Show HOSPITAL UNITS ARE ADVANCE GUARD OF EXPEDITIONARY fORCE TO FRANCE Two Have Already Gone to Europe and More Are to Follow For Follow For iwo Two Years Pr Preparations Have Been Going Forward in r S Hospitals All Over the Country Under Under the the Di Direction Direction Di- Di of th the Red Cross I By MARY MJ DEWHURST In the New New York Tribune New York Long Long before the fighting men of the United States reach the tin battlefields of Europe the letters U U. S S.W. S. S W. W 1 R. R C. C will be l known own to wounded f soldiers In m many n a little town In it franco In j base hospitals lose close behInd behind behind be be- hind the armies willbe be found doctors doc doc- fore tors nurses and orderlies fresh from froix America advance gU guards of the first expeditionary forces which this c coun country un- un try ever sent abroad Already two base hospital units are arc om od the other ther side five others are to tc follow within a few weeks ami and all through the summer along with Avith tonal and food ships from America will carry men inca and women of United United Unit Unit- ed States Medical 1 Reserve corps Twenty Units Organized During the last two years s the army has pas foreseen the present emergency and und prepared for It Under the direction tion of Col Jefferson R. R n Kenn medical director of the American Red Hed Cross 20 base hospital units have been organized organized organized or or- In connection Ith medical centers all over the country Beginning Beginning Begin Begin- ning with Avith the Massachusetts G General hospital on the time East Eastern 1 seaboard and extending to San Francisco on the Western different hospitals have have- volunteered volunteered vol vol- staff awl i equipment for war Avar service Colonel Kean co each cacti hospital doctors nurses Instruments ments meats and physical properties Into units registered them under the Red Bed RedCross RedCross Cross and antI arranged for their Immediate Immedi Immedi- ate transfer Into the Medical Reserve corps at the outbreak ak of war This transfer has taken place and each unit has been notified to hold Itself In readiness for foreign duty to replace British organizations In France which will wUl move on to other positions They are Americas America's response to the situation created by the torpedoing of hospital Ships Henceforth hosp hospitals must be betaken betaken taken laken to the wounded since sick and helpless men are no longer lonser exempt from frightfulness Besides s 70 nurses nurses' and 25 doctors ca each h unit Includes an administrative personnel of about 50 civilians Abase A A. base l hospitals hospital's equipment provides for liDO 00 beds which allows about three nurses nurses nurses' and a doctor to each 20 wounded These ph physicians and nurses are only the first-aid first givers the ex ex- experts experts who vho with their patients must be fed laundered transported In Indexed Indexed In- In and amused and it taxes all of the willing workers to see to it First to Mobilize I With every unit goes a quartermaster quarterma I tel ter from the time regular army array in command command com corn mand nand of the administrative forces All All All' civilians civilians' are enU enlisted ted under him as privates at 15 a month and later appointed appointed ap ap- pointed to special duties a according fo to whether they are cooks or laboratory experts At the outset the time college collese man with a string of letters after atter his name goes oes In on a par with the husky Irishman Irishman Irish Irish- man roan who can drive a mule mul and of the two the Irishman gets the the warmer welcome wel come The first unit from New York to get Its mobilization ord orders rs was Avas the one organized by the Presbyterian hospital It has been In existence over a year and prides Itself on Its equipment bought and s stowed owed away against Just such inch a call cahl Last year orders came cume for fora a m. practice mobilization In Philadelphia but Ut the hospital trustees demurred at giving Its doctors and nurses leave of absence so the equipment was sent without them It took 18 f freight carsto cars lo to ca carry ry It Out In Cleveland directors of the time Lakeside hospital unit of which Dr George W. W Crile Is Is' chief Jumped ed edat at the chance to train Its staff in practice practice practice tice work vork and proceeded to Philadelphia Philadelphia Philadel Philadel- phia to spend two Iwo nights under canvas canvas can canas can can- vas as with the Presbyterian equipment The personnel and the properties proper ties dovetailed in a u manner eminently satisfactory ry to the army officers officers in charge this in spite of minor changes in specifications forced orcell by such awkward awk- awk ward ward facts as the In the center of the garage tent which made It ImpractIcable Impracticable Im Im- practicable for ambulances or the necessity necessity necessity ne ne- ne- ne of building a hut for Ui the sterilizing sterilizing steril sterll- izing plant to protect it from drafts drafts' When the Presbyterian unit received Its war orders last lust month trustees trustees' objections objections ob ob- ob- ob no 00 longer counted The doctors doe doc oc- oc tors were all officers ers in the United d States tat s Medical Reserve corps and subject subject subject sub sub- to duty The nurses were registered registered regis regis- terell with the Red fled Cross t to be called when wIlen needed The unit stayed only to o recruit to full strength a a matter of some detail since its civilian requirements require require- ments meats are varied Signs for Third Time Youve everything g here but a band said one applicant looking over the time list 1st of places still sUIl open to him Well he went Avent on I guess Ill I'll sign up for fOI forthe the time third time Ive I've been with the sawbones sawbones sawbones saw saw- bones in the Philippines and as again l on the Mexican border here are my papers papers papers pa pa- pers to prove It I might as well go with em once more Its It's fine for the health boys bOJ's better corpe in he called to some students who seemed to hesitate hesitate hesi best tate about enlisting Barring accidents men who enlist with Avith witha a a unit will never know the forefront forefront forefront fore fore- front of battle Base hospitals are ore planted miles behind the time armies generally gen gen- emily In some sonie deserted hotel or empty opera house They receive only chronic cases and those of slow recovery and andare andare are fed b by the field hospitals which In turn are f fed d from the dressing or first-aid first stations The former r require a high degree of physical fitness in their workers but at a base men who couldn't do trench or ambul ambulance nce duty may serve their thelt turn as hospital order order- Ue lies Its It's all nil a question of grit fn find endurance Physical examinations are simple directed to heart and lungs and SO 80 per cent of the the- applicants get through In the rush to enroll with the Presbyterian Pres Pres- 1 terian unit were men of all callings and every age Weve yeve had everything e here from picture re hangers hansel's to plumbers said Dr Dr Sydney Burnap who ho enrolled the force We needed mechanics pharmacists electricians carpenters and und cooks andAve and find we Ave got them all aU When the hospital units were wen planned two tAvo years ago pro Islon was as made for 50 volunteer nurses' nurses aids to serve wIthout pay but with subsistence subsistence tence and transportation on furnished bythe by bythe the government Doctors Doctor's Wives Go All AU over the country women qualified for this duty by taking Red Cross t training In Home Care of th the Sick In the Presbyterian terlan unit some of the doctors' doctors wives planned to accompany their husbands as nurses' nurses aids Mrs 1 George E. E Brewer wife of or orthe the units unit's director wa was AVOS one who had worked hardest st to fit herself to go along Recorders Recorders Re Re- corders Indexers Indexers stenographers typists nearl nearly mobbed the units unit's offices after the mobilization orders appeared seeking a n chance to serve in the first force to go so to France With all of these it was another case of Mr looking for war work and looking in vain aln Orders had come conme from Washington that no nurses nurses' aids were to be taken If if- necessary enlisted enlist enlist- ed edmen men would be used to fill their their- places Instead of 20 female clerical workers as originally planned the number was Avas cut to four who must be women omen wIth Avith training in Ia medical nomenclature Th These se woman clerical workers workers' are arean arean arean an anomaly unclassified In arm army regu regu- lations They are a branch of service sure to develop wIth Avith the need and those who go over now are pioneers In muck much the same way Avay as were the women Clara Barton organized Into Red fled Cross nurses In the days day of the Civil war Avar Ke Keeping pi g the records o of patients Is' Is a job In itself When Ute the change every few weeks reeks the Job grows with the card Indexes to say say nothing of their thell diagnoses and and d hI his his- h tories There arc are requisitions to be made out letters to be answered and anxious relatives to be communicated with As the units follow each other throughout the year car more women will Avill probably be t taken to release the doctors doctors doc doe tors from routine clerical work vork just justas as women will finally go as as nurs nurses nurses' s' s aids in order to release men men for the time front Would Scrub Floors But with the first installments Instalments the war wai office Is from Mis l Missouri url urI and must be e shown So that at atthe the the Presbyterian units unit's enrollment offices es bitter hitter disappointment spread among the rejected No one knows what Mrs Brewer Brewer said sail when hen she found that even the lie doctor could not secure un an exception in her favor but some of the time others were Outspoken Wh Why did you want Avant to go one littie little little lit lit- tle tie typist was Avas asked as she be turned turnell de de- de- de I away after being told she had no chance Because I want to do something answered quick for my country she Id 11 have gone to scrub floors Do you know If they pay a stenographer anything anything anything any any- thing Yes well Id I'd have gone for nothing The nurses feel the same way Avay about It Theres There's heart burning and disappointment disappointment disappointment among those left behind In Inthe Inthe inthe the hospitals of the city One nurse a Canadian registered as a French army array army nurse nurse as well veil as with Avith the American Ameri Ameri- can R Red Bcd d Cross Insisted that she be al allowed allowed allowed al- al lowed t to go since she sue bad had served a n year in th the small hospitals hospital of France rance and arid knew the game ga just why h you must stay here answered the head head- nurse to whom she applied You h have ve had to let your chance and now bow you'll have it If It someone else have a try at wouldn't be fair fall to give glye It twice to you ou The Canadian gave up witha With Avith n n a bad grace but finally consoled herself with the thought that these early units would soon be followed b by others and that if the time war Avar lasts as long as now now seems those who went Avent late would be be less near the breaking b point when p peace ace came When mobilization orders went out of Wasl Washington last month for tor seven hospital units to proceed as soon as possible to France the first to getaway get away was the tIme one from Cleveland because we did that mobilization stunt In Philadelphia last year ear khaki clad doctors doctors doc doe said one of tile the young oung tors before he lie sailed We thought at atthe atthe the th time the practice Idea was Avas all nil flub flub- dub but were we're tickled to death deat 1 now We were told Ave could mobilize in ten days day we Ave could get the first ship We Te did it in seven Some of ot Cleveland's elands most eminent doctors threw up practices worth scores of thousands to o go with Avith their unit on a majors major's pay of three thousand thou thou- snail sand a year Dr George W. W Crile its director will Avill follow later but his partner partner part part- ner ncr Doctor Lower went Avent along as well wel as Doctor Hoover head of the lie medical staff of Lakeside Lal hospital Out of the time units unit's hundred and fifty civilians 70 are c college colleg 1 boys o s 's some of f them withIn a month of their diplomas Just before before before be be- fore the ship s sailed news newS- came that the organization was to be received with ith cei celebrations on the tIme other side We cant can't cant can't l inar march arch h without music said sald the the director and the civilian force was Avas hastily canvassed can for musical tal tal- tal- tal ent Ten minutes before the gangplank gangplank gangplank gang gang- plank was Avns raised three snare drums and a a bundle of fifes were ere hurried aboard and the first division slon of the American arm army In Europe expects to parade to the tune of Yankee Doodle past Buckingham palace or down the time Champs hamps EI sees or wherever a grateful grateful grate grate- ful populace turns out to cheer them themas as a flung far-flung promise of troops to come |