Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-05-14
HUNT WRITES
OF HOSPITAL
WORK IN ARMY
Large Establishment Back
Of Lines in France
Described.

In a very interesting letter to his
mother, Mrs. Hunt, OF this city, Ma
jor Chas. 3. Hnnt.Tswho has charge Of
one Of the field hospitals in, France.
tells of the work over which he has
charge. ts
The letter IN part follows:
162 Field Hospital, April IA. 1913.
This is sunday afternoon and the
only time l have had this week to
write. l can truthfully say that l
have not been buster since L came to
France than l have been this week. l
moved owe to the hospital the first
Of the week and am nicely settled
now. Suppose you would like a de-
scription of the hospital.
1t is situated on the edge of town
near the X. r.. station. 1t is sur
rounded. by a high stone wall with
two gates. Have "a good many trees
around the grounds, including pear,
apple, ETC.. and they are just begin
ming to bloom now. The French hos
pital is right across from it, and the
town church with its tower and
chimes is side of 1t. We see the nuns.
! priests, nurses, etc., all the time. They
run the garden which is within our
wall.
Dur buildings are one-story. knock
down, army type of rough boards.
fioored, heated and electric lighted
and piped with running water. 1t
was a French army hospital until the
Americans came and has had two
different companies running 1t before
we took it. The last company was a
field hospital n was here about two
months before going to the front,
and are now in the thick of the bat
tie.
1t is a we'll equipped and organic
ed hospital. just like a base hospital.
/ hllf nnf n0lifo ca, elaborate Tho rG-
pacity is 800 beds. My experience in
the Minneapolis City hospital is help
ing me Il lot. for the organization and
system of running it is what counts.
OF curse there is a lot of paper
work, reports, ETC., to do. ocean of fc:s
l have eight men doing nothing else.
and all the ward men n ward sur
geons do some. l am looking after
the administration and overseeing
the whole and it is no small job.
We nave thirteen wards. surgical.
medical. contagious, etc. A ward
master tfirst class private or SER
geant) is in charge Of each. and has
several nurses under him. Each ward
has linen closets. medicine cabinets.
etc. Beds are all iron. white enamel
ed. Have a nice operating room, all
white. and a lovely, very we'll equip
ped laboratory, with facilities for do
ing all kinds Of psychological work.
Have shower baths, steam sterilizers,
large bedding and clothing steriliZers,
etc. We sterilize all the patients
clothing when they come in and all
Red Cross supplies us from Paris
with all the dressings. etc. The very
dressings you people have been MAX
ing may possibly have reached lis
here at the hospital. We have a
large store-room packed to the ceiling
with. equipment. supplies, etc. We
have field ranges and also large. per
telephones, office safe for valuable
a: filing cases and Office fixtures, desks
We have two motor ambulances OF
our own and are in touch with a very
large base hospital a few miles away
run by the Johns Hopkins unit
where we %evacuate patients. They
send up ambulances whenever we
want them. We also have -four horses
and wagons.
i We have a barber shop and gu,
barber shaves and uts hair for the
patients also. A Red Cross nurse IL
now teaching the nurses their work
The Y. NJ. G. A. puts on a movins
picture show right in h hospita
twice a week.
We get some Of our cases from
right around here and many from {
distance. Some ron the front and
some from the camps. I have som
n. d. men and one officer in her.
now. but with minor ailments.
Our men have a good heated ant
floored and electric lighted barracks
and dining room. The officers hav'
nice barracks with good iron beds
photograph, wash rooms. etc. ant
nice dining room with a long pine
board table and real tablecloth an,
!, an orderly to wait on the table. TIL
mess is unusually fine. even bette
than we have had previously. W
have a large hospital fund. over 81.
!, 900 now, and growing rapidly, SO yo'