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Show . I MODEL PAINTS Only Smiling Faces Seen in the Great U. S. Hospital Hos-pital at Paris. PAIN BRAVELY BORNE Big Institution Is One of the Best Equipped in the World. f PARIS, July 20 (Correspondence of the Associated Press j. The fierce fighting of American troops around Cantigny, Chateau Thierry and other centers of tlie big enemy offensive, has brought' in its train a sudden transformation and development devel-opment in the great American military hospital at rCeuilly in the Paris suburbs and others like it in the suburbs of Au-teuil, Au-teuil, Joinville and other 'points, which are now in truth American, institutions not only in name, foundation, staff and equipment, but In that grimmest element of a hospital's work, wounded men American wounded, borne back from the fighting front. The America, usm of these hospitals has proved a timely Messing to the young American heroes who got out alive from the furnace of fire, giving them American Ameri-can surroundings, American surgeons and nurses, their own language in which to hear and express their cares. American food, and something of that spirit of home which people of the same blood carry across the sea. Taxed to Capacity. The big Neuilly establishment has been taxed to Its utmost to meet this sudden influx from the great offensive. Its capacity ca-pacity was suddenly swollen from 500 to 1200 or 1500, with a considerable part of the arrivals Americans. Five hundred hun-dred cases arrived in a single day of the June fighting. Most of them were original orig-inal cases, direct from the field and not yet operated. They had come in ambulances. two days on the road, for there are no railroads rail-roads linking the remote storm centers where the enemy strikes his surprise blows But great as the emergency was, it was successfully met, and the . 51 call made upon it to care ror American wounded the big American institution added another page to its record of devoted de-voted service. At 10 o'clock this morning the directing direct-ing surgeon started on ins oally inspection in-spection of the cases under Ins care and. noinc with him, one had tne opportunity of scjing the magnitude of this work, the sraSftmess with which it was proceed--h with here and there a glimpse of Alie American wounded marines, artu-" artu-" lerymen, infantry and machine gun men. Inspected by Chief. v The war surgeons,' with their staffs of nurses had cared for the cases through he night and day, and now the chie, sur-on sur-on of the section was making his tour Uree how each case had progressed and to direct the further course of treatment. Ahead stretched the long corridor, -with cots filled with wounded lining one side, while the wards opened from the other side. The corridor was bathed with sunshine sun-shine from the long row of windows, and many of the men had their windows open taking a sun bath. One of them had the idea that the sunshine would be a healing heal-ing balm for his wound, and the ugly opening in the left arm was laid out so as to get the full slant of the sun. There was little or no odor of anesthetics anes-thetics or drugs, such as one is ape to associate with hospitals. Everything was scrupulously clean, floors, windows, bed linen; women were at. work making fery nook and corner immaculate; vases or bright flowers ivere on all the nurses tables to give an air of cheer, and tne whole place had the stamp of comfort. More Space Provided. These corridors have had to be used as wards during the heavy influx o wounded from the big fights of early June, when every available corner of the building was suddenly called into use, doubling ana trebling Its beds within two days. Gradu-. Gradu-. ally, however, the French cases are going go-ing to French hospitals. and all the American cases will soon bo installed in the regular wards. . , Entering one 01 the wards with American Ameri-can cases the wounded men were sitting up removing their bandages in order that the directing surgeon might note the progress. Some of them were far enough on the road to recovery to be up and dressed, and with soldierly instinct they stood rigidly at attention as the cnict surgeon entered. But every man of them, in bed or standing at attention, was smiling smil-ing and apparently happy. These smiling faces gave no evidence of pain, and of 500 cases visited this morning only two complained of pain. When inquirv!'wa made of tho head nurse as to this absence of pain among hundreds hun-dreds of men with compound fractures and ugly gaping wounds from shrapnel and shell, she wild there was comparatively comparative-ly little pain after the tlrst few days, and then only when the wound was handled. Youth Is Big Asset. v4 The youth of the Americans has a lot do said the surgeon, with this cheer-Kdness cheer-Kdness and proof against pain. Most of c'v French poilus are. older men. aft and 40, with beards and wrinkled faces, and, besides their age. this is not their llrst experience as wounded, as it IS with the Americans. Some of them have been wounded three and four times hclore, and after successive recoveries liae gone back to the fighting line. This Is what tends to war weariness, after four vears of such business. But with their age and repeated wounds, the French faces are still lighted with the lire of patriotism and the inexhaustible good nature of the French poilu. The Americans Ameri-cans have none of the drawbacks of their French brothers, and hardly a man is over 50, while most of them arc "2 to 25. This gives a buoyancy which even love of country cannot supply, and the doctors tind it more of a tonic and restorative than all the medicines. One of the American marines who was in the fierce engagement early in June had the remarkable record of sixty-five . separate wounds, most of them small, from spltnters of shell, but each separate wound needed attention. He smiled with pride as the surgeon spoke of the unusual number of his wounds. Like all the others, he was anxious to bo up and to get back to the fighting. H seems to be a common Instinct, not through bravado, say the doctors, hut genuine expression of red-blooded American vouthftilness and enthusiasm, 'o get back Into the sanif, the most fate-'ul fate-'ul same the v,orld has ever known. Sees Boxing Match. But the Instinct to be un and doing be-""lvery be-""lvery real to the American marine "'2 with sixty-five wounds when the . ict surgeon mentioned that two holiday hlertalnments would be given for the mounded. "Which would you prefer." asked the surgeon, "the afternoon tea or the sparring match?'' "The sparring match, sir, every time." was the quick response. And so it was arranged that the man with sixty-five wounds should go to the marring match, ft waa the same -with all the others well enough to be anout. Most of them wanted the sparring match, though a few chose the afternoon tea on the hope of getting ice cream. They fairly beamed at the prospect, of an out- '"it would do them cood. i he surgeon said and anv damage from fatigue would he offset bv' the recreation. Kven those wounded with bone fractures were so ariNious to take part in the exercise that some of them had their splints adjusted for moving about, and jDresaxed lor the dav of out Ins. |
