The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1918-01-03

Washington, Jan .2.-War on his
pitfalls, on doctors, on nurses. on
wounded men lyisg in cots, on wound
latest phase of Hun atrocity as prac-
ticed in France, and Americans are
among the victims
In the archives of the War Depart
of German barbarity and American
heroism. These stories are the official
reports of what German aviators did
to American base hospitals and Amer
lean ambulance sections.
Recently I learsed that here were
13 American bose hospitals in France
of which six were serving our allies.
And it was officially announced a
short time ago that we had $3.50 med
ical officers, nurses, ETC., attached to
the British and French forces; $40
medical officers and 40 nurses were
with tire British. We had with the
French 40 ambulasce sections each
consisting of 46 officers and men,
1t is some OF these that have been
under fire and 1t is some of these
that have been killed and wounded.
It seems such wanton tring to do
and the results accomplished seem
to The layman so small that I asked
an official just what the theory WAS
about these raids Ola hospitals.
tire German never does anything
without method" was his response.
HE figures to accomplish three
things by his raids:
"FTRST-He does not want our base
IF TINS located
wounded men can be quickly treated.
If by bomb attacks he forces us to
send our hospitals back some distance
he thereby increases the chasces OF
our wounded getting gangrene and
also the number of cases in which am
/ putation becomes necessary. He
thereby depletes theft ghtisg forces
quicker.
"SECOND-He cold bloodedly fig
ures that to kill doctor is equal to
killing 500 soldiers. We can train
soldiers in a few months; we can't
improvise dictors.
"THIRD-The same thing applies
in a lesser degree to trained nurses"
And now you know why on a clear
moonlit night in Frace every doctor.
nurse and orderly in the big base hos
pitfalls near the German lines is on
the qui vive for the throb-throb of
the air-plane.
It is on such nights that sentineis
keep up usceasing vigilance and, es-
pecially, see to 1t that they have en-
Urgency lights for the operating room,
SO that the horror may not occur
Of a man being partially operated on
and then coming to in the darkness
for want of proper anesthetics.
1rN
letters and reports sent back to Amer
| lea:
DIR. George E. Brewer, famous pro-
| lessor of surgery in Columbia Uni
versity, is in France in charge OF tina
| Columbia Presbyterian Hospital Unit
In mid-July his hospital was asked to
send volunteer teams to casualty clear
| ing stations just behind the lines.
| These teams consist of an operat-
| ing surgeon, anesthetist, operating
/ nurse and orderly. DIR. Brewer hum
| self was four miles from User Canal
| during the hot fighting there. recefv-
| ing one day 900 wounuer.
| In August his station was attacked
by airplane bombers three times In
FIVE days. Miss Mcdonald, his ONCE
nurse, lost her right eye. She pluclki-
ly remained on the job.
| Kenneth CASTOR OF the Harvard
| Medical Unit, wrote his mother IN
New Jersey concerning any numbei
OF raid experiences. In the early fall
| he said the Germans were maintain
| ing a regular campaign against hos
pitfalls.
The hospital to which he was at.
| tached had aviators lowering over q
| for tree hours one night raining down
/ trif1n<4 md
| Eve were wounded. two Of the big