The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-01-08
ENGLAND ID ADOPT
 AMERICAN SYSTEM
 TREATING WOUNDED

With the American Army in France, Sunday. January 6.-(By the Asso- ciated Press. )-Plans for the care of American soldiers include radical departure from former methods Of treating wounded An announcement made by Surgeon General Bradley says that a method has been formulated assuring each case continuous treat ment from the dressing station on the firing line. through many hands to the base hospital
 This coordination has been worked out by pr. J. M. T. Finney of Johns Hopkins university. who has been ap- pointed director of the surgery section. It does away with the more frequent examination of wound dressings, which has been the method in other armies.
 Another departure Is the standardi- zation of splints. Heretofore every surgeon, even in the armies, used splints of his own devising, making q great number of varieties. The Brit ish army doctors have been so inn pressed with the American plan and the manual explaining 1t that they asked and received permission to adopt it themselves
 Plans for the care of the blind in- clude instruction, to begin as soon as possible after the wound has been re- ceived, experience in other armies having shown that quick treatment and instruction are most valuable. Personal instruction will be continued until the blind reach the United states. Dr. George F. De Schweinitz of Phila- delphia will be in charge of treatment
 T T ,1- 1 head surgery, such as throat and fa- cial.
 In the departures, as well in others, American medical men have had the ad- vantage of the experience of all the other armies. They have adopted the best Of each and they have made improvements where 1t Is possible. Since it has been found that speedy treatment of wounds results in a greater saving of life di- visonal ambulance sections have been mobilized to three-quarters of their strength. It is expected the resulting speed will almost cause merging Of the collection, or field, hospitals and the evacuation hospitals where there are special operating rooms and special wards for special injuries. Up to this time only male nurses have been used at advanced hospitals, but the new Amer ican plans provide for female nurses there, the British and French having found them valuable.
 There has been q great change in con- dtions since Spanish war days when, because most wounds resulted from bull let's, it was found advisable not to op- crate quickly. Now most wounds are caused by shrapnel, which makes it ad- visable to operate as speedily as possi- ble.
 Some of the prominent American physi- clans and surgeons in France are Drs. George w. Crile, Cleveland; George L. Brewer. New York; Harvey Gushing. Harvard; Samuel Lloyd, New York; c. L. Gibson, New York: R. H. Sarte, Phil adelphia: r. A. Basley, Northwestern university; Charles H. Peck, New York; F. D. Murphy, Washington university; l c R. Clark, Youngstown; F. D. Clark, Indianapolis; E. R. Shurley, Detroit; J. E. Flint, Yale.
 | With these specialists are associated other physicians and surgeons of abil- 1 ity Many have brought their own staffs, Dr. Peck having an entire staff Of 1 nurses and assistants who worked with l him at Roosevelt hospital, New York. l The sick chart nowadays resembles the
 weather record, going up when it is damr
 and snow, and going down when 1t is
 clear and cold. It Is claimed that the many cases due to pneumonia or similar 1 diseases are claimed largely by the crowding in barracks and billets of new | iy landed men. While the sick rate oi 1 seasoned troops is slightly more than per cent that of those newly landed is just under per cent.