Mountain advocate. (Barbourville, Ky.) 1904-1935, 1919-01-17


and was written by Dr. J. p. Gibson.
former resident of this city, now
in the United States Army Medical
Corps.
DR.. Gibson is the son of Mr.. and
Mrs. James r. Gibson, OF this city.
and was born and reared here, but
for the past seventeen years has
been a resident OF Owensville, Ind,
where he enjoyed a very lucrative
practice in his profession. He is
well known to many of the citizens
Of this city and county. The letter
follows:
Base Hospital Camp Beauregard, La
December IA, 1918.
Editor Star-Echo,
Dear Sir: May have a little
space in your periodical to greet my
many friends in Indiana, including
yourself? II would be impossible
for me to write each one individually
and | take this means to inform
them of few of my experiences
since leaving Owensville.
/ have enjoyed my experience
since coming into the army, exceed
ingly. While | was not one of the
fortunate ones to serve abroad, l
consider that 1t has not been in vain
to put On the uniform and to help in
the great cause of freedom here in
the United States. Important work
had to be done here, and it fell to
my lot to assist in that work
| reached Camp Greenleaf, Chick
amauga Park, Ca, Sept. rs, and was
immediately indicted into an inten-
sive course of training in the Medical
Officers Training Camp. Intensive
is the right word, for from A. M.
to $3.50 p. NJ. every moment was
utilized to the fullest extent. We
were drilled and lectured and quizz-l
ed and taught French. There we're
no idle moments. and the man was
considered a wonder who could find
time to shave himself and write
letter home during the course of the
day One of the most delightful
things was the horseback drills over
the Chickamauga battlefield.
Our Sundays were given to us to |
do as We pleased. spent many |
hours on the battleIieIds of Ohicka- |
manga, Missionary Ridge and Look |
out Mountain. | WIS pleased to find |
among the many battle monuments |
number erected to the memory of |
Indianas sons who fought and died
on that bloody field
Another interesting feature is the |
old cannon which still occupy the po-
sitions they occupied during the bat
tie. The same is true of Lookout
Mountain, for on the very edge of
those mighty rocks which crown old
Lookout are some of the very guns
that fired on Hooker's men as they
those heights. And, by the
way, one would have to travel far
to find snore be.utiful mountain
scenery than is to be seen from Look
out Mountain. God has set the
seal of beauty on the valley of the
Tennessee.
After spending five weeks in Camp
l received orders to re-
port to the Base Hospital at Camp
La. The trip hither
was very interesting The train
crossed Lake Ponohartrain, near
New Orleans, and at .one time we
were out of sight of land. Then we
came to New Orleans, most pecul-
lar city. From New Orleans my
route lay through the sugar cane b
and rice fields of Louisiana.
During the last six weeks | have
seen varied service in this Base Hos
pital. Two weeks were spent in
pneumonia wards, then l was trans
TERED to the ward for the treatment
Of Cerebro-Spinal Menina tbs, epiN
lemic form. Here / had some won
ierful work in the treatment of this
most interesting class of cases. Spi-
nal punctures and intervenous in
ections of serum are used in the
lrmy treatment. and very success
'ully, too. In a series of fifteen
,ases treated, there were no deaths.
Amy one doubling this statement 3
IAN see records in the hospital)
We officers were rejoicing at the G
ermination of the war and were ex- I
'ecting early discharge, when orders a
anne to make this a convalescent S
hospital for overseas patients. Then S
'ur cheer turned to gloom, for we \
NEW that for mDst of us this meant 4.
taying here.
The other day while we were at