Evening star., 1943-09-15
Medical Corps Makes
Record in Saving
Wounded in Sicily
BY THOMAS X. HENRY,
Star STAFF Correspondent.

ARMY IN SICILY by MaiD Only
.l6 of ! per cent of the American
soldiers wounded in the Sicily cam
paign. who lived long enough tc
reach a field hospital immediately
behind the front lines, died
This is the most astounding rec
ord ever established by the Army
Medical Corps
Even at that. Medical Corps Off
GERS explain, the figure is slightly
misleading when used for compari-
son with campaigns in the past, be-
cause the field hospitals were nearer
the front than ever before, often
within sight of actual hostilitieS. As
a result they received many patients
who hitherto would have died at
first aid stations under fire. long
before reaching such an establish
ment.
Gives Battle Casualties.
Otherwise the number lost rela-
tive to the number of casualties
would have been inhnitestimally
small.
Following are the medical records
of the Sicily campaign from July 10
through August 81, when Messina
surrendered:
Wounded in battle, 1853.
Killed in action, 12l officers and
1927 enlisted men.
Wounded and injured who died in
hospitals of any sort other than first
aid stations, 258.
Enemy troops treated at American
medical establishments in Sicily,
1641.
The cases lost do not, of course,
Include those who were evacuated
from Sicily for which no figures are
available here. They include those
wounded in the first few days of the
campaign and those who were sent
for further treatment, among whom
the death rate must have been
nselible.
Under Adverse Conditions.
Actually medical officers explain
apologetically when speaking of the
best medical record in the history
of warfare that it could have been
much better had they not been
working part of the time under very
adverse conditions.
At the time of the invasion ship
ping space. was at great premium.
1t was decided to bring over a mini
mum of medical and hospital equip
ment, depending on fast carrier
plane service to evacuate the sick
and wounded after they had re-
ceived only emergency treatment.
Evacuation by plane. first started
in the Tunisian campaign, was on
a greater scale than ever before.
The field hospital setup was some
thing of an innovation. Each con-
sisted of three platoons, each
equipped to act and move independ-
entity and to set up stations where
some detailed care could be given,
such as emergency surgery, setting
broken bones, etc The platoons
pitched their tents, conspicuously
marked with red crosses. often
within sight of the firing and at the
closest possible distance where it
was considered possible for the sur
geons to work without danger of
shell fragments showering the oper-
ating tables. Fast ambulance serv-
ice was set up between the field hos
pitfalls and the dressing stations,
which were under fire.
Terrain Was Difficult.
Consequently men were brought
In, and are counted in the, death
figures, whom 1t would be fairer to
consider, as battlefield deaths. In
the last war they would have been
dead before they were within many
miles of hospital.
And the world record of 0l6 Of l
per cent in which the doctors take
no great pride, for they feel it
should have been better-was
greater than it might have been due
to the fact that the terrain was so
rough 1t often was possible to get
wounded to front-line dressing sta
tions only with great difficulties
and delays Had 1t been smooth
country, many more Would have
lived.
In making this record, doctors
and men in the front lines per-
formed deeds of valor hardly ex-
ceeded in medical corps history. Out
of Is recommendations for DISCS in
one division, six were for medical
corps men. And in the field hospitals
and evacuation hospitals doctors
and nurses worked under terrific
pressure for such long periods that
thev were ready TO drop in their
tracks. often they urgently needed
medical attention.
Italians Aided.
1t probably would have been I'M
possible TO have accomplished the
great load of work, they say, had
it not been for one lucky break.
Soldiers of the Italian Army Med
ical Corps were put on parole almost
as soon as they were captured and
set to work at all the routine tasks
thus freeing Medical Corps per-
sonnel for the more important jobs.
Medical Corps officers are high in
their praise of these Italians who,
it turned out, were eXcellently
trained and worked willingly and
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS only too
eager to shoulder more than their
share of the burden.
The remarkable record was due in
large part to skillful surgery and
the use of sulfa drugs, blood plasma
and all the other recent innovations
In medicine. Also the Army rations
probably rendered the wounded less
susceptible to infections.