Evening star., 1939-01-15
China Still Able to Check
Foe Without Foreign Supplies
Hit and Run Tactics Are Adopted as Japan
Tightens Blockade; Army Medical Service
Is Described as Medieval
By an A associated Press Var CORRESPONDENT.

In surprise attacks at close quarters.
especially on mountainous roads, these
weapons have proved superior to stand
ard rifles.
Gasoline for sChinese motor trucks
will be the most serious loss if the Chi
nese Army is completely isolated. APP
proximately 5000 American and German
motor trucks-80 per cent gas engines
and 20 per cent Diesel motors-are now
carrying Chinese Army supplies. The
substitution of pack animals, mule carts
and camels will mean a slowing down
| of the whole process of war. especially
the execution of counter attacks.
Military authorities estimate that
China still has approximately 1900 artil-
lery pieces and $50 combat planes, but
they are now held in reserve in South
west China.
The conclusion on China's military
supply problem seems obvious-that COM
plete isolation cannot impede the mobile
tactics which the Chinese forces are
now adopting, but will seriously handi-
cap any large-scale operations to dis
lodge the japanese Army from the rail-
ways.
Medical Service Weak.
China's medieval army medical serv-
ice has shown but slight improvement
during the months of warfare, despite
broadside of criticism from both Chi
nese and western civilian doctors.
Behind the Kiangsi front an Amer
ican observer recently counted 1900 Chi
nese wounded, limping and crawling
along the motor road toward a base
hospital unassisted by f1rst-aidmen or
ambulances.
All the men were wounded in the
arms, legs and head, indicating that
the more serious casualties-Wounded
in the chest or stomach had been left
to die or be bayoneted by the Japanese
few miles north of Nanchang, the
capital of Kiangsi a government official
was distributing $40 in Chinese currency
Omitted States, Sl70) to each man,
which quilted the army of any further
responsibility toward it's wounded. II
they chose to 60 to an army hospital
they would be treated and sent back to
the front.
But if their wounds proved too serious
Tor further combat service, these service
men were turned out upon the street
among the thousands of refugees, with
out any hope of livelihood
The army medical service has 220,O 900
beds in its $50 base hospitals to care for
approximately 100000 wounded. The
average length of stay in the hospitals
is officially admitted to be two and one
half months, compared to one month
in the allied hospitals during the World
! War.
Only $500 Doctors.
Among the 2l6OOO workers in the Chi
nese medical corps only $500 are classi-
fed as doctors" the rest being nurses,
dressers and coolies acting as stretcher
bearers. A part of the doctors are
graduates of the Army Medical College,
school considered third rate even in
China, where medical standards are
low.
An investigation conducted by Dr. F.
c. Yen, China's national health director,
revealed that some of the head doctors in
the medical corps are actually coolies
who have been promoted through senior
1ty from stretcher bearers to dressers
and finally to doctors"
The bureaucratic leaders of the medi-
cal service have refused to permit any
civilian doctors to enter the front-line
medical work, where the seriously
wounded die within 48 hours. This con-
dition still exists after year and a
half of fighting.
The only competent surgical treatment
given to the Chinese wounded is pro-
vided by the Chinese Red Cross and
the missionary hospitals, whose units
are located from 30 to 200 miles behind
the front lines.
The Red Cross has organized 64 surgi-
cal units, each with a staff of trained
nurses, to serve as technical units in
the base hospitals. These units include
many American, British, Indian and
Australian doctors who have volunteered
for service, but the Red Cross workers
are given no authority to reorganize
the crude hospitals in which they work.
The Chinese national health director
told the Associated Press that he had
personally examined the drugs used in
a dozen army units and found them to
be 95 per cent quackery.
Corruption Blamed.
Corruption among the army medical
personnel partly accounts for the made
quate funds available Tor the treatment
of wounded soldiers, according to the
health director.
1t has been verified by British in
vestigators that more than half the
100000 quinine tablets distributed by
the International Red Cross during the
cholera season last summer were actually
sold by army officers and money pocketed
Chinese civilian doctors have aban-
doned all hope of reorganizing the army
medical service and are now developing
several schemes to refrain the lower
personnel of the corps. Several short
courses have been opened for first-aid
men, emphasizing the treatment Of light
wounds.
Another expedient is the ordering Of