Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 39, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 February 1919 — HOSPITAL BASE 109 [ARTICLE]

HOSPITAL BASE 109

DR. M. D. GWIN GIVES ACCOUNT OF THE CARE OF SICK AND WOUNDED. We are indebted to Dr. M. D. Gwin for the following account of the work of a hospital unit in France. The Doctor is with the 109 Base Hospital, Which is located at Vichy, France. His account will appear in two articles, of which the following is the first: The Vichy (France) Hospital Center. The care of the sick and wounded here in France is necessarily different from the army care of the soldiers in the States. Hence, it might be interesting to your readers to follow a Sammie from the front or field of battle thru the entire medical system and 'finally a description of a base hospital center, such as the one here in Vichy, of which Base 109 in a unit. A wounded or sick American soldier receives first aid from his comrades, if necessary, who give him emergency aid from a medical' belt Which each carries. He is then tagged, showing what medicine has been given and then turned over to the litter carriers, who take him to the dressing station, usually called a battalion dressing station, in charge of a battalioi} surgeon. From this immediate care, df deemed necessary, he is carried by litter to the field hospital, a short distance in the rear. This hospital is a tented movable as-

fair in charge of a staff of physicians prepared to do emergency operations —such as stopping hemorrhage, dressings, restorative treatment and even amputations if absolutely necessary. If his injury seems more than of a few. days duration he is then sent on back some distance further by ambulance to the evacuation hospital. This is more elaborate than those closer up, mere protected but still a movable unit. Its staff is larger, probably 22 army surgeons with an organization into the different branches of medicine. It is also a clearing station—directing the patient 'back to duty, baek to the dressing station, or on to the next unit for more extensive care. This hospital evacuates its patients to the base hospitals in hospital trains which are fully equipped with a staff of surgeons and nurses ready to do anything en route. Usually patients are kept until a train load ds ready. These patients are the more serious and require more extensive and prolonged treatment either medical or

surgical. - 'Thus they are startea to some (base hospital where they are likely to stay until well enough to be sent home. Base hospitals are located awav from the line from 10 to possibly 300 miles back in one of three locations —-either with the division itself, thereby 'becoming somewhat of a movable unit, or in a small town, occupying the hotel and toher small buildings, or thirdly, and most important, in hospital centers, for they are placed at the resort or watering cities. Sim- : ,pfy because these towns, are .madejiiL, of hotels. And a hundred hotels make an ideal place for the location of a group of hospitals. So this hospital train starts with a load of serious cases for some base hospital, a message preceding them announcing the number of patients and the time of arrival. All base hospitals either in America or France are organized about as follows—3s officers, including sanitary, dental, laboratory and X-ray men, 100 nurses and 200 or more corps boys. All branches of medicine are represented and each man is assigned to his particular duty by Washington. It is a permanent unit and about as well equipped as a large hospital in our cities. —— ~ Each branch of medicine, be it surgical, medical, dental, nervous diseases, ear, nose and throat or X-ray -—is in charge of a Chief ors Staff who is responsible for the operation of his particular department. Practically every officer in this unit is a specialist in his line. Thus on arrival a patient is classified and sent to the particular 'hotel intended for his treatment. There the chief and his assistants care for him until he is ready to be sent back to duty, invalided home or" sept to a base unit in the States for reparative work or prolonged stay. Consultation among the different branches is absolutely directed. Hence the surgical, medical and in addition all the other specialties see the majority of patients and he may be transferred from one division to another because a surgeon is allowed to treat only what comes under his immediate branch. Diagnosis and treatment is recorded on the patient’s record sheet and a check is kept on all treatment from the time a soldier enters the army until he is discharged. # In addition to the nurse care our corps boys do all the heavy nursing and certainly add to his comfort. » Further, the Red Cross is in constant attendance for extra care.