The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1942-02-05

about 80 per cent of the
General Douglas Macarthur
I have just watched the dozen
swift. efficient surgeons, who often
work SO hours at a stretch, operate
on four Of the American and Filipino
soldiers the field ambulances are
bringing in from the battle front.
In this backWater of a historic
fight by a comparat lively few thou
sand men against a Japanese army,
the lives of hundreds of soldiers are
being saved by these surgeons who
work tirelessly and without thought
of personal glory, treating all alike
The equipment is limited. There
are no x-rays because there is in
sufficient electrical power Everyone
is cramped for space. The hosital it
self has moved five times since the
Japanese first attacked
Lieutenant Claud M. Fraleigh,
Gulfport, Miss, of the Nays Dental
Corps acted as my guide.
Handled Promptly
Colonel James w. DuckWorth,
San Francisco, was in command, and
ready after only one week at this
latest site, to handle all casualties
promptly. He is veteran of the last
war. He headed medical receiving
station in France.
He insists on equal treatment for
all patients, and has American Off
GERS beside Filipino privates in the
wards, where everyone receives good
care from male and female nurses
and the surgeons.
Despite frequent moving, by sea
as we'll as land, always at night SO
that the Japanese cannot bomb the
wounded, the patients have not suf-
fered. The present site is quiet,
relatively.
The first operation I saw was on
sergeant who had a complicated
low abdominal wound, caused by a
so calibre machine gun bullet.
Lieut.. Col Frank Adams, the hos
pitfalls chief of professional services,
of Tampa, Fla, was the srugeon.
1t was necessary to make missions
from the back to repair damaged
organs and to remove the bullet
and this without an X-ray. 1t was
necessary also to determine whether
the artery to the right leg had been
severed. 1t was not, and amputation
was not necessary. Col. Adams used
spinal anasthesia.
Gritty Filipino Scout
Next 7 saw the amputation of
the managed right leg of gritty
Filipino scout, who had been shot
above the right knee from a dis
lance of a few feet when he was
charging Japanese who was pump
ing bullets at him from a sub
machine gun. Capt. Alfred Vein
stein, Atlanta, Ga, was the surgeon.
Weinstein took sWab for a gas
gangerene test. Then he comforted
the youth, who proved laxative.
One Of the tough fighting Filipinos
who have served for years with the
United States regulars, he said he
had killed two japanese just before
he was wounded. After he had been
wounded, his comrade killed the
sub-machine gunner.
Within five minutes, the labora
tory reported that the test had been
positive, despite the absence of gas
bubbles in the wound, eight hours
old.
The scout was transferred to the
isolation department for gangrene
cases, which has its own operating
room, wards and laundry. He was
removed on a special litter for such
cases. Then the operating table was
thoroughly sterilized.
Saving Limbs, Lives
Despite all the handfcaps, this
hospital is saving the limbs and lives
of many men.
Surgeons say that getting air to
dead cells is the best way to COM
bat the germs which multiply in
wounds.
During the last war gas gangrene
killed many men and left many
others without arms or legs.
The gangrene ward here keeps
wound open until negative tests
have been obtained and saves about
rs Per cent of cases.
Col. DuckWorth credits Lieut. Col.
Adams with starting this new treat
inent, which is in fact one for
emergency purposes. Adams goes
through the wards frequently su-
pervising dressings.
While I was talking with sur
geon, Lieut.. Fraleigh, my guide, who
is the hospitals transportation and
mess officer, suddenly put on his op-