The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-07-01
Hospital Activities Of the
American Red Cross in France

j. Washington. June 30---The extent
fof the hospital activities of the
! American Red Cross in France is set
forth in a report of the bureau of
hospital administration prepared for
the war department. 1t shows that
during the conflict the Red Cross
furnished more than l,110,000 days of
hospital care for American soldiers
admitting to its hospitals a total OF
$3.50 patients. $1,000 being admitted
/ In the last month OF the war. When
the fighting ceased the organization
was operating twenty-five military
hospitals with, 1926 beds occupied.
disqualification was but one phase
of work of the Red Cross for sick and
wounded soldiers. 1t undertook also
the manufacture OF all splints, and
the nitrous oxide gas used as an an
aesthetic by the army, the construc-
ton OF emergency hospitals. super
vision of diet kitchens. operation of
thirteen dispensaries. eight infirma
ries and eleven convalescent homes
throughout Franch. at the same time
meeting innumerable emergency calls
! by the army for hospital supplies
and equipment In addition to all
this the bureau extended assistance
!, of many kinds to $500 French hos
pitfalls.
! In the last nine months of 1918
the American Red Cross delivered the
following surgica, supplies for Ameri-
can wounded: 21.93S,oso dressings,
congresses. packing and paddings
absorbent pads and bandages; 41,357, =
426 sponges. 51S.3o4 bed pads, IT..
| T26 drains and 1.463,200 splints and
accessories In one month, August
| there was sent from the Paris ware
house alone 12,76s,115 surgical dress
lings, 77,101 surgical instruments.
| $500 pounds of drugs and 2.s20
beds and cots. The range of rniscel-
laneous equipment the bureau was
called upon to furnish may be gained
| from the following list: SO Bessoneau
! tents. tortoise tents. as marquis
tents, 100 barracks, Z portable laund-
ries. ice-making machines, 4 disin-
fecting machines. 7 large and 3
small laundries, 2o-spray showers
with deiousing plant, 4o-spray
showers. Al S-spray showers. As
/ sterilizers, 10 laboratory outfits and
X-ray. dental and electrical outfits.
staff OF Experts.
| In organizing the hospital admin
istration the Red Cross formed a
STAFF of experts in various medical and
surgical lines. The need of this was
demonstrated when requests began to
come in from the field. acquisitions
were often made under great stress,
tthe writers sometimes having nothing
more than an envclop or cigarette
paper to scr:bhle them on and no
definite specifications could be given.
1t was then the duty of the bureaus
experts to determine the exact char
acter and quantity of supplies TO
isend
An example OF the way emergencies
were met is shown IN the report by
the incident of n request for 1900
blankets and several thousand pill
lows. pajamas, dressings. surgical and
medicines. which reached the bureau
lar r. NJ July is from the Chateau
Thierry battlefront. Four ware
houses were visited by taxicabs by as
many officers from the bureau a
truck was loaded with the necessary
supplies by in the evening and at
midnight 1t had reached the firing
Iline,
One night during the same battle
a veteran army major arrived in Paris
at ] A NJ He found the medical Of
fees Of the Red Cross open and after
making his needs known he was given
a bed in the Office. Two hours later
he was awakened, his supplies ready
az lHf uooFs having been gathered IN
! that short space from three ware
houses. Later this officer returned to
Paris and reported that the work of
1.-THE Red Cross that night made it pos
sihle for every wounded soldier in his
division to have a chance to recover.
Had it not been for the supplies. he
said sixty per cent of them would
not have had this chance
There were numerous similar in
stances of prompt action by the Red
Cross in getting medical and surgical
supplies to the front in emergencies.
In a single day and night tho great
1918 offensive, the report reveals, les