The Harrison times., 1917-03-31

| put in operation before. In this way
the strength Of the patient, an impOr-
tant factor for the assistance of his
recovery, is conserved.
When a soldier is placed on a
stretCher at the battle line he is car
ried to a waiting ambulance. The am
| bulanCe, in turn, receiving the patient,
does not place him on one of its own
| stretchers but gives a stretCher to the
men who have carried the man. If the
ambulance drives to hospital train,
which is the general custom where the
railroad lines are intact almost to the
trenches, the train gives the ambulance
stretcher accepting at the same time
the man and the stretcher on which
he is being carried. This system works
throughout the system of transpOrta-
ton, so that a British soldier arriving
in London, perhaps on the same day
he is wounded, arrives on the same
StretCher that was at the battle front.
1t also is the aim of the commission
to work out system of modern hos
pital trains, carrying wounded soldiers
as far from the battle front as possible,
out of the way Of the operations and
to a place where his recovery is most
likely. Delicate operations cannot al
ways be conducted on these trains, but
it is possible to do certain things which
are important in saving a mans life,
such Gs stopping the flow of blood
from a broken artery, the amputatiOn
of an arm or leg or the like.
To Learn Full Medical Resources.
When the commission obtains a full
list Of medical officers throughout the
country they will be asked to supply
elaborate statistics on the medical re-
sources of the various states, hospitals,
schools for the re-educatiOn Of wound
ed soldiers, and factories equipped
to manufacture medical supplies. The
question of finding schools is one of the
great considerations. Men who have
been blinded will be taught to become
Self-SuStaining at some new line of
work; men without arms will be in
structed in some line of endeavor
which requires no arms each case will
be taken up and worked out in itself,
in general effort to reduce to a mini
mum the number Of hopelessly crippled
men as the result Of war.
Arrangements also are being made to
effect a Standardization Of medical
supplies. Companies manufacturing
certain types Of medicines, surgical in
struments, splints, bandages and SINH
lar things used in medical work will
be invited to send samples to the com
mission, to be placed on exhibition in
Washington. From these will be de-
veloped the best practical appliances,
and the various companies will be in
formed on what will be the needs in
time Of war.
Medical Colleges Give Aid.
Almost all of the medical supply
manufacturers Of the country, when
the proposal first was being consid-
ered wrote to Washington expressing
willingness to cooperate in any
scheme which seemed practical Such
system will not only effect a stand
ardlzation but will permit the commits
sion, with full facts at hand, to regu-
late the supply in all lines, so that
there will not be a surplus Of stretch
erS, surplus Of a certain type of
surgical apparatus or anything else.
Medical colleges all over the coun-
try are cooperating in the work, and
most Of them-about fifty to be exact
have instituted course of military
surgery for their senior year. Army
and navy medical instructors have
been assigned to these schools, and
give lectures on the most approved
methods Of handling the i'll and wound
ed on the battlefield and in hospitals.
The instruction was undertaken recent,
ly, after a conference between the
deans Of the schools and the members
Of the commission, at the invitation Of
Newton d. Baker, secretary of war.
"The care Of wounded men is one Of
the most important questions to be
considered in time Of war;" says Doc
tor Simpson. "By proper treatment
life can be conserved to a maximum
degree-a fact which should appeal to
all men in the medical profession,
whether pacihstS or not,
"The commission Is meeting with re-
markable success in 1t. work. Every.
where the medical profession has
shown a willingness to co its part in
the nations preparedness.
what we are striving to do Is to
find the specialists who are needed for
that conservation Of life. We want
to find the groove in which eoch maj
fits best, and place him In II when nee
essary.'