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Show .; , , : : , : k, . Health and Beauty By . o DR. SOPHIA BRUNSON c THE DOCTORS IN THE WAR The reports that are coming from the doctors in the army are not only very interesting but they show that Uncle Sam has no more useful and cheerful soldiers than the members of the medical profession. pro-fession. A Charlotte, N. C, surgeon, Dr. Stokes Munroe, wrote a letter from Africa to a Charlotte newspaper columnist. It was dated November Novem-ber 29. He spoke of living under tents, which is a great improvement improve-ment over their former way of life. Then they had no baggage nor bedding and slept on the concrete con-crete floor. And it is cold in that part of Africa at night. They were limited to a pint of water a day for all purposes and that had to be treated with chemicals. For seven days they did not remove re-move any of their clothes as they had neither water nor facilities for bathing. It can be imagined how filthy they wereand they are professional pro-fessional men who are accustomed to being immaculate. The doctor said that far from complaining, they were cheerful, and laughed at the discomforts. For days they only had food which came out of cans. One contained biscuits, three blocks of sugar, some powdered coffee, and four pieces of hard candy. The other contained a mixture of meat and vegetables. Everything was eaten out of the cans, as there were no facilities for heating them. The African flies swarmed over everything every-thing and bit the men while they were trying to eat; the unfriendly unfriend-ly natives were shooting at them from any cover behind which they could hide. The doctors, with their helpers, finally moved into an open field, and after much toil set up fifty tents with twenty hospitoi beds for patients. These units are as well equipped as they could be in this country. The tents are symmetrically arranged, ar-ranged, with roadways between, all named. Each name is painted on a post by convalescent patients who were formerly sign painters. The tents are also numbered. It is quite a city of tents, for the officers and nurses are quartered "on one side of the hospital area, the officers being on one side of Carolina avenue, ave-nue, and the nurses on the other. There are 160 tents in which the enlisted men live. They have large kitchens and mess halls. Plenty of good water has been obtained. It is comforting to know that the operating tents are equipped with all modern appliances of the best grade and quality. They have the finest and latest X-ray appliances. ap-pliances. They can do any kind of surgery. These doctors and surgeons sur-geons do more than half the work for all of the patients in the whole area, so they are kept very busy. "We are very happy," writes Dr. Stokes Munroe. True doctor and humanitarian that he is, happy to be of service to his country and to his fellow men. |