Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1918-07-19

danger line many field hospitals have
no women urses at all. The work of
caring for the wounded is done by
enlisted men of the medical corps,
under the direction of ward masters,
non commissioned officers as a gen
eral rule. Army surgeons, of course,
are IN command, and the men receive
good care.
Possibly because of the absence of
women these field hospitals are apt
to be rather bare and unattractive
places. Men have complained to me
that they had nothing to read. Some
said they thought there ought to be
few posters or pictures on the wall.
10 lie all day staring at blank ex-
panse of whitewash gets on the
nerves of the sensitive. Somebody
might get up society to furnish
magazines and picture papers to the
field hospitals in France.
Fine Base Hospital.
After the evacuation hospital
comes the base hospital. Only those
cases which promise quick recovery
are kept very long near the front. AS
the war continues those beds will be
needed for the freshly wounded, and
the chances are that our men wound
ed in this battle will soon be sent, in
line hospital trains, to the vicinity of
Paris, or towns further south.
visited an emergency base hos
pital established and maintained by
John Hopkins hospital end should
be very we'll satisfied to hear that my
son was being cared for there. This
hospital is situated in pleasant
wooded spot not many miles from the
ancient town which is our general
headquarters. 1t has a main build
ing of brick, an old French country
house, but most of the hospital wards
are in the temporary wooden build
ings.
Johns Hopkins itself, with its mil
lions of dollars invested in buildings,
has no better equipment that this
temporary base hospital in France 1t
has not better doctors or nurses, and
as for its head nurse it has the best
head nurse Johns Hopkins ever pro-
duced, Miss Bessie Baker.
I know other hospitals, one in
medieval town in central France sew
eral in pleasant suburb of Paris,
que of all, in southern France, a few
miles from the large seaport which
admits many of our ships weekly.
This hospital is housed in an old
French cateau that in its garden plan
remided me little of the White
House in Washington. The front
garden is small and formal, with II
wonderful hedge of white and red
| camelias. But back of the chateau
the large garden slopes in a serie.
of blossoming terraces into a sea
few miles beyond. cannot think of
lovelier or more restfuR place in
which to spend convalescence.
The quality of nursing in our hos
pitfalls overseas is so high that it has
excited the admiration of tie French
and British soldiers. They beg to be
sent to the american hospital"
have heard French officers say that
they would be glad to have the en-
ed over to the control of the Amer
leans.
The fact is that we have worked
out far gentler system of caring
for the wounded, for changing dress
ings and the like, than any other ma
ton. The British are scientific but
Spartan. The French have had few
trained nurses until this war. Our
nurses are the best in the world.
l shall not fret about my wounded
soldier, and hope other women will
make up their minds to bear ordina-
ry bad news from over there with
clamness and courage. We cannot
possibly escape suffering and pain.
1t is in the world for us to bear, and
until the war is won women all over
the world must live in sisterhood
of sorrow and anxiety.
When the word comes, Gle is
wounded" just remember that he is
also being taken care of by the most
tender and humane means any Gov
eminent in the world ever devised for
its soldiers. Even if the dreadful
message comes, Wounded and miss
ing" do not despair. Even that is
being looked after bu large depart
ment of the Red Cross. Every miss
ing soldier is traced, and if he is
found to be prisoner his needs are
provided for-medicine, food, cloth
ing, letters-the Red Cross sees that
he gets them promptly.
Besides all its work of relief for
sick and wounded soldiers, the Red
Cross has department of medical
research which has performed woI..
ders in preventive medicine and it is
still at work, brilliantly and tirlessly
to find ways of fighting pain and
death.