Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1919-08-21
N 'NABB WINS HIGH
HoNoRs IN SERBIA
Alma Doctor Will Soon Receive
Three Medals for Work in
That Devastated Land.

DR. Arthur A. McNabb, for nearly
a year and half doctor with the
Red Cross in Europe during the par
ticipation of the United States in the
great world struggle, who recently
returned from abroad and has re-
sumed his work with DIR. T. j. Carney
of this city, comes back to Alma
laden with honors such as have fallen
to few physicians in the service, and
certainly honors higher than those
won by any other Alma man during
the war. McNabb has three medals
of honor coming to him, earned dur
ing his hardest work, which was per-
formed in Serbia.
After leaving the United States DR..
McNabb was in England for about a
month, and was then sent to France,
where he was stationed for ten and
one-half months, being at that time
attached to Red Cross military hos
pital number at Auteuil, near Paris.
During this time he had direct charge
of the wards Of Colonel George de
Farnowsky, who was in command of
-the hospital. Col. de Farnowsky was
from the Cook county, Illinois hos
pital. Two of the wards which DR..
or Lieutenant McNabb had charge of
were surgical wards for men wounded
in the chest and head. The work of
this hospital is said to have been of
the highest grade, the death rate be-
ing about one per cent. At the time
of the Argonne drive the hospital re-
ceived about 10000 wounded men.
After ten months service with the
Red Cross in France a call was made
for men to volunteer for service in
Serbia where typhus was raging. Dr.
McNabb was one Of those who volun-
teered for this work, and with a ma
tive doctor and four American nurses
had charge of a territory near Palan-
ka, Serbia, in which 100000 people
lived. At the time that the Red Cross
hospital was taken in charge by Dr.
McNabb there were about three hun
dred patients in the hospital most of
whom were suffering from typhus
At the time he took charge Of the
hospital it is said that patients were
dying at the rate of about twenty a
day. Within three or four weeks. as
the hospital work became thoroughly
organized, the death rate dropped to
two or three per day
Doctoring those in the hospital was
not the only work as the civilian pop
ulation of 100000 in the territory
was also under the charge of the two
doctors and the four American Red
Cross nurses. In addition some food
was supplied which consisted mostly
of broth and half loaf of bread, to
the sick, many of whom were literally
starving to death.
Just as he was ready to return to
France, after having completed his
work in Serbia. he was called TO go
and see a Red Cross captain, who had
been taken i'll with typhus. The trip
was a long one, full of dangers, but
McNabb, his ticket for Paris pur
chased, did not hesitate. The trip
was so dangerous that it was even
necessary to take an armed guard.
After a five-day trip through the
mountains he arrived at the head
quarters of the captain, only to find
that he had expired just a half hour
before he arrived. Even then DR..
McNabb did the best that he could
and brought the body back with him.
During the time that he was at
Palanka he so organized the Red
Cross work, that diseases of all kinds
were cut way down, aiding wonder
fully in the saving Of thousands of
lives, for which he was recommended
for the Serbian Red Cross Medal and
the St Sava, the highest medal
award of the Serbian army. His
work there also caused him to be
recommended for the American Red
Cross medal. All have been favor
ably passed upon, and il is expected
that DR.. McNabb will soon receive
them.