|
(p.3)
THE IOWA MEDICAL PROFESSION IN THE GREAT WAR
The medical profession of Iowa
furnished 835 medical officers for the war in many lines of
service, in many camps in the United States, in many overseas
camps and in combat service, with credit to the state, with
honor to the profession and many with great personal
distinction which has been recognized by the War Department
and by the Nation. It has been the purpose of this Journal to
follow the activities of the Iowa medical officers as far as
possible not so much in the way of extolling the individual
merits, as in showing how by cooperation of the different
medical units a condition of service was obtained that
practically eliminated the ordinary infectious diseases that
has so often in the past followed armies in the field and
rendered so many soldiers unfit.
We are also able to point with pride and
satisfaction to the skill with which wounded men were
evacuated to dressing stations and hospitals notwithstanding
the inadequate provision which our unpreparedness compelled us
to rely upon. We shall begin our account of Iowa medical
officers in the war with an introductory abstract from the
medical history of the 42nd Division (Rainbow) and the medical
history of the 168th Regiment (Iowa) which with the 167th
Regiment (Alabama) rendered the most distinguished services of
the war.
"The purpose of this paper is to relate
experiences of the Medical Detachments of the 42nd Division in
such a way that the future may profit from the past. And, with
this in mind, it seems
(p. 4)
only fair that we discuss, first, in a brief way, the
personnel of these detachments, for the credit that redounds
to the medical department of the front line must go to those
brave lads whose magnificent courage and intelligence made
possible the efficient care of the wounded under most adverse
conditions.
"In the service of the state from which these
medical detachments came, as a part of that particular
infantry, artillery or engineer unit which went to make up the
Rainbow Division, there was a peculiar attraction about the
medical branch of the service that drew to it, for enlistment,
men of the highest type. In fact, it was possible for the
commanding officers to take only the cream, as it were, of the
preferred enlistments. This apparently had been done without
exception with the result that these medical detach-ments were
made up of men who were peculiarly fitted by temperament and
physique for the work that they were later to do.
"In one detachment, of which the writer has
intimate knowledge (and there is no reason to suppose that
this detachment was other than an average one of the whole
Division), the percentage of men who had a grade school
education was 100, the graduates of a high school were 90 per
cent of the total and the percentage of those who had had some
college training was 80. In addition, almost half of these men
had acquired some little medical or surgical training in civil
life. In sharp contrast to this type of men, were the poorly
chosen replacements that came to the Division on several
occasions - an appreciable percentage of whom were illiterate,
with little practical experience in life, and some of whom
could not speak
(p. 5)
the English language intelligently. Though the work of these
men, in most instances, was creditable, it was obviously
hampered.
"The fact that an organization has in it a certain
number of college men, a given number of trained men, a
proportion of men who are physically strong, does not,
perhaps, insure its efficiency, but the fact is sub-mitted
that where these qualities, as have been suggested, have been
possessed, the result has been most gratifying. The medical
detachment man is more often thrown on his own resources than
the man of any other branch, when, on his exhibition of
courage, intelligence and endurance, depends the safety and
life of others, and it is with this fact in mind that the plea
is made for the man of these qualities.
"Equipment, too, has played a prominent part in the
successful functioning of the medical detachments, as it has
with every other branch of the service. The various types of
warfare brought about a development of combat equipment. This
development includes improvements, modifications, reductions
and the addition of many new articles and types. As in other
branches of service, problems were met at every turn and,
while many of them were to be solved when encountered, yet
foresight enabled the medical department to handle many
emergencies with credit. Both the English and the French
contributed to our medical needs and schooled our officers in
their methods, but no perfect equipment or set of rules was
provided in advance for the successive campaigns and, after
all, experience proved the greatest factor in perfecting and
balancing this important item. Transportation, too, effected
(p. 6)
equipment in no small degree, especially in the last months of
the war."
MEDICAL SERVICE OF THE 168TH INFANTRY
1. Baccarat Area - The medical service on a stationary,
and more or less quiet front consists mainly of sanitation and
prevention of disease, rather than the evacuation of wounded.
Consequently, the details of litter-bearing, getting the
wounded from the field to the aid station, were not very
thoroughly worked out during tIie first few weeks in this
sector. This made very little difference in the service, on
account of the nature of the action, which consisted wholly of
patrolling and raids, and when the affair was over, the
soldier laid down his rifle, took hold of a litter and helped
bring his wounded comrade in. And how well they did this is
evident by the remarkably swift time of evacuation established
in this area.
Major Conkling, the regimental surgeon was away at
school when we first entered the trenches, and the sanitary
detachment was under command of Capt. Wm. B. Hudson. The 1st
Battalion took the trenches in front of Badonviller, with
Lieut. Harris and Lieut. Williams as surgeons. The aid station
was in Badonviller, and about fifteen hundred yards from the
farthest outpost of our troops. The enlisted personnel
consisted of a sergeant, a pharmacist, a clerk and ten first
aid men. Two of the latter were detailed with each of the two
companies in the tront line trenches. They had with them
litters, splints and a plentiful supply of dressings.
All of the trenches in this area were narrow, and had
many sharp angles, so it was apparent
(p. 7)
from the start that all evacuations must be over the top and
without cover. The support battalion was at Pexonne, and the
Regimental Infantry was set up there, approximately two
kilometers from Badonviller. The reserve battalion infirmary
was located at Neuf Maison, and the sanitary personnel moved
from one location to the other; keeping with its battalion.
The medical equipment was left permanently at each infirmary,
and checked by the surgeons at each relief. The ambulance came
to the very door of the battalion aid stations, and when a
wound was dressed, the patient was very shortly on his way to
the hospital. There was one casualty prior to March 5, 1918,
this being a slight wound in the back, suffered by a member of
D Company who received a Croix de Guerre for shedding the
first American blood in this area. On March 5 we had our first
taste of war, withstanding a very severe bombardment which
lasted about an hour and a half. The fire, was directed almost
entirely on the front line trenches, and there the havoc
wrought, appeared to our untried eyes and nerves, to be
terrific. There were about forty wounded, most of them
severely, as is usually the case in shell fire. In an hour and
a half after the shelling ceased, the first of the wounded
were in the aid station at Badonviller; they had been dressed
in the trenches, and carried a distance of one kilometer over
a terrain torn by shells, and crisscrossed with trenches and
barbed wire.
Not one of the wounded was brought in without a
first aid dressing applied, and all fractures were splinted in
the trenches, before putting the patient on a litter. When our
front was lengthened on April 1, we took over an ideal
dressing
(p. 8)
station at Village Nigre. This was a huge dugout, which the
French troops had completed after two years of hard work.
There were quarters for the men, an infirmary containing eight
bunks, and the dressing station proper. This had an entry into
a receiving room which held eight litters, then a passage
leading to the dress- ing room. From the dressing room another
passageway gave access to a waiting room where an ambulance
load of wounded were collected, and then taken directly out by
a "sortie" to the ambulance, which came with in a few yards of
the door. This was only half of the station, the other end
being used for walking patients, and not being divided into
rooms, could accommodate about two hundred persons. The entire
dugout was lighted by electricity; there were four doors and
ten windows, all equipped with gas curtains. Pine trees had
been set out all over the dug-out, and a small, but well kept
flower garden appeared in front.
The equipment kept in the aid stations here was very
extensive; but as yet we had seen no reason for cutting it
down. The period from April 1 to the middle of May was mainly
devoted to sanitation. This was in charge of Capt. Bunch, who
joined the regiment early in April, and from the time of his
coming, the smoke of incinerators never ceased. Latrines were
dug, and urinals established and in one part of our front when
it was impossible to dig on account of water, bucket latrines
were put in, and a man from each platoon put in charge of the
sanitary work.
In May occurred our epidemic of influenza, the
so-called "three day fever," which appeared to be identical
with the epidemic of influenza which
(p. 9)
was then raging in various places on the Continent, and in
England. Ninety per cent of the command suffered from the
disease but there were no fatalities. Evacuation to the
hospital ran up to 50 and 60 per cent. A sergeant of H Company
reported to the infirmary one evening with a temperature of
102 degrees F. When told that he should go to the hospital, he
admitted that he was willing, but had to go back to his post
in G. C. 9 and get his equipment. He failed to return
promptly, and a runner was sent out to bring him in; then it
was discovered that he had gone out on a patrol, possibly
thinking that was a good way to cool his fever. It worked out,
for the next morning he appeared with a normal temperature,
and feeling fine. Many of these men, however, were desperately
sick, and did not recover for weeks.
On May 27 we suffered under the most deadly of all
offensive measures. A projector gas attack which fell
principally on village Nigre and took a fearful toll from the
companies stationed there; A, C, and Machine Gun. A projector
attack must be experienced to be appreciated. The stupendous
noise of bursting containers is so unearthly as to be almost
paralyzing and the gas is of such concentration and so
all-pervading that the least hesitation means death, or at the
very least, incapacitation for a varying period. There is only
one defense, but that is absolute: namely, the gas mask,
instantly adjusted and left in place until the gas has
dispersed. In addition, work should cease, unless absolutely
necessary. Many men on the morning of May 27 worked violently
at litter bearing, and persisted in it after being
(p. 10)
ordered to stop, until they, themselves made the ultimate
sacrifice.
On May 29th the attack was repeated, but our dearly
bought experience had been taken advantage of, and there were
but two casualties, and they were unavoidable. The gas used in
these two instances was a mixture of phosgene, and chlorene,
with the phosgene much in excess. It is a very deadly
combination, one full breath of the heavy concentration at the
beginning of the attack being sufficient to cause death. The
first week in June, Major Conkling was transferred to the
divisional medical staff, and Captain Bunch became regimental
surgeon, which position he held continuously from that time
on.
On June 17 we had our first experience with
mustard gas. During a general bombardment of the area,
numerous mustard gas shells were thrown into Badonviller. A
recommendation was at once made that the portions of the
village rendered dangerous by reason of the gas be evacuated
temporarily. This was not done, and the following day the
ambulances were kept busy evacuating the casualties. The
shelling having occurred in the evening, and in conjunction
with a bombardment by high explosives, it was impossible to
locate all of the gas shell holes, and many men unwitting went
to sleep in their quarters and were casualties by morning from
the slow emanation of gas from unsuspected shell holes close
at hand. The following night the Division was relieved and
sent to the Champagne.
2. In the Champagne we found ourselves in an active
sector. The aid stations were in trenches, with no dug-out
nearby, and no cover for either wounded or sanitary personnel.
Here
(p. 11)
for the first time, litter bearers were authorized, and they
had one day of training in their work before the storm broke
out on July 15. But all stations were accessible to
ambulances, and the first load of patients was on its way to
the hospital in an hour after the shelling started. Here we
learned that the combat equipment for a battalion could only
consist of such material as the medical personnel could carry,
as the battalion moved from place to place. Here, also, three
men of the sanitary detachment wIth the third battalion were
recommended for the D. S. C. by the company commanders of that
battalion.
In Lorraine, the deepest dug-out was none too safe. In
Champagne, even a trench two feet deep, such as the second
battalion infirmary occupied, was a God-send. The evacuations
were carried on regularly, and with no hold up, from all three
aid stations, as long as ambulances were available. After
eight o'clock on the morning of the 15th, we had more or less
trouble getting the patients to the rear. But they were
finally cleared up by evening of that day. And although we
remained in that position for several more days, there were no
casualties.
3. At the beginning of the counter offensive in the
Chateau Thierry region we were at once relieved and sent to
that area. Here we found a different problem. Open warfare, in
a wooded region without roads, and most vital of all, no maps.
Prompt cooperation from the Regimental Commander insured an
extra detail of litter bearers, and enabled us to get the
wounded to the aid stations in very good time. But as the
heaviest casualties occurred in the neighborhood of Red Cross
Farm, and just at dark, this field was not
(p. 12)
cleared until the following morning. No horse ambulances were
available, but an escort wagon with two mules did wonderful
work in this region. It was more than a kilometer from the
front line to the nearest aid station where work could be
carried on at night. And as we had had two days of rain, the
paths in the woods were little canals of mud. The litter
bearers here had a heart breaking task, and there was not one
who did not deserve a decoration. The night following the
action at Red Cross Farm, the regiment moved forward through
the woods, several kilometers, taking up a position to attack
across the Ourq river at dawn.
The battalion aid stations were moved with the troops,
the men carrying all the equipment, and being established in
position when the attack began the next morning. Soon the
wounded were pouring in, but no ambulances were there to take
them to the rear. We had the unfortunate experience of seeing
hundreds of patients lying in our several stations, some for
more than eight hours, some even twelve, before they were
moved.
Three S. S. U. ambulances attached to our regiment made
trip after trip that day, but could not make an impression on
the ever increasing number of casualties. Three ammunition
trucks took fifty gassed and wounded patients from Lieut.
Harris stationed at La Cense Farm, and notably relieved the
congestion there. And finally a train of ambulances was
secured from the Division on our right, and we evacuated all
of our seriously wounded shortly after midnight. On this front
we ran two aid stations. One, near the firing line, handled
litter cases, and two squads of ambulance litter bearers were
stationed there, as it
(p. 13)
was not accessible to motor vehicles. The other station served
as a gathering point for all wounded, and being in plain sight
of the entire field, drew walking wounded from all directions.
On the afternoon of the second day on the Ourcq, Lieut.
Williams and Lieut. Green were wounded in their station at La
Monte farm. Both of our stations here were under direct
observation, as well as the path connecting them. Consequently
the casualties among litter bearers were very high. And as the
line advanced through Sergy and on to the hills beyond, it
became increasingly difficult to get the wounded back.
A good, but very dangerous road ran from Sergy, to the
rear, right past our rear station, and six Ford trucks from
the 149th Machine Gun Battalion took up the task of evacuating
the village. Trip after trip was made, and each was a race
with death; vicious Whiz-bangs and heavier Howitzers marking
the trail of each little car with curling bursts of the dense
black smoke of high explosive. Most of the patients were
covered with dust and dirt from the shells that hurried the
truck on its way. And each driver profanely ridiculed the
attempts of the enemy gunners to make the way impassible.
After replacements were received, a new detail of litter
bearers was secured, and these were given several days of
instruction in applying the first aid packet, and handling
fitters and wounded men.
4. At St. Mihiel we were better able to plan our work, as the
operation was from an old prepared position. The aid station
of the attacking battalion, was just in front of the jump off
in an abandoned strong point. The station of the sup-
(p. 14)
port was about three hundred yards in the rear of this, and
the reserve station was on the road, about six hundred yards
in the rear of the latter, or nine hundred yards from the
advanced station. Motor ambulance could not traverse this last
distance. It was necessary to bring seriously wounded to the
road by stretcher bearers, but slightly wounded, unable to
walk, were transported by horse ambulance. As our rear station
was the loading point of the motor ambulances, it was
necessary to maintain it until the field was cleared. The
support station however, moved forward as soon as the enemy's
line was broken, and followed the advancing line closely.
Practically all casualties occurred in tlie first two hours of
the attack, so the wounded were all evacuated from our
original positions. This was very fortunate as it would have
been almost impossible to evacuate across the area comprised
in the old battle lines. The roads across the old "No Mans
Land" were hastily reconstructed, and sustained an unceasing
stream of traffic for forty-eight hours after the lines moved
forward, but this traffic was of necessity all moving forward,
and vehicles going towards the rear had little chance of
getting through. The army objective was reached at ten o'clock
in the morning of the second day, and at eleven o' clock we
had one motor and one horse ambulance at the aid station just
behind the front line.
The advance station was located in Louisville
farm. The road leading to it, as well as the farm itself, was
under direct observation from the enemy lines, but was just
out of machine gun range. The support and reserve stations
were with their respective battalions, and three kilo-
(p. 15)
meters behind the outpost line. We remained two weeks in this
sector, getting latrines, urinals and refuse pits established,
and were transferred to the Argonne region. The entire
Division camped in the woods just before Montfaucon for
several days. This camp was behind the German lines as they
were prior to September 26th, and the area had been under
shell fire for the entire period of the war. A more devastated
region would be hard to imagine. Branchless trunks of trees
represented what had been once a forest, and each soldier had
for his home, an individual shell hole. Here the first rumors
of peace began to come, and over-enthusiastic dough boys were
shouting in concert every few minutes, day and night when
particularly pleasing ideas occurred to them.
5. Shortly orders to move came, and we moved to the
left of Montfaucon, on a road continually jammed with ration
and ammunition trucks, ambulances, artillery and practically
everything that goes on wheels. The march was particularly
exasperating because the road was being intermittently shelled
with H. E. and shrapnel. Under such conditions, most anyone
has an almost uncontrollable desire to move right along and
perhaps establish a new country record over the said bit of
highway. Finally some eight inch, tractor drawn rifles, a
couple of ration trucks and three caissons met the head of our
column, and almost immediately afterwards, three shrapnel
bursts right in the road, and settled all questions of right
of way, and traffic speeded up considerably. The wounded were
taken into a barn nearby an. dressed. Ambulances appeared at
day break. The regiment rested that day, and
(p. 16)
relieved the 28th Infantry that night. The following day was
spent in reconnoitering and brought a further change of
position to the right before Hill 288 where the action started
on October 14th.
It was four kilometers from this position to a
road; and this four kilometers was through a valley, ankle
deep in mud. All communications from the Brigade sector to the
rear was by this valley, and it was under nearly constant
fire. Two squads of ambulance litter bearers were with the
advanced aid station. They carried patients to the support aid
station, about one and a half kilometers towards the rear.
Here the horse ambulances could operate, and did operate, but
were not sufficient to evacuate all the wounded, many of whom
were borne back by the stretcher bearers the entire four
kilometers.
The aid station here was in a "fox hole" for two days.
Then an abandoned hut was found, which when covered with a
tarpaulin, gave good protection from the rain, and made it
possible to work at night. The advance on hill 288 began about
seven in the morning. At noon the leading elements had passed
over the crest. and the medical personnel moved to the top of
the hill, with battalion headquarters. This position soon came
in for a heavy shelling by enemy howitzer, and Sergeant Burke,
Pharmacist Bongers and Clerk Aschan of the sanitary detachment
were all wounded by fragments from one shell. Two days later
the Cote de Chattillon was taken, and ambulances could then
come at night to within a few yards of the aid stations. The
work in this area was probably the most severe test the
medical department had during the war. The regiment
(p. 17)
was soon relieved here, and got a week's rest before entering
the final campaign. The initial attack on the new line was on
November 1 and on November 2 we marched out of our billets and
followed the advancing 77th and 78th Divisions. On November 5
we took over a sector just north of St. Piermont and at
midnight of the 6th our troops were overlooking the Meuse
river just above Sedan. During this advance no aid stations
were set up, the medical personnel moving right along at the
rear of the battalion, and carrying all equip- ment. There
were three casualties during the 5th and 6th; two from shell
fire and one from a machine gun bullet. The men suffered a
great deal from exposure and lack of food, and consequently
many sick were evacuated. We were relieved from this front on
November 9th and had moved back to Briquenay when the
armistice was signed.
|
