May 20, 1897.]
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
THE CARE OF THE WOUNDED IN | is said that in our little war against Arabi in
WAR.
Considerable interest in the care of the wounded in war has been aroused in this colony by the interesting lecture which Surgeon-Colonel EVATT, who is an enthusiast on the subject, has delivered on several different occasions. Medical officers, ac- cording to Colonel EvATT, ought to have a brotherhood and conradeship and love for the soldier, whose life and welfare they should study day and fight. To that stan- dard the Principal Medical Officer himself conforms and his aim an appearing before the public as a lecturer is, as we understand it, to enlist public opinion in favour of the extension and perfection of the Ariny Medi- cal Corps, so that, as he puts it, Private THOMAS ATKINS, when wounded, may be as well treated on the battlefield as in his
the
Egypt no wounded man ever lay longer than a quarter of an hour without help. There were of course but a few hundreds to attend to, But in earlier times, and even occasionally dur- ing the Franco-German war of 1870-1, men lay for days unheard, unseen, lingering on till "first aid" which might have saved many a precious life came just too late. Terrible beyond conception must have been the battle- fields of the early years of the century. History says little of these things, but individual accounts of the retreat from Moscow, of Sir John Moore's retirement on Corunna, of the rout of the French army of the Loire in 1871, and of similar events, paint in lurid colours the in- fernal horrors which may result from war when its amenities have given place to the pitiless logic of accomplished facts.
So far as we are aware nothing has appeared in the public Press in Europe or America to call attention to the stern decision that we are to go back, deliberately and intentionally to go back, to this state of affairs
Sur.
as soon as the signal guns of the long expected war of 189- shall call Europe to arms. geon-General Bardeleben of the Prussian army writes" Carrying away the wounded in litters during the battle must be abandoned, for it is altogether impracticable." Thus calmly and dispassionately, with official authority and executive power, he dooms to death by hundreds and thousands those whom humanity would, at every possible risk, rescue. If one asks, Why? the reply is simple, but crushing: There is no help for it! Archibald Forbes says: "When the first great battle of the next great war comes to be fought a million of combatants will be in the field. Ou the percentage of 1870, and putting aside altogether the effect of the recent developments in man-hurting, the cas- ualties will exceed 140,000. According to the existing ratios, of this number 35,000 would be slain, 70.000 would be comparatively slightly wounded, and 35.000 would be severely wounded.
mother's house. Is this ideal an attainable one? In respect of small wars, frontier fighting and expeditions against native chiefs, such as Great Britain frequently has on her hands, the answer must be given in the affir- mative, and it must be counted criminal negligence against any Government which allows an army under ordinary circum stances to take the field unprovided with all requirements for the care of the sick and wounded and the sanitary regulation of the camps. But should a great European war unfortunately break out it is to be feared that neither Great Britain nor any other Power would find it within the bounds of human possibility to adequately care for the wounded. Surgeon-Colonel EVATT illus trates his lecture with a very interesting diagram showing the army in the field, each division having its own bearer companies
It follows that if the wounded of the with field hospitals in the rear, whence the next great battle are to be dealt with as the wounded are transferred to the stationary present arrangements prescribe, apart from the hospitals along the line of communication gleaning of the bearers during the battle, surgical assistance will have to be provided for 105,000 until by appropriate stages they reach the wounded, and hospital accommodation for 70,000; base, when they are placed on a hospital ship, namely, the 35,000 severely wounded, and one- and from that transferred to a sick transport half of the 70,000 comparatively slightly ship, by which they are conveyed to England wounded. To cope adequately with this vast for treatment at Netley Hospital. The aggregate of human suffering, with this gigan- theory is beautiful, and, seeing that it tic example of man's inhumanity to man' is can be carried into effect with considera- obviously impossible: it confessedly cannot and ble efficiency in most of the fighting opera-thorities on this point that new regulations are will not be attempted." So certain are the au- tions that fall to the lot of the British already framed to meet the new conditions.
it must not be deprecated or con- army,
The military ambulances which have till now demned because it may be possible to led the line of vehicles in rear of an ariny are to demonstrate that it would be found im- give place to reserve ammunition wagons; and practicable in case of a war on a more to prevent unnecessary increase in the number extensive scale. Our Shanghai contem- of casualties, the ambulance corps is distinctly ordered to wait till the fighting is done before porary, the A. C. Daily News, in a recent issue summarised some authoritative utter entering on its work of mercy. ances on this subject, and to give an idea of the suffering the great war of the future will entail we cannot do better than give -our contemporary's article in full:—
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weep his loss." But if things are to be carried to their logical conclusion, why leave the eyes? If it be a good thing to make war so hateful that none would willingly wage it, it must be a still better thing to make it utterly im- possible, and therefore why leave an e
enemy at all? Why not revert to first principles in all their naked simplicity, and wage wars of ex- termination ? It is proverbially unsafe to prophesy, but we venture the opinion that should the tendencies we have out- lined become accomplished facts in the "next war" there will be stich a revulsion of feeling, such a revolution in thought, and such an uprising against the system that makes this wholesale murder possible, that govern ments will be shaken to their foundations. Greece is providing Europe with a particularly instructive object lesson at the present moment. Over and above the danger to the common- wealth, there is, too, evidently dynastic danger, and the hesitation to enter into war which has for so many years kept Europe in peace, if not at rest, will be strengthened thereby.
HONGKONG LEGISLATIVÉ
COUNCIL.
A meeting of the Hongkong Legislative Council was held at the Council Chamber on the 17th May. Present:-
His EXCELLENCY the Governor, Sir WIL- LIAM ROBINSON, K.C.M.G.
His EXCELLENCY Major-General BLACK, C.B. (Officer Commanding the Forces.)
Hon. J. H. STEWART LOCKHART (Colonial Secretary),
Hon. W, M. GOODMAN (Attorney-General), Hon. T. SERCOMBE SMITH (Colonial Treasurer).
Hon. F. H. MAY (Captain Superintendent of Police.)
Hon, R. MURRAY RUMSEY
Master).
(Harbour
Hon. W. CHATHAM (Acting Director of Public Works).
Hon. C. P. CHATER.
Hon. T. H. WHITEHEAD.
Hon. E. R. BELILIOS, C.M.G.
Hon. Ho KAI.
Hon. WEI A YUK,
Mr. J. G. T. BUCKLE (Clerk of Councils).
MINUTES.
The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed.
PAPERS.,
The COLONIAL Secretary laid the follow- ing papers on the table-The Registrar-Ge- neral's report for 1896; the report of the Po Leung Kuk Society for the year ended 31st December, 1896.
FINANCIAL MINUTES.
Financial Minutes Nos. 10, 11, and 12 were referred to the Finance Committee.
PUPLIC WORKS COMMITTEES' REPORT. The ACTING DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS Mr. Forbes in bis estimates puts aside moved the adoption of the Public Works Com- altogether the effect of the recent develop-mittee's report No. 1. ment in man-hurting in order that his The COLONIAL SECRETARY.seconded.
Carried.
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picture may not be overdrawn. In this he has probably erred from an excess of caution. One of the greatest of the many changes The weapons of the present day are as much which have come over civilised man within the superior to the Chassepôt as was that weapon present century is to be found in his attitude to the Brown Bess. And if, as at St. Privat, towards those who suffer, In individual ex- the French fire "accounted for " 6,000 Prussian perience he has learnt to escape physical pain soldiers in twenty minutes what may we not ex- by means of anesthetics and sedatives; in family pect under like circumstances fre smokeless and school life, his infliction of pain by the nse powder, repeating rifles, quick-firing field of the rod has generally given place to gentler guns, and shells filled with such fiendish forms of suasion; the sterner measures formerly power as melinite provides! But even thought necessary for criminal repression have supposing that Mr. Forbes has not under- been so softened that John Howard to-day estimated the losses, he has said nothing would find his self-imposed task entirely un- of the second battle, and the third. The care necessary; and lastly, even war itself has of alien wounded by a pursuing force is been divested of some of the horror evidently a thing of the past. War will be too which characterised it in days of yore. short (it is hoped), too sharp, and too decisive Man has begun to pride himself on his for opposing Generals to have time to think of humanity, and not without reason, for except-wounded men. The defeated dare not: his one ing perhaps the Crimean the civilised wars of the past half-century have all shown that spirit of international kindliness exemplified by the Geneva Convention and the heroic bands of the Red Cross. Of late years every army has, in addition to these, provided its own Ambulance Corps with its first and second lines of as- sistance and their field and base hospitals. It
duty will be escape with what is left to him. The victor will not, for his one object will be to pound away at his disorganised foe with every force that can be brought to bear. Indeed it would seem that the amenities of war are to give place to the stern logic of such men as General Sheridan, whose opinion was that war should leave nothing to an enemy but "eyes to
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THE SANITARY BY-LAWS. The COLONIAL SECRETARY-It will be with- in the recollection of this Council that a1, the last meeting certain sanitary by-laws made by the Sanitary Board were considered. During their consideration certain amend- ments were suggested by this Council and the by-laws, as amended, were then referred back to the Sanitary Board for consideration. Since the last meeting of the Council the Sanitary Board has met and has amended the the by-laws as suggested by this Council. I therefore beg to move that they be approved by this Council, and in so moving I would like to draw. attention to by-law No. 25, especially as some misunderstanding seems to have arisen with regard to the style of officer who will be appointed in case the Medical ficer of Health has not sufficient time to attend to all the work that he may have to perform during an epide- mnie. Emphasis seems to have been laid on the subordinate," It seems to have been word considered by some that no officer holding a subordinate position would be able to under- take the work. On behalf of the Government I beg olearly to state that it is not a question
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