Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania - Record Yearbook (Philadelphia, PA)

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U. S. Army Base Hospital No. 20 CU. of PJ Napoleon said that an army marches on its stomach. Today it may be asserted With equal truth that an army fights on the efliciency of its sanitary personnel. On every hand the his- tory of modern Warfare bears out this statement. Were it not for the conservation of human life Wrought by preventive med- icine, improved methods of camp sanitation, and recent ad- vances in reconstructive surgery and the treatment of Wounds, long ere this disease and pestilence Would have terminated the present World-Wide struggle that for nearly four years has defied 'man's most destructive efforts. The vital role that the medical forces of an army play in the successful conduct of campaigns was fully appreciated by those in charge of the Medical Department of the United States Army. Long before the entrance of this nation into the present struggle this branch of the Army had organized a reserve and Was vigorously striving to perfect plans for the adequate and efficient care of our righting forces should the occasion arise. It,is not surprising, therefore, that when in the spring of 1916, Dr. George Crile, that distinguished surgeon fresh from the Western battle front, proposed the organization of the so-called Red Cross Base Hospitals as a preparedness measure in time of peace, his plan received the hearty approval and support of the Surgeon-General's office. However, it re- mained for Col. Jefferson R. Kean, as Director-General of the Department of Military Relief of the American Red Cross, to put Dr. Crile's plan into practical operation. Colonel Kean pushed this great project with such enthusiasm that by the autumn of 1916 a number of both Army and Navy Base Hospitals had been organized throughout the United States, and when this country declared War on Germany a consider- ably greater number of these units Was available. 67

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MISS EDITH B. IRNVIN, R. N. I P Chief Nurse U. S. Army Base Hospital No. 20 6 6

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There were tvvo reasons for organizing and equipping Base Hospitals in time of peace. In the Hrst place no government not at War has ever been Willing to spend the money to pm- vide completely and store the enormous amount of equipment and supplies necessary for the number of Base Hospitals fe- quired by a large army. To procure these after War is de- clared entails delays that result not only in needless deaths and great suffering among the wounded, but also in a lessen- ing of the number of effectives that are returned to the front, thereby seriously impairing the efficiency of the combatant troops. Therefore it was of prime importance to amass such equipment before it was urgently needed. ln the next place, first-class medical and surgical specialists and Well-trained nurses accustomed to Work together, make a more effective professional personnel than a group of physicians and nurses hurriedly gotten together from all parts of the country. Hence, While there was yet time, the medical officers and nurses for these Base Hospitals had to be carefully selected from various institutions so that a well co-ordinated body of skilled Workers would be immediately available whenever required. The far-sighted wisdom of those who conceived and car- ried out the early organization of these hospitals has been amply justified by subsequent events. . VVhen once the Base Hospital project became well known, many of the great civil hospitals throughout the country en- thusiastically undertook the organization of these units, usu- ally With the financial aid of some local chapter of the Amer- ican Red Cross. ln every instance the civil hospital, known as the 'mother institution, was of sullieient size to furnish the professional and nursing personnel for the Base Hospital. and at the same time to retain an adequate statl' for its own proper conduct. ln this wav, it was argued, the civilian popll- lation would not be neglected for the army. OS