Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-02-08

asters In the past. AS q maIter ..
whimsical interest. some OF = GOODS
sent by. the American FED Croee ~
the time Of the Messina earthquakes
we're distributed this last montn 70
refugees in the neighborhood OF Ca
tania. This habit stood the nalon IN
good stead in the present cris,s; .Ue
been sufficient to make good h 9aps.
This. however, leaves them depleted:
ana to make good these reserves n
build up new equipment was the I'M
mediate need.
Here it is in point to mention tho
excellent use the italian sanitary serv-
ice made in the emergency OF the
million lire left in its hands mos, . Dy isa ine
which visited italy in August. This
sum, following the national bent, had
been kept unspent. 1t was at once d.
vided to making good losses In inn
portant and costly medical lnstalla-
tons.
And here should be mentioned the
prompt help offered by the American
Poets ambulance which was organfz-
ed in early September. and which had
orders placed in Italy in the early
fall enabling it to put five barrack
hospitals and thirty tent hospitals in
the hands of the 1%ntendcnza for i'm
mediate service when the Italian line (
fell back to the Piave. 1T thus got
American help through In the earli-
est crucial days, and as we shall see,
thereafter enabled The Red Cross to
carry out a demonstration in the field
of ambulance service on a scale and
with a speed which would have been
otherwise impossible,
Italy's Medical Service.
r..I ~-A:>. - ,,,,, Aoe Inl . Ai~-
t%inctive development Of its army
have had to carry wounded by aerial
railways and mule back IN their
mountain fighting and who have hewn
dressing stations out Of solid rock on
the high peaks have shown originally
in the development of their medical
service throughout.
To work helpfully as we'll as
promptly, the director of military af-
fairs Of the American Red Cross Is
soon as he reached Italy. set gu to
learn the general characteristics OF
the Italian hospital units and to con-
centratc on them, to find the particu-
lar needs created by the crisis and to
make immediate purchase OF instru-
nents and supplies which he knew
from experience in France would be
called for.
Tho clearing house had practically
emptied its medical stores. Swift pur-
chases were made of bedding for 81
900 beds-mattresses, sheets, pillows,
blankets-and such smaller instru-
ments and rubber goods as could he
picked up in Rome, in view Of the
heavy purchases by the army and the
Italian Red Cross.
trated in a third line base hospital
visited in mid November. This was
OF 500 beds and housed in a chateau.
Normally it had been handling a flow
of rs to 40 incoming patients a day
and caring for them from a week to
four or five months. This had been
transformed in the emergency Into
what the French cali an evacuation
hospital, and big trucks were coming
each, at an interval of three minutes
and a half. They were handling a
current Of 800 patients a day and of
course the equipment was tragically
inadequate. Eight days later, COM
plete new equipment for half their.
beds and such surgical instruments
as could be had, left the Red Cross
headquarters in Rome for this hos
pital.
Hospitals Stripped.
But, In general, the hospitals back
OF the new front, IN order to salvage
any possible further losses, were be-
ing stripped of beds and blankets. and
the patients were lying on mattresses.
obviously. In such a situation. the
part OF the Red Cross was not to at
tempt to replace things for the mo-
ment in individual hospitals, but to
give to the central authorities who
could place supplies where they could
use them best.
A lump gift of $4,000 lire worth OF
supplies WAS ordered for the Santa
MISUNDERSTANDING wagons, auto
claves for sterilizing dressings. surEic-
o. sets, 500 complete beds, quantities
OF Eauzc. cotton, drugs, iodine, an
aesthetics, etc.
Plans therea liter rapidly took shane
for a very considerable slit of ten
complete field hospitals-one direct
to Santa Militare and nine through,
the Italian Red Cross, the first to be
delivered by mid January. Each will
consist Of SO beds, with an overload
capacity of 160, or even. Of $50. They
will fly the American Red Gross and
the Italian flags, Some will be tent
hospitals, others with tents merely for
the special uses, the wards being farm,
: buildings or other shelters requisition-
ed for the purpose, as is the Italian
custom.
Aided by Volunteers.
The distinctive feature of the hos.
pltal supply service in France. as II
was developed in the. early years of
the wal by the American distributing
service and as it has been expanded
undcr the American Rec C,ross nth.