The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1918-11-28
AT SOUTHERN CAMP
DR.. r. A. GiLLETT WRITES FROM
CAMP SHELBY, MISS.

Drs. Abbott and Wilcox are in re-
ceipt of the following letter from DIR.
f. A. Gillett, who was formerly con-
nected with the Abbott Hospital, but
was practicing medicine in Fremont
at the time of his enlistment:
November 10.
Dear Doctors: After travelling all
night and all day and all night and
until the next noon, arrived at camp
twelve miles southeast of Hatties-
burg. At jackson l met a captain of
Medical Corps on his way down here,
so we naturally fell in together.
After due .preliminaries l was as
signed to quarters in Officers Quar-.
tiers, where each of US have rooms 10
x12, stove, electric lights and cot and
table furnished. The next morning
Major Quinn assigned me to surgi-
cal ward of thirty-four beds-but for
the present Influenza epidemic, turned
into an influenza ward. When / took
the ward l had % patients. They
soon were able to be transferred to
cOnvalescent wards, and the ward is
now clean, and surgical ward again.
At time of my arrival we had 1900
cases of influenza here. The number
now has fallen off until the entire
number is but 800.
When ward surgeon, which office
have the honor to have, takes a
ward, he signs up for all the beds,
sheets and every bit of property in it,
and is held personally responsible for
it,, av --,. --. ......
Every order, and so forth, is made
out in writing. and a daily report has
to be made out every morning.
The influenza is getting better, and
we take up regular classes again. Our
program is not very strenuous, and
at present is as follows: Arise 6:3
a. M; breakfast at 700; at your
wards 8 to IL a. M; surgical instruc-
ton II to II; dinner at IL; conference
at one o'clock; at wards 2 to 4; drill
from AIS to 5:15; supper at So.
at wards z to s.
Mississippi (this part of it,-forty
miles north of the Gulf of Mexico) has
mild, fine days, but the nights are
very chiH-due to the relatively high
humidity, | suppose. Soil is red sand,
covered with pine, most of the large
trees being cut out. LAUNDERING cat
tie raising and cotton raising are the
chief occupations. .
VnStnrHoy
and had to look after all emergencies
that came into the hospital. When not
busy at ward l attend the surgery at
operating room in the mornings.
Our surgical nurse is an Iowa Uni
versity|T. S. graduate, and was sure
glad to meet her. She and six 9TH
ers from same school are here. Only
one other medical officer is here now
from Iowa besides myself, and he is
from Sioux City. All the fellows
officers quarters are fine fellows
most of them northern doctors and
Masons.
We had rare treat offered us Sat
urday evening. Irwin IS. Cobb lee
tured in Hattiesburg on the war. He
has just returned from the front
where he was correspondent for the
Saturday Evening Post He related
many exciting incidents, and so nice
ly mixed it up with his wit and hum
or that we could have listened two
hours longer. After the two hours
he did give us we had laughed until
our diaphragms were pretty we
loosened up.
The war may be over but we are
training just the same as ever. Four
Base Hospital Units are being form.
ed now for overseas duties, right here
at Camp Shelby. / have had my
overseas examination, and have a Ger.
tifieate to that effect, and am posted
as one of thirty-three for service e..
where, so it looks very possible t,at
l may go across yet.
AS ever, very fraternally,
..... Lit. F. A. Gillett, M. c..
Base Hospital, Camp Shelby, Miss