Evening star., 1937-04-09
FOOD SENT SPAIN
FORBLOODDONORS
LoyaIist Shortage of Meat
and Milk Serious, Says
Dr.. Spence.
Special Dispatch to The Star

NEW YORK, April 8 (NANA).-
The meat and milk shortage in Loyalist
Spain has become so severe, according
madam Committee tc aid Spanish De-
mocracy. that regular shipments from
here have been requested to maintain
the health of a corps of 1900 blood
donors used by DR.. Norman Bethune's
Canadian TRANSMISSION unit
DR.. Spence, minister in the United
Church in Toronto arrived here yes
terday for conference with the North
American Committee to Aid Spanish
Democracy.
The first shipment, valued at $4,000
and consisting of 10000 gallons of
condensed milk and several thousand
cans Of beef, peas and corn, will leave
Monday from st. Johns, New Bruns-
wick, said DR.. Spence, bound for
Havre, from where it will be sent over
land to Spain. Similar shipments will
be made from the same port, he said,
every two or three weeks after that"
The request for the food supplies
came via urgent cable from DR.. Beth
une, explained DR.. Spence.
Depots in Two Cities.
"Dr. Bethune," he said, has been In
Spain since last october. With five
other Canadians and % Spaniards, he
established a TRANSMISSION depot in
Barcelona and another in Madrid and
organized this corps of 1900 blood
donors. The donors call periodically
at the depots and offer their blood,
which is then treated chemically and
kept on ice until needed. There are
13 hospitals at present in Spain with
Canadian unit also uses six light
trucks, partially refrigerated to trans
port blood for transfusions on the
battle line.
Since October, we have been send
ing Dr. Bethune money to buy the
special meat and milk died required by
the blood donors to keep their red
corpuscle content high Now he cables
the money is useless to him, that the
foods simply are not to be got for
money or love in Spain"
American medical activity in loyalist
Spain is growing slowly and another
unit Of IL doctors, nurses and techni-
clans will leave for the war sector on
the Normandie Wednesday, bringing
the total number engaged there now
to 81. OF these, Is are doctors, 35
nurses and II are classed as "techni-
clans nS"-ambulance drivers, mechanics.
electricians. The unit will be headed
by Dr.. A. Ettleson. Chicago brain SUR
geon. who is assistant professor of
neurology at the Loyola University
Medical School and is on the staff of
the Cook County Hospital. Among
their number will be Leigh White of
st. Louis, author of a book about
Mexico, Miracles and Maize" Mr..
White resigned as publicity director of
Doubleday, Doran to drive an ambu-
lance for the unit.
American Unit Location.
The American unit is at present In
a hospital near Albacete, region
which has seen heavy fighting since
the center Of activities shifted south
ward from the Guadalajara front.
Letters received this week from nurses
on duty there offered a picture Of the
grueling experiences they are under
going.
One, Iini F'uhr, writes "One morn
Ing from 4 am. till am. 1 stood
with Dutchman while he was going
out. He asked me to sing to him and
did. had been up at o'clock the
day before. One doctor accused me
Of being sentimental, staying with him
instead of sleeping" After describing
the exhausting nature Of her tasks, she
Adds plaintively: But darn it, I don't
get thinner-a little flrmer perhaps
that's all"
Mildred Rackley reports that, after
an attack, "the doctors and nurses
were working 40 hours without STOP
ping, going from one major operation
to the next One night at 2 o'clock,
in the middle of an operation, the
battery went dead All of us ran for
our flashlights, and with the feeble
glimmer Of eight flashlights, DR..
Barsky Edward Barsky of Beth Israel
Hospital, New York; finished remov-
ing shattered kidney"
Freder;ka Martin. the head nurse,
writes: Il had small fruit cake, and,
one day. we had such strain and a
patient we all loved died I made tea
and called them (the other nurses)
into my room and fed each one table
spoon of fruit cake. The result was
dynamic. Anne stopped shivering.
sallys lips got bit of color in them,
etc"
Another paragraph of her long let
ter reads: Anna Taft and Helen
Freeman work in the operating room
night and day, for there are tremen-
dous technical preparations between
periods of continuous operating. Poor
Taft stands for 10 to IL hours in her
gown and gloves. assisting first one
doctor operating and then another and
Helen runs back and forth. Real per-
petual motion at last"
tcopyright, 1887, by the North American
Newspaper Alliance. Inc)