The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-06-22
SIX BRITISH HOSPITALS IN FRANCE TAKEN OVER
 BY AMERICAN DOCT ORS
U. S. Surgeons, Nurses and Enlisted Men Render Valuable Aid in Permit ting British Staffs to En- gage in Work Nearer the Battle Front.

British Headqilarters in France June 22-Quietly and with very little cere- mony, so as to escape virtually all but official attention, American doctors. nurses and enlisted men have within the last fortnight taken over six of the British great general field hospitals, releasing the English staffs for duty near their front. American surgeons have been rendering valuable aid also in the forward casualty clearing sta- tions during the battle of Messines. aid the Unite4d States has given British arms in France and has been greatly appreciated. .
 The Americans have been much im- pressed by the cordiahty of their well come as we'll as by the thoroughness and effectiveness of the British hos pitalf system. So smoothly have the transfers been made that the Ameri- cans have taken up the work without a moments interruption in the routine of any of the hospitals.
 The British selected their hospital sites with the greatest care and have developed them with a completeness that has come from nearly three years of field service. Some of the general hospitals are made up of tented wards, tzncIdlLllIWJIttHllLS 4U to 0U D6QS GaCf1, Others are constructed of a series of huts. Both styles are models of field comfort and convenience. The oper- ating theatres are splendidly built and seem to Jack nothing in the way of modern surgical equipment.
 Originally planned for 1,OOO beds each, virtually all the general hospi- tals have been enlarged to 1,40O beds and during a crisis can accomodate 1000 patients. The units which have taken over the various hospitals were organized 'lby the American Red Cross as United States base hospitals" and with the declaration of war these staffs were turned over to the regular army for service as required
 Each unit has brought an organizing director who was a surgeon in civil practice but now takes command as a major in the United States reserve The commanding officer in. each unit is la regular American army surgeon while the subordinate members of the staffs are made up of regular army surgeons and doctors commissioned from civil life. The nurses are all graduates of well known training schools and will probably be supple mented soon by voluntary aid detach- ments of young women such as are
 now attached to the various British staffs. The non-commissioned order lies and privates were practically all taken from civil life but in keeping
 with the doctors and nurses, have set tied into their new work with marked efficiency and enthusiasm The first of the American units to
 reach France was known as United
 States base hospital No. and was organized in Cleveland by Dr. George w. Grille with Major Gilchrist of the 1 United States army as commandine
 officers. This unit has taken over Brit ish general hospital No. g, 'somewhere in France" United States base hos I pital No. 5, organized in Harvard uni versity has taken over British genera;
 hospital No. II; U. S. base hospital N I2, from the Presbyterian hospital, New i York Major Gucius P. Hoewood com Imanding, has taken over British gen eral hospital No. 1; Tr--.-. States base ] hospital No. 21, organized in St. Louis
 Major James D. Fife commanding. has
 taken over B. G. H. No. 12; United
 States base hospital No. 10, organized l in Philadelphia, largely in. the Univer.
 sity of Pennsylvania, Major M. A. De- fancy commanding, has taken over B
 c. H. No. 1; U. $. base hospital No. 12
 organized in Chicago, Major c. c. Col.
 lins commanding, has taken over B. G | H No. 1S