Evening star., 1942-01-04
By THOMAS r. HENRY.

One OF the most colorful chapters
in the history of American medicine
was written at Pearl Harbor on
December when little group OF
United States Navy doctors and
nurses, aided by assistants who
rushed to their aid from the city
of Honolulu, cared for $50 casual
ties-in many cases terribly burned
and wounded men-by working con-
stantly for 16 hectic hours.
Bad as was the Pearl Harbor dis
aster. the loss Of life and the suffer-
ing would have been far worse had
1t not been for the heroic work OF
these men and women. whose story
has come to Washington IN letters
and reports to the Navy's Surgeon
General, Rear Admiral Ross T. NC
Intyre.
The newest weapons in medicines
armament were used in this strug-
gle against death and pain. Even
few months ago many would have
died who now are out Of danger and
having uneventful recoveries. Most
notable OF these were the various
sulfa drugs placed directly In open
wounds and the recently developed
LIQUID and dried blood plasma.
Mobile Hospital Ready.
However far from anticipating any
such disaster, the Navy Medical
Corps was ready for it. Fortunately
one Of the mobile hospitals, the first
Of which was turned out little more
than a year ago, had just arrived
and been set up. There was also
hospital ship at Pearl Harbor 10
add to the available hospital
facilities. Otherwise. the ordinary
facilities at the station would have
been hopelessly swamped by the
sudden demands.
AS it was, adequate emergency
treatment had been given every IN
jured man by midnight. The magni-
tude of the task can hardly be over
estimated.
No bombs were dropped on hos
pital buildings. The planes were
not Immediately recognized as en-
emy craft. and when they were 1t
was too late to give warning by tele-
phone until they had started f1ring
on their objectives.
Members of the Medical Corps,
many of them at their own homes,
Immediately began assembling at
the hospital stations. Within a few
minutes all Of the stan were on
duty. Shortly afterward a blazing
plane seemed to be flying directly
into the main hospital. Just before
it would have struck, the Jap pilot
swerved slightly and crashed into
the chief petty officers quarters a
few feet away. This building was set
afire and destroyed.
Almost at once the casualties
started coming in-by ambulance
truck, private car and delivery
wagon. Many Of these ran through
raining shrapnel.
Began Check on Dead.
One Of the major jobs undertaken
by the Navy medical and dental
officers was that of identifying the
dead who were brought in from the
ships. They worked all night In
the temporary morgue established in
the hospital basement The dead
were identified by clothing, papers
found on the bodies, patterns of
dental work which could be checked
against records and fingerprints.
Work of Navy dentists was out
standing, it is shown by reports
from Pearl Harbor.
In one case a dentist directed all
the first aid work on a bombed
ship whose senior medical ofncer
happened to be ashore and whose
junior medical officer was killed
early in the action.
A major job Of the Navy Medical
Corps was to get these dead buried
A new. cemetery has been opened
for them. It probably will be their
final resting place and tentatively
has been named the Halawa Ma.
tional Cemetery.
Many instances Of individual
heroism have been reported on thu
part of the Medical Corps personnel
One medical officer, for example
had undergone an appendicitis op'