Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1917-06-22
Already When the War Began.

France.
Already When the War Began.
This plan had been ready to put
into operation since 1908 and 1t worked
without a hitch when the time came.
In many ways certainly Great Britain
was unprepared for war, rel her
organization of medical reserve and OF
a nursing force was very nearly per-
feet, and had been since 1908.
War units, territorial ambulances,
clearing stations, etc, were ready to
be put into instant operation. Ha we
been invaded we should have had
medically all that was necessary both
at the front n ut the base, the latter
being the large hospitals organized at
the great universities and elsewhere.
when the war broke out 60, 900
civilian mon and women of the British
Red Cross society Were full trained,
ready in the United Kingdom to take
their allotted places in the medical and
nursing services When the regulars
units fully instructed as voluntary aid
detachments. and it is Il tribute to the
wisdom OF this system to explain that
these now are running the whole or
ganization Of thousands Of hospitals
auxiliary to the army institutions.
IF the United States finds 1t neces-
sary to appeal to laymen and women
for medical and nursing service in this
war there is the role which l think
they best can play.
THE free hand which was given to
me at the start. under Lord Kitchener,
carries with ii many responsibilities,
among them that of ascertaining the
absolute fitness of any individuals
who receive appointments in the army
medical or nursing system.
Let me instance as an example Of
this fact that usually there is a ten
dency among young surgeons to hope
n 1t a war comes it may give them
experience In operative surgery. One
OF my responsibilities has been to see
that this does not occur. to see to it
That no man whom l should not be
willing to have operate pom myself
In case of an emergency is given an
opportunity to operate pon a soldier.
Protecting the Fighting Man.
Ut is my duty and that of my asso-
! lennss have q chance to operate but
that every soldier operated upon finds
ready for the work the very best avail
able surgical talent. At least every
supervising surgeon is and long has
been q man with a real reputation.
1T IL a matter Of the utmost i'm
portance that surgery in war should
be placed in the hands OF the most
eminent MGR in the country.
New things developed rapidly. We
had to bring into the war organization
a set Of advisers upon mental affec-
ton and n~eurasthenia, matters not
OF an equal Importance In any pre-
vious conflict. Further a sanitary COM
mittca devised to give advice on all
technical, matters and a special sani-
tary committee were organized for
service in the east. They visited Egypt.
Mesopotamia. Salonica. etc. This was
one quite new necessity.
Another was that Of the creation OF
a special committee and the in
v~enticn Of new appliance for the
coTduct OF gas defense. The mere man
u.aciuYe OF these special appliances has
oeccI.t u very large and important
matte.
Der the term sanitation in this
&ar IS Included much more than mere
iousa aid rnb. sanitation OF the
! trenches ana IA A part OF disease
pre.a;it.o.l has teen the establishment
If iaboraGo:.as. nod and mobile, al
fna fTNnt an IL tonne, equipped and
~'nani.3si to.:asaTss and Instantly ~ in
Test,:sata new .ns a. they :aay
ma e ~nss CT nome ORGANIZATIONS
scrss Is E~nsasad.
an wisa "a effort
.us-.sss;. a 5!oitists
LIZ ,oars y q. 1854 o.ilsss alaa for
-le ~ iass cea sd thar rasea1ch
laires sie lines Of pure .5ciencc 20 go
tnto sta soaii:cn IF wa. problems
e.t.ei pat - thsEa by workers needing
aalp or initiated by themselves to be
worked out with the aid OF such in
formation as 1t has been possible for
ua. to gain.
Among the concrete things which
we have accomplished have been re-
searches which have enabled us to
uifterent!ate between enteric and diff
isrent varieties OF para-typhoid fever.
we nave investigated the carrier prob
lem IN dsscntery with results which
have had notable effects upon admin
u measures in disease preven-
ton.
Men who have had dyscntery are
not allowed to return to the ranks
tuntil o individual has been ex-
amined 30 frequently that Il Is abso-
lnteiy certain That. he Is not a carrier.
In order to accomplish this we have
had TO c0ngregate In special. camps
thousands OF men. keeping them COM
stantiy under observation by bActeri-
oi0gtsts and parasttol0gists. With
such men of real ability. by the way,
America is very well-supplied.
That all this has accomplished that
which II was devised to do Il shown
Oy this very weeks report, which, not
withstandinE the fact that ours 10 q
big army shows three cAses IN the
typhoid group. 81 cases of fever which
possibly may be typhoid. and 22 cases
of p~ara-typhoid.
We have had representatives work
Ing on the whole typhoid problem Ia
France. but the thing never once has
Ig0t away from us, largely because all
this work not only haaGbeen lone hut
has been done with most meticuloua