The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-01-09
CARING FOR
THE WOUNDED
Americans In France to be Better Car
ed for Than II They Were at
Home on This
Side

Icy -. W. SSlCl, OhlItu RcSb oIuAA
Correspondent
WITH THE AMERICAN ARMY IN
FRANCE. Jan. 9.-America's wounded
In the days to come will be better TAX
en- care Of than back home.
Complete plans were announced by
the surgeon general today. Every pos.
sible detail has been worked out.
Some Of Americas greatest surgeons
and physicians, men who gave up pri.
vate practice worth a fortune, will
lend their aid.
The surgeon general explained to
the United Press the working Of this
vast system from the time stretcher
bearers pick up wounded on No Mans
land until the wounded have passed
into convalescence, ready to return
either to the trenches or so home.
Those wounded so as to incapa-
ciated for further military duty, will
be sent home upon convalescence.
Divisional and regimental hospitals
will unite to collect wounded. They
will give temporary relief at dressing
stations. From there the men will be
transported to field hospitals. Later
they will be shifted to evacuation hos
pitals-then to base hospitals. It is
possible the field hospital may be cul-
minated owing to rapidity OF motor
ambulance transportation.
The evacuation hospitals will be
about ten miles to the rear. There
women nurses are employed in special
expert teams. 1t Is expected surg cons
will be assigned to evacuation hispit-
ais particularly to operate on abdom-
inal wounds from which 1t is now esti-
mated one half recover If the oper-
atoms are prompt and skillful
Major ]. M. T. Finney, a famous
Johns Hopkins surgeon, will be direct
or of surgery. He has worked out a
plan by which surgical cases will re-
ceive co-ordinated treatment at each
successive Notwithstanding any
possibility of errors, due to the second
surgeon not knowing what has been
done.
A priceless array OF Americas fore
most surgical talent has .een moor
porated in the new department. includ-
ing DR.. George w. Grille, Of Cleveland;
Drs. Brewer, Sam Lloyd, G. l.. Gibson,
Chas. H. Peck. all Of New York: DR..
e. N. A. Besley, of Chicago; DR.. r. H.
Harte, Of Philadelphia; Drs. F. A.
Washburn and Harvey Cushing, of
Boston; DIR. E. D. Clark, Indianapolis;
DR.. Fred T. Murphy, st. Louis; Dr. R.
T. Miller, Pittsburgh; DR.. B. R. s.
Furley, Detroit.
One of these abandoned practice
of 100000 a year.
The surgeon generals department
as far as it relates to operations
"over here" is to be divided into class
es-orthopidic and head surgery, We
~ ,ooHfrina
X ray laboratories and mental dis
eases.
DR.. e. Schweinitz, Philadelphia is
lin charge Of the branch Of head sur
gerry, which includes the wonderful
work Of FACIAL reconstruction.
For purposes OF preparation, the
surgeon general is anticipating that
one out Of every five Of Americas sol
diers will be wounded-and will be
gathered through four base hospital
untts-from Youngstown, Ohio; Indian.
apolis; Detroit and Youngstown again.
One of these hospitals will contain
six thousand beds; another twenty
thousand. -Four other bases will carry
ten thousand each and a last seven
thousand.
The Red Cross will not retain con-
troll Of any base hospital-all being
taken under control Of the army medi-
cal service The mercy organizations
function is merely auxiliary, furnish
ing hospital supplies and building up
civilian health in the american zone"
Americas fighting forces are only
40 per cent sick.
This shows clearly that the first con-
tingents Of American troops by their
exposure and longer training in the
open have now about one hundred per
cent increased resistance
Venereal disease is prevalent at the
rate of only four men per thousand
mostly incurred in the United States
The surgeon general today placed
with British firms the largest drug or.
der ever received in England At the
same time he ordered fifteen most
modern railway hospital trains with
a capacity Of 375 lying" cases in each
These trains will transport American
wounded between evacuation hospital
and base hospitals.