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Show DOCTORS AT FRJT DOIjl II Member of Red Cross Commission Com-mission to Italy Addresses County Physicians. RELATES EXPERIENCE Describes Conditions of Hospitals in France and Italy. "10x tended in-r.Honal observation and study of roii(il(loii.s at Hie Kn tf li.h. French and Italian fronts brlng.H me to the conclusion con-clusion that the wounded are swiftly and H.'ientifirally eared for and that the percentage per-centage of recoveries l.s Miuc.il higher than IL would ho wre the method of dealing with the situation les advanced," waid It. T. W. Huntington, chief surgeon of the Weatern I'aclfh: railway and president of the American .Surgical nnyoclatlon, witii headquarters in Kan Francisco. Dr. Huntington, one or the live mem-betH mem-betH Of the. American Red Cross commls-Hhui commls-Hhui to ltal' iu-aded by Colonel George F. linker of the First National bank. New York, 1h on his way home to San Ki-a.nci.ico. Ir. Ilnnilngton last night addressed ad-dressed the members or the. Sail I,ake County Medical association in a session held at the Commercial cluh. At the Hotel rtah yesterday Dr. Liunt-inptnn Liunt-inptnn recounted vividly a few of ttie many incidents thai marked the memor-aMe memor-aMe journey of the commission. Voyabe Without Incident. leaving New York duty 30, on the Hi earner Ciy of New York, t ho voyune wan without untoward incident until the vessel reached a point about 300 miles oft' the Irish coast, when one of the officers of-ficers eaught In hln periscope a German submarine about TOO yards away and directly di-rectly In ttie patli of the steamer. At once the order, "Pull speed a head," was gl ven, but the Hubmarine dropped out of night In a moment, only to reappear about SOD yardH in the rear of the ship i and then vanlHh from sight entirely. 1 Dr. Huntington said that in London a large number o!' hospitals were visited and conditions studied. Here the cases of the wounded are largely chronic or pern I -chronic, because the city Is so far removed from the scene of active warfare. war-fare. Crossing over to France. the party made Paris Its headquarters for live days, covering both Arras and Verdun, before going down to the Italian front. "Were we in danger? you ask. We were often In the zone of firing, hut while we witnessed several fierce artillery engagements en-gagements we were in a way protected bv being on the ilank, yet on one occasion, occa-sion, In the Verdun section, the shells began be-gan dropping: so fast In our immediate vicinity vi-cinity that the officer in charge advised our returning to a post of more safety bj another line of trenches than the one we had used to reach our posts of observation." observa-tion." Hospitals Everywhere. Dr. Huntington said that in the journey jour-ney through France it was found that-hospitals that-hospitals were scattered everywhere. K very city of any size has built and equipped hospl tals, in which the A merl-can merl-can surgeons are already doing their part of the good work. "We spent one night at Verdun," said Dr. Huntington, "sleeping- in one of the many corridored trenches. One thing to he observed Is that the rlrst-aid stations were to be reached through a communication communica-tion trench, always in the danger zone, yet designed to bring to the wounded opportunity op-portunity for Immediate treatment. "The second-aid honpltals are In charge of men of large experience. Here most of the graver operations are performed, so that the reason for placing these stations sta-tions near the rlrst-aid hospitals Is apparent. ap-parent. "Then we went down to the Italian front, traveling over the same territory t hat has of late been taken by the Germans Ger-mans and Austrians. It is Impossible to describe adequately the devastation. From one point, alone 1 counted twenty-one twenty-one completely ruined villages, houses, schools, ehurces, everything, all swept away by the merciless fire. Tribute to Italians. "The Italians are ever alert, a 1 ways ready for emergencies, and their armies are driven with tremendous energy. The soldiers are brave and resourceful and their drive on the Austrians was accomplished accom-plished with but comparatively little loss." Dr. Huntington, who visited the trout now attacked by the Germans and Austrians, told the members of the medical medi-cal association. Ttie spirit of the men serving in t lie Rod Cross ambulance corps was landed, .Supplies of every kind for the hospitals hospi-tals are badly needed. Dr. Huntington siated- Relief must be ton tinned alter the war, lie said, in telling of cases of permanent, mutilation. Dr. Huntington i spoke of a soldier who lost sight, speech. I hearing. His legs and his arms. j |
