Evening star., 1940-10-06
BY THOMAS X. HENRY.

BY THOMAS X. HENRY.
A $250,000 mobile hospital of 500
beds-more than double the capacity
of the present Naval Hospital in
Washington-which can be set up in
a few days at any point of combat,
is the Navys latest contribution to
the medical side of tine national oe-
fense program.
The innumerable separate parts of
the "knockdoWn" hospital have just
been assembled at New York and
will be shipped this week to Guam
tanamo Bay. Cuba. where the entire
plant will be re-assembled. 1t is
expected that it will be set up COM
pletely by the middle of October.
The hospital will be stated by IA
medical officers, including special
lists in various fields. In addition,
there will be a dental offlcer, two
pharmacists and l57 enlisted men Of
the Naval Hospital Corps whose du-
ties consist of all aspects of care
of the sick and wounded. Also
there will be 80 men of other rat
ings, such as cooks, engineers and
electricians, to keep the plant in
operation.
Insures Good Facilities.
The entire hospital, in every way
the equivalent Of a large city hos
pital, is packed in crates. Product
of long period of research by Navy
Medical Corps officers, it insures
that in almost any field Of action
injured and sick sailors will receive
treatment approximately equivalent
to that which would be given if they
were near permanent navel hos
pital. Although it will be set up first
at Guantanamo it will not be intend
ed for permanent service at this i'm
portant naval post, where there is
already an efficient naval dispensary
and where plans are under way for
a permanent hospital.
supposing there should be naval
action anywhere in the Caribbean
area. The chances are there would
be some warning of it in advance
The hospital staff could start
knocking down the entire hospital
at once and packing it in crates
on a fast ship. BY the time the
action was finished. the wounded
could be rushed by fast boats to
the nearest feasible point and find
awaiting them almost as fine hos
pital facilities as they could have
at home.
Has Full Equipment.
The mobile hospital includes, for
example. a complete operating room.
Essentially, everything a surgeon
could require is included in the
Grated equipment. There will be
operating tables. equipment for ad-
ministering anesthetics and instru-
ments at hand-such as he would ex-
pect on entering modern city
hospital In the past both the Navy
and Army surgeon has expected to
be called on to improvise, depend
ing on the circumstances.
The mobile hospital will be
equipped with complete electric
lighting and power plant. The Navy
doctors who designed the hospital
realized that there could be no de-
pendence on any local source of
power supply. There will be a COM
plete laundry TO assure clean linens
required for an operation. The finest
touch of all is a complete sewage
disposal plant which will assure
sanitation so essential to prevent
outbreaks of contagious diseases.
The hospital is so arranged that
at any time it can be broken up
into several units. each fitting nicely
in crates. and shipped to several
points of impending combat. In the
past the Navy has had hospital
ships TO which sick and wounded
were taken and treated until they
could be moved to a permanent
hospital,
At the best the facilities on ship
board were somewhat limited and
much more efficient service can be
expected If men are in such sur
roundings as United States Navy
Base Hospital, No. l. within a few
hours after their injuries. The hos
pital, now loaded on the U. S. S.
Henderson for shipment to Guam
tanamo, is under the command of
Capt. Lucius w. johnson of the Navy
Medical Corps.
Intended for Caribbean.
The plant includes both portable
buildings and tents for the accom-
modation of the less seriously
wounded and the naval personnel.
The group of officers includes physi-
clans capable of attending to nearly
any medical or surgical case which
might be brought to the hospital
or at least to care adequately for
the patient until he can be carried
\k/-IL D.