The Pensacola journal., 1917-04-19

, every department. But we find now
the full benefit of the plans we have
been preparing for years past.
For example, it is quite posi-
bic that the government Will raise
at once large volunteer army. Oui
experience with the recent n1oblllza-
ton of the national guard shows that
caring for the dependent families OF
soldiers imposes a heavy burden on
the department of civilian relief. The
director general of that department
Mr.. Bicknell, tells me that If tbs
country undertakes a reall extensive
mobilization, the Red Cross must De
ready to spend, if necessary, several 4
hundred thousand dollars montI
upon dependent families alone.
The states an dali large cities have
hitherto taken a considerable share
of this burden because the national
guard is conspicuously an institution
of the states. We might not have
the same support for a strictly ma
tion army, such as the present crisis
may demand; and we do not yet know
how effectively the government might
be able to meet these needs, at least
during the first emergency.
In other words, the civilian relief
department might need several mil
lion dollars in the first year for one
branch only of its extensive work. 1t
will still have to care for the victims
of flood, fire, explosion, or troubled
conditions along the Mexican border:
The machinery for distributing all
funds, however, has been prepared
for many years past.
Colonel Kean has done wonderful
work during the last year in organic
ing base hospitals. Let me explain
that base hospital is not a mere
collection of skilled physicians, nurses
and modern equipment. Red Cross
base hospitals, of which the first
the Cleveland unit, was modified in
Philadelphia very recently and with
marked success, are in every sense
of the word units. They take over
the staff of large hospital already
trained to work in harmony and with
the least possible friction and mis-
understanding.
About twenty of these base hospit-
ais are actually organized today, and
more will ultimately be organized.
The government, of course, takes over
these hospitals in case of war, but,
until then, the Red Cross must pay
for their equipment and all Incidental
expenses. One base hospital costs
just about twenty-five thousand dol
lars, not including dressings and hos
pital garments. To, complete the pro-
gram already mapped out will require
between 100000 and 100000. / need
hardly point out that no measure of
national preparedness is more impor-
tant than this.
Now word as to our nursing or
ganization, of which Miss Delano is
in general charge. We receive hun
dreds of inquiries about this service.
The crisis has faily swamped Us with
offers of service and cooperation of
every sort. But what wish to en-
phasize is the organization already
perfected without the stimulus of i'm
mediate danger. Forty-four states
are now carefully organized, with a
total of 115 special committees.
Seven hundred and fifty-five nurses
are already serving on these commit
tees-I mean nurses of the highest
calibre, many of them in charge OF
training schools and hospitals. In
our twenty-six army and navy base
hospital units, provision is made for
1850 nurses and 500 nurses aids
The organization of this personnel is
completed. They have taken physical
examinations, are receiving immunity
treatment for typhiod fever, and
could be mobilized within a very few
days. These base hospital units car
ry a reserve of 415 nurses and 525
nurses aids. Then we have thirty-one
navy detachments of 20 nurses each,
in process of organization, and each
of the 115 local committees on nurs-
ing service has been made response
BILE for the organization of at least
enc emergency detachment of nurses
whom we can assign to any field in
which they are most needed. We have
issued Red Cross certificates in ele-
mentary hygiene and home care of
the sick to 4,450 women and are now
instructing about 2,100 more, with
new clases constantly forming.
Let me summarize this: Miss De-
fano informs me that on first call we
could mobilize 2,970 Red Cross nurses.
Estimating that only 80 per cent of
those to whom we have given ele-
mentary instruction, and who are not
already assigned, would be available
to assist the nurses, we would have
1929 nurses aids, or a total of APP
proximately 5000 nursing personnel
With the customary assignment OF
ten patients to each nurse, we could
thus take care of fifty thousand sick
and wounded at once. In the earlier
stages of war, the proportion of sick
and wounded is about five per cent,
In other words, we are prepared to-
day to give expert nursing service to
an army of one million men.
We have, besides, more than 12C
expert instructors in surgical dress
ings, and we have issued certificates
to 521 women, many of whom are un-
doubtedly competent themselves to
become instructors. We have care
fully standardized the work of surgi-
cal dressings ever since December