The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1919-01-08
MANY WOUNDED
At CAMP DODGE
Among the Most. Pathetic Cases at
Camp Dodge and Ft. Des Mo.nes
Clouded Mental Faculties

Among the Most Pathetic Cases at
Camp Dodge and #. Des Mo.nes
clouded Mental Faculties
GERMAN GAS BAD AFFLlcTIok
! Government Aiming to Effect Cure in
All Cases and is Training Men
to be Self Supporting
CAMP DODGE, Jan. 6-The arrival
of hundreds Of wounded men at both
the base hospital at Camp Dodge and
the government hospital at Fort Des
Moines every week furnishes an in
teresting study. Not only are wound
ed men returned here for rehabilita-
tfon but those afflicted with all man.
'ner of infirmities are. sent here also.
The government is pledged as far as
possible to return the men to their
: homes mas good physical condition as
when it received them into the army.
For this reason those afflicted with all
manner OF diseases are being sent
here for treatment by some Of the
best specialists in the United States.
Among the most pathetic cases are
those whose mental faculties are
clouded. Over 200 insane patients are
at Fort Des Moines. The most of
these men are victims of shell shock
Experts declare that 95 per cent of
these will recover. These men require
and medicine. The presence of friends
or relatives does more harm than good
It is a slow process this matter of re-
cOvering reason and 1t requires skill
full treatment and careful watching.
There are several insane patients who
lost their mental equipose from brood
ing over their conditions or from
inconsistencies which presents itself in
the form of melancholia. Physicians
who have spent years in dealing with
the insane are in charge of this
branch of the hospital. The poor de-
mented fellows present pitiable
sight.
There is another phase of disability
that arouses much sympathy and these
are the fellows who were victims of
( German gas. This deadly visitation
works on different men in an entirely
different way, and this makes the
treatment difficult. The most serious
result is that of blindness. II sol!
dier was the least bit bothered with
granulated eye lids, be 1t ever SO mild,
3 gass almost inxariahly produces blind
ness and In most casea this is incur.
able. Another phase OF gas poisoning
Affects the nerv6s and some of the
men 90 about % II AFFLICTED with St.
Vitas dance. Here Is another class
|. Of patients that require expert treat
ment and In order that this may be
furnished the men some specialists
from Washington long associated with
the medical department of the-army,
are here, devoting their best energies
to the relief of these afflicted men.
The wounded men afford an inter-
esting study. The government is aim
Ing to make them self supporting. Al
ter everything has been done for the
Ncripples we'll being he Is turned over
to the. federal board Of education. 4
II he has been disabled in such
way that he cannot take up the work
he left to go into the country's SER
vice a large vocational field is opened
up to him, With q wide choice Of occu-
pations. He is carefully trained to
self supporting activity.
II he needs an artificial limb or me-
chanical appliance, the government
will supply 1t free, keep it in repair
and renew it when necessary. IT, af-
ter his discharge from the hospital,
he again needs medical treatment on
account Of his disability, the govern
ment will supply 1t free. While he is
in the hospital and while in training
afterwards, the soldier or sailor will
receive compensation as if in service
and his family and dependents will
receive their allotments.
Also, wounded soldier or sailor,
regardless of whether his disability
prevents him from taking up his for
mer employment, may take course
in vocational training, free of cost,
and the war risk insurance compen
sation will. be paid him during the
time of training. In this case no al
lotment will be paid to his family
New Arrivals at Fort Des Moines.
Among the late arrivals at Ft. Des
MOines were 46a men from Hoboken,
N. ]. The hospital train was under
the direction of Lieut.. George L. Hen
derson. The men have various injur-
les and are sent here more for recla-
nation than for treatment. A few of
them will undergo minor surgical
operations in order to get relief from
some secondary impediment Nearly
all Of these men had all the surgical
attention that is needed before they
left France.
President Saves SIacker's Life
Recruit Ernest F. c. Laub Of st.
Ansgar remained at home after be-
ing ordered to report at Camp Dodge
and after being apprehended he re-
fused to obey orders and wear mill
tary clothing, according to charges
made in court martial. He was SEN
fenced to be shot but by order of Pres
ident Woodrow Wilson, the sentence
has been changed to twenty years of
hard labor at Ft. Leavenworth, kans.
The court martial was held July
18th at Camp Dodge with Col. Harri-
son J. Price as president, First Lieut..
Charles r. Stafford as Judge advocate
and First Lieut.. Walter J. Barngrov-
ier, formerly a resident Of Des Moines,
as assistant judge advocate.
According to the record Laub was
absent without leave May 18th to goth
and he refused to take the issued uni
form June Sd. He pleaded not guilty
Iaxv- 4