a
medical officer of the particular service
for which they enrolled and registered
in the Office OF the surgeon general for
that service. These units. that are
complete. workable and OF inestimable
value 10 the medical service Of the ma.