Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1917-11-10
Especial to The Argus !.

I
tails is hospitals I
THAT'S nearly always true, anyway
But that base hospital at Camp Dodge
is little differeat from most of then.
It's great place. One goes away
with his brain fairly reeIing at the
tremendous activity OF the folks there.
There remains a confused impression
OF test-tubes, nurses. soup kettles. IN
shaver, smiling patients, operating
rooms, officers and sewing machines
It's little hard to remember wheth-
er that nurse told you they confined
pneumonia cases to the kitchen, or
whether she said that bacteria were
breeded over a Bunson burner You
know she said something about it,
bus you're little uncertain just what
! her explanation was.
Maybe it's hard luck to get sick
when you're away from home It
seems especially so for soldiers. some
| OF whom never have been away be-
! fore. But if you'd see those fellows
in the base hospital at the canton
ment you wouldn't worry any more
about the sick fellows. For they seem
even more cheerful than the boys who
have been lucky enough to escape
pneumonia, grippe and barked shins.
] They lie in their beds and grin until
you just grin yourself, instead of har-
boring any desire to commiserate with
those patients.
/ Those in the sick ward at the base
hospital were especially cheerful.
Some Of them were pretty sick, too.
but they were still able to smile. And
there was sone fellow sitting mp for
the first time in several weeks who
did his best to stretch his grin from
ear to ear. Somes who had been al
lowed to walk around for few min
utes tried to look dignitied in their
bathrobes, which the hospital sup
plies, but they weren't very success
= full It's a little hard for soldier to
maintain a great deal of dignity
when he has a days growth Of beard
and wears a pale blue bathrobe. In
this ward theFe were about forty sick
. men, part Of them pneumonia cases.
! In few days most of them will be
in the convalescent ward. They'll
. hate to leave that giass-enclosed
, room, but the convalescent ward will
= be almost as bright
r And if you don't think those boys
. get regular food you should 90 into
that big kitchen where meals are pre-
= pared for sick and convalescent sol
q diers For the very sick soldiers there
Q is specially prepared food, which Is
| eoncocted under the direction Of {
6 trained dietician No liquid or light
+ diets go to the sick men until they've
: been scientifically and dietetically
n tested Then the food is placed il
! dishes which fit into wheeled steam
q trays and taken to the men,
a Convalesceut soldiers eat in tn
Il big dining room of the hospital
e There is every modern convenience
in that great kitchen where thei
n meals are prepared. They've the big
g gest range in camp; a huge affai
= with great yawning ovens. And VIVA
r. would you think Of a soup kettle whicl
would hold enough soup to feed so
J.. men? They have two such receptacle
: in the base hospital kitchen. Thes
t., are operated by steam, and when bot
: are working together, will hold suffi
cient soup for 1000 men. There ar
, Ibig steam vegetable kettles, too, an
meat roasters which will hold a quar-
n ter Of beef apiece, All these thing
ID are for the accommodation of me
who are able to eat heavy food.
Sick Office s seemed just as cheer
full as sick recruits. They lay thert
D. smoking, reading and writing letter.
Wednesday They are IN a separat
N section from the rockies, but are giN
It. en- the same care and exactly the sam
Of food as the enlisted men. They EMO
e. themselves, too Especially the cor
valescents. who are able 10 get abOt
It. the corridors, "Cripples' races" b.
th tween men on clutches are held neal
at " every day, and the contestants hay
30 acquired a great deal Of speed, {
lis they hobble down the hall There
ou "cripples' drill, too, and these me
an on crutches 60 through all sorts
go military maneuvers.
n II you have a fancy for bacteria
corpuscles or any Of those romant
.ly things you should go through Il
at laboratory of the hospital. Here a
or all devices for making tests and e
periments. IDcubators, where bact
ria as breeded are harmless lookil
he things, heated by electricity II
a temperature Of this apparatus can
gs. adjusted and uniform heat is mai
est tanned during the breeding of t
st, bugs
las They have another scientifc-ioo
ng ing arrangement there, which they {
he lege is a centrifuge. The business
Do- the centrifuge is TO reyolye rapid
err and separate blood corpuscles frc
ear the serum. The blood is placed
ing test tubes which fit into cylindriC
sse reeeptacles in the centrifuge. T
at