Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1943-06-02

lery Smelling, to the field hospital of the divi-
sion. Even here, only necessary attention.
Immediately required is given by the medical
officers.
From this hospital in the field, wounded
are evacuated as promptly as possible, by
medical agencies sent forward from the army.
At this point too, or even sooner, the nature
of the mans injury is determined. If his
wound is slight, he may even be marked for
return TO duty.
If he can walk, he is walking patient
or a sitting patient or prone patient
according to his injury. This process of sft-
ing wounded and separating them according
to their injuries is called by a French word
that we picked up in the first World War,
TRACE.
MEDICAL regiments a part Of the
lVl troops that accompany all armies. There
are hospital regiments some OF them able
to set up under canvas hundreds of cot beds.
surgical regiments which can operate on
wounded men whose condition is too serious
to allow further immediate evacuation. Back
of this organization arc base hospitals, con-
valescent hospitals" and on.
The system in use in the American army
is called the Letterman system and II has A
rather curious history. DR.. Letterman was
the surgeon general of the Army of the
Potomac in the Civil War. His experience in
the early battles Of that war taught him that
special organization was necessary If wounded
men were to be saved and cured, and if the
fighting forces were to be promptly relieved of
their care and their presence. LettcrmaHl
worked out system. II was first used, {
believe in the Battle of Antietam, where the
casualties were very large.
1t was in full effect in this army when
under Grant and Meade, il crossed the Rapidan
in the spring Of 1864 and opened the final
scene of that great drama of conflict. The
losses by wounds in the Wilderness, al Spot
sylvania Courthouse at North Anna, at Cold
Harbor were great and unprecedented, But
for the Letterman system of evacuation, and
the constant replacement Of new men sent 20
this army. Grants terrific and bloody grip
upon the army of Lee must have broken down.
co FAR as | know, the Letterman system
- was the first complete and capable sou-
ton Of the grevous problem Of wounded men.
After the Civil War it was pgeonholed. 1t
was forgotten.
Military knowledge is the most extensively
gained knowledge, but it is the most easily
lost, and has been lost again and again.
SO the Letterman plan so far as our army was
concerned, was lost.
! remember conversations al the close az
the Spanish-Amercan War where our officers
took the ground that nothing could be done
for wounded men. They must be left where
they lay and probably never succorcd. They
were just "out of luck
Very happily, previous to our participation
in the first World War, Lettermans plan was
uncovered in the war department and put into
effect. II is the basis of the mercful, efficient,
lifesaving system in operation in our armies
now.
Into the picture, also has come the trans
port plane the evacuation of wounded men.
not by truck nor by ambulance, nor by no
pita railroad trains, but by air. We wlsT
eventually know the figures, but apparently,
the greater part Of our 10000 soldiers,
wounded in this Tunisian campaign, have
been flown rapidly without diseemfert-te-
h oroug h " competent medical centers,
hundreds Of miles from the scenes of battle