Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-11-16
ITALIAN MEDICAL SCIENCE !.
REBUILDING WAR VICTIMS
Skilled Hands of Surgeons, Conse.
Grated to Noble Work, Busy
in Reconstruction.
MANY TERRIBLY MUTILATED
Featureless Creatures, Countenances
MARRIED by Wounds, Completely
Restored to Normal Appearance by
Wonderful Operations.
ny CLARENCE II. KELLAND

BY CLARENCE II. KELLAND.
PARIS, November 15.-In tho blazing
sunlight OF gravelled courtyard sur
rounded by tho walls OF n great hos
pital in Romo hundrad men. some
on crutchcs. some on canes, some lack
ing arms or logs, and somo merely
limping from scarcely healed Injuries.
rompcd and" laughed and shouted like
children. while with Infinite awkward
ness they. strove to kick about n Soc
Ger football. All woro dingy grey
white suits, with coats cut somewhat
in tho fashion of the Prince Albert
of other days. made OF rough cloth
like that which we utilize in America
valescents from Wounds received in
the great Piave victory. or in tho
earlier frightful caporetto defeat.
nad the o
OF the Z. NJ. c. a. to the hospital.
,,fs she had gone to carry carte ,S
heart Of the he's Italian so,diers-car toe
iinas, couple of footb.tlIs, a phone
graph and guitar.
Like children the men surrounded
her. shouting. pushing Laughing. surg
ing. The air was full Of eager hands
stretching toward her for those post
s @5eS 5ora for ae sort @
Pers sh Today those cards are the as
most popular In Italy. In the middle
Il italian; iaushins. defending herself IS
! The cards distributed. the sards re-
Gus bowling game. which is played by
the soldiers all over Italy -, But
presently a man approached and bowed
grayely. telling us that they would
Bepehes were brought. and we. to-
getber with the singers. sat in a, lit
as tightly us they could press. were
scores and scores of convalescents.
cutting OFF every. breath OF air that
might otherwise have reached US.
PRIMITIVE, DARBAItIC, HUT
IIAUN1INGLY BEAUTIFUL.
The singers were four. and an ad
ditional man to strum the guitnr. The
song began with startling suddenness
wailng note. throwing back his head
and putting all the strength of his
| body into the sound. His eyes watched.
the veins of his neck swelled. his face
grew red as the note rose and fell In
! a weird. burbaric, disturbinEly mel
anchoiy air IT. was primi,iye; bar
baris but haun: Ths 6ords whs
Translated to me. were all OF the sea.
of home. and OF the blessed Virgin.
cIenchcd He pulled up the leg OF
his trousers and showed us. what we
| was thing OF leather and OF steel.
| Then he harrangued us.
His story vas, dreadful Shot on the
| field of battle, he had fallen into fhc
| hands of the Austrians. who had care
iessly dressed his leg. Then he was
sent back 10 field hospital were he
| lay four days without attention. When
attention came. it was not such as we
| associate with the care OF the wounded,
The Nurse he told Us 9th tHembns
| rage, spat in his face and struck him.
The doctor who operated. struck him
repeatedly and applied vile ,os epi1hs's TO to
what might have been saved had he
received prompt and humane treat
lated tale. italy is full OF such ~
Next day / was privileged to visit
the Roman hospital fer monsters
the "stomaoiatrico"-which sisni-
| fes those who are wounded in the
saw Colonel Anladeo Perna operate"
Austrian shells have changed. from
human beings to monsters are sent.
There in the courtyard | saw such
e esGsS u SpWmen Who oh had been shot in
the face. Horrid creatures who moved
about featureless. bearing no semb-
lance to human Lind: dreadful crea-
lures who dared not return home and
| family, who would have been objects
OF horror and fear. but who looked
miracle one day to be wrought on them
| by Colonel Perna.
MEN MADE OVER AGAIN
BY SURGEONS SKILLED KNIFE
And 1 saw other men-men who
monsters like the others. They were
happy men. for they had lain on the
table. gone under that master-knife
and now thew were men again. with
that had befallen them
| was taken into the rooms where
are preserved the records Of Perno's
work, the casts OF the head OF the
monsters as they came to him-fright.
full cffigies. too horrible to describe
faces that Were gaping holes. men
There we're photographs. too. in pairs
The first showing the men before the
colonel touched him, the second after
his recovery. 1t was seemingly inn
had wrought, The thing superhuman
| Uncomfortable. At the right would
be a monster at the lief left man, man
scarredz-a man. young, not ill to looi,
upon. with face that might venture
to WOO maiden.
MtN'S FACE GONE nut
NEW ONE MADE FOR HIM
And then I was ushered into the
operating room. The colonel was a
man OF middle. age. very handsome
very military, but very gentle The
man to be operated on lay on tie
below the eyes. -. And as / stood
and watched. that thing took hape
and I'd became zee. .s IA man. nj ;,o .o,o,
and nodded and sculptured. With a
rib from the mans 's4e. he fashioned
Up the fsaaIres; i Vas terrible; but
sculpture of a new and God-like spirit
And at the end I regarded that soldier
that monster. and behold. he was a
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