Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1917-10-02

Red Gross Work n France.
! A letter from Miss Carrie Hall, Hea(
of the Nurses Of Base Hospital No. B
the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital Unit
which 10 now Somewhere In Rrancs y
General Hospital No. II, has just bsez
received BY the New England Division
OF the Red Cross. DR.. Harvey Cushing
10 the Director Of this Hospital Unit
? which was the first to sail for France
ON May II, and has recently been attack
cd by German airplanes.
i She writes:
i I'VE cannot mention our location on
account of censor rules. About Is miles
south of B. near the Channel and Just
back Of the sand-dunes, the region lends
itself very well for these great camp
hospitals. There ara five hospitals ID
this area with total bed capacity oi
probably nearly ten thousand. They
are seldom filed to capacity-ususlly
contain one half the number possible OF
less. The reason seems to be to have
plenty of available space to meet big
emergencies. Only once have We been
filed to capacity, two weeks ago, and
now We are filed up again to within two
or three hundred Of our limit. Il ID
wonderful 10 see how we'll q convoy ID
handled. OF course you understand
that we have taken over going British
hospital and that wa have inherited
their systems and methods and many
of them ara wonderfully good. Their
ability to handle convoy ID one OF
them. It In interesting to see how it Ia
possible to admit from two to seven
hundred in the one hospital in twenty
four hours time, have them distributed
TO the wards, and absorbed and hardly
feel the difference in the daily routine of
work. And the marvel of it is how We
feed them! It all runs off az we'll a. a
Ringling Bros. Circus and OF course the
secret Ia in every person knowing his
particular job and doing it.
"All that has been said about the
British Tommy ia true. He is wonder
Iful-wonderful in his patience, his
ability 10 stand pain, his cheerfulness,
and his unfailing courtesy to the nurses.
am wondering what our "Sammies"
will prove to be. or late we have been
getting a lot of Canadians, most Of them
fine stalwart young fellows and they
have been pleased to find themselves
among Americans. Apparently the
Canadians have been doing splendid
work in the last push. You people at
home doubtless know az much about
it az We or more than we do, for al
though We are we'll within the Zine Of
communication we get comparatively
little real information. Rumors grow
and spread so fast that It is safer TO be-
lieve nothing.
"Aftsr two months and half We are
now settled into fairly good running
order and I think very good team work.
just now Maj. Cushing, with four assist
ants aud nurse, is up where things are
thicker. There, most of their work is
done to the tune of the heavy rumble OF
gums some five miles away. Here we
never hear gun except the occasional
popping of machine guns in practice at
a nearby school. On the first day We
we're here We did see an attack on
hostile airplane passing over. It was
tremendously thrilling, but has never
been repeated. Airplanes are common,
but they ara friendly ones.
"Dr. Binney is doing splendid, care
full work as of course anybody would
know he would-doing all he can to
save legs and arms for these boys and
not amputate except asa last resort
and of course the most important alb
dominal surgery falls to him.
"Fifteen more nurses from the states
have been added to the strength OF the
nursing staff and 25 British volunteer
aids so that my total strength is now
one hundred aud eight. I must admit
that 1t ia difficult for me- to picture our
American girls over here on the same
footing az these Y. A. DIS. It means
hard work-often uninteresting work
every day whether one feels Ike 1t or
not. These girls are not remarkable,
but most Of them are game-many OF
them are efficient and they have funda-
mental respect for organization, rules,
and discipline that makes them easily
managed. Then, too, uauy of them
have already bean out here for two years
and they know the army game. One thing
is certain, our aids should never be sent
out until they are suitably uniformed
for outdoors az we'll az hospital wear.
We might Just az we'll have left all our
smufti' In America. 'On active scr
vice. one is safe only in uniform.
"In order to do big piece OF work
there must of course be system-the
health and the energies of the workers
must be- conserved. System means
regular hours of duty-regular time for
meals and for sleep, and regular hours
of duty also means certain amount OF
time off duty for recreation.
"Most of Us can now take ten or
twelve mile tramp without difficulty.
OF course when the stress OF work is
great, everything has to bend to that.
I presume you know this region well.
It ia wonderfully interesting with its
beautiful hills and splendid farming
country beyond. Nearer the sea are
quaint, picturesque, dirty Normandy
villages, and then the fisher towns with
their curious fisher folk. The women
especially interest. me a. they swing
along the roads in their short skirts and
bare feet and poles and nets over their
shoulders.
"Altogether it is . beautiful region
the weather is either perfectly heavenly
or perfectly horrible-the latter much of
the time. We are housed in huts very
comfortable indeed for this season of
the wear. All our officers and mon arc
in tents. cannot quite think what the
winter will bs like. However, Mrs.
Reid and the London branch Of ths
American Red Cross are looking ont for
Us splendidly. They are going to send
sleeping bags to every nurse ana tney
will be needed, know"
To Fight Typhoid Fever.
As soon az the New State Health De-
psrtment of Maine ia thoroughly organ
lied and in fighting trim 1t intends TO
wage q strenuous warfare against
disease In the State of Maine. In this