A Journey Through France in War Time Part 21

[Ill.u.s.tration: Ruins at Nancy.]

When this meeting did finally take place, on October 16th, we were all impressed with the pathetic earnestness of the Belgians upon this subject. Some of the most prominent citizens of Belgium took part in the discussion. It was easy to see, even from the meagre translations we were able to get on the moment, that the Belgians realize that they have been martyrs and expect the world to render them substantial aid when the time comes to restore their national ent.i.ty and rebuild their war torn country. In fact I was compelled to admit with reluctance that their enthusiasm was greater than their business ac.u.men, for they seemed to have very little tangible information on which plans could be laid for helping them.

It was explained afterward that these Belgians have no means of securing the information they need, as the Germans have almost absolute possession of their country and are, as might be expected, not furnishing any information as to the amount of destruction, or the quant.i.ty of materials which can be used again, or in any other way. It is stated that the Germans have practically looted the whole country, carting off the machinery in most of the factories, and even forcing the Belgians to work on military defenses to be used against them and their allies. Under such conditions it was not to be expected that the Belgian chamber of commerce would be in possession of definite information. The impa.s.sioned belief of these gentlemen in the magnanimity and wealth of America was inspiring, and I sincerely hope that when the time comes to reconstruct this stricken land our people will have as large a part as the Belgians expect and one much more generous than they have had in the saving of the Belgians from starvation.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Trenches Occupied by French Soldiers]

At this meeting I heard many kind things said about the Americans who are working in Belgium and about how much this country has done to save the people there from suffering. Great praise was also given to the English, who have aided most n.o.bly to prevent the absolute destruction of the Belgian nation.

XXIII.

FRENCH BUSINESS ORGANIZATIONS

To the members of our Commission one of the most interesting things found in France was the organization of chambers of commerce, or bodies whose purpose is to promote the industrial and financial welfare of the communities where they exist. Unlike the situation in America, where chambers of commerce are purely local organizations, without power or even much prestige in the regulation of munic.i.p.al affairs, the French have a system of such bodies that is probably the most important single force to be reckoned with in the republic.

We were entertained at almost every city where we made a stop by the chamber of commerce, and were given every opportunity to ascertain how these organizations work. We found their system admirable, and many features of it should be copied in this country. Before this can be done, however, we must have more liberal and sensible legislation on the question of co-operation among productive organizations.

The French chambers of commerce are officially recognized by the government and given certain powers which, to a large extent, place every community under their care, at least in so far as its business interests and development of its resources go. No chamber can be organized except by governmental decree, and this provision naturally prevents them from interfering with the legitimate prerogatives of the government, while giving them powers that enable them to be of real service to the community.

Everywhere we went we found that the chamber of commerce was regarded as the guardian of the public interest, and we were told how these bodies took action frequently with much success in matters that in this country would be regarded as far beyond the scope of a chamber of commerce. They have power to represent the towns where they exist in all matters regarding industrial, agricultural and transportation problems. They are under the direct control of the department of industry, and the charter of each is signed by the minister of commerce then in office. Their members are elected much as we elect regular city officials, and the number cannot be less than nine or more than twenty-one, except in Paris, where there are forty at this time. The number is fixed for each chamber by government decree and depends on the population of the district. The members must be thirty years of age and citizens in good standing. Bankrupts are not allowed to serve. In every way these bodies are made thoroughly representative of the best citizenship, and it is regarded as quite an honor to be permitted to serve on them without pay.

These chambers usually meet twice each month and they keep in close touch with each other, working out plans that will be for the good of the whole country as well as for their special localities. Many of the largest undertakings in France have been begun and carried out largely by chambers of commerce. The new port at Ma.r.s.eilles, which will cost about two hundred million francs, is an example. For this work the chamber of commerce raised six million francs, the government provided a like amount, and with this the chamber was able to finance the improvement, depending on tolls and other revenues to pay the balance in due time.

The feature which appealed most strongly to me in these chambers of commerce was the manner in which they are dovetailed with the government in the performance of duties of a nature such as, in spite of their tremendous importance, we Americans generally regard as n.o.body's business in particular, and which are therefore usually left undone.

A national organization of chambers of commerce is maintained in Paris.

Part of the expense of each chamber, as well as of this body, is paid by the government. The secretaries of the local chambers have also an organization, and all these seem to work in perfect harmony for the general good. The secretaries are usually professionals, and special courses of training may be had in France for this work.

We found that nearly every chamber had its own building and that all were handsomely housed, well financed and extremely effective. They have become a most important part of the government, handling with success many problems that are difficult for a government and which, at the same time, require a certain amount of governmental authority if they are to be disposed of in an efficient manner.

In my opinion this country could copy the French system of chambers of commerce with much profit. We are in advance of them in many things, especially in the matter of industrial operations, but they are a century in advance of us in the co-operation needed between the citizens and the government for the highest development of community life and progress.

XXIV.

THE CARREL METHOD OF TREATING WOUNDS

So much interest has been expressed in the new method of treating wounds discovered by Dr. Carrel and bearing his name, and the subject being of such great importance to the cause of humanity and the preservation of human life, I have thought it worth while to give here the following authoritative descriptions of this new and epochal discovery in the science of medicine. It is now generally known as the Carrel-Dakin treatment.

Reference has been made to meeting Dr. Sherman in London. On discovering that this physician had enjoyed considerable experience with the Carrel treatment and was thoroughly familiar with it, I invited him to deliver an address on this subject at my home town after his return from Europe.

He readily agreed to do this, speaking to an interested audience under the auspices of the Mahoning County Medical Society on Dec. 19, 1916. A newspaper account of this address is appended. This will, in a measure, serve to show the importance of the Carrel treatment.

Out of the horror and carnage that is raging across the seas some inconceivable good must come. This is the opinion of all who have been close to the din of battle, who have visited hospitals and seen with their own eyes the human wrecks wrought by grape shot, shrapnel and bursting sh.e.l.ls. Dr. William O'Neill Sherman's visit to this city Tuesday night, when he opened the eyes of the medical profession here to new and greater things, is the first inkling of one great good that is to come out of this war. To treat the millions of wounded and maimed, medical genius has been taxed to the limit. As in all great times, great minds have come to the rescue and found a way. The old saying that where there is a will there is a way, has been clearly proven.

Particularly is this true in the medical world. Dr. Sherman came here from Pittsburgh, the invited guest of the Mahoning County Medical Society, at the suggestion of J. G. Butler, Jr., who wanted him to tell the physicians of this city and county the many things he had learned by close application and a.s.sociation with conditions in European hospitals and trenches. Dr. Sherman was filled with an enthusiasm that he made every man who attended the annual banquet of the Mahoning Medical Society feel. Particularly was he anxious to bring the local medical fraternity to a realization of the methods and treatments developed by the horrible carnage raging now in the European countries. He drove home his point without gloves when he told physicians of Youngstown that medical men throughout this country were given too much to criticising new methods rather than investigating them.

The Carrel method, he explained at length. It is simply a newly discovered antiseptic solution, conceived by Dr. Alexis Carrel, which sterilizes wounds and arrests infection and inflammation before they have an opportunity to spread and result in blood poisoning and death.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Proclamation Posted in Reims Just Before the French Fell Back to the Marne. (See Chap. XXV.)]

TRANSLATION

REPUBLIC OF FRANCE CITY OF REIMS

TO THE INHABITANTS

At the moment when the German army is at our gates, and will probably enter the city, the munic.i.p.al authorities request you to preserve all your presence of mind, and all calmness necessary to permit you to undergo this trial.

There must not be any manifestations, any riotous gatherings, any outcries to trouble the tranquility of the streets. Public Service, Charity, Health, and street maintenance should continue to be safe.

You must co-operate with us. You must remain in the city to help the unfortunate. We shall remain with you at our post to defend your interests.

It does not devolve upon you, the population of an unfortified city, to alter events. It does devolve upon you not to aggravate the consequences. To this end it is necessary to keep silence, dignity and prudence.

We rely upon you, you may rely upon us.

Reims, September 3, 1914. DR. LANGLET, Mayor.

Mr. Butler said to visit European capitals is to witness a revelation difficult to convey in mere words. Soldiers of every nationality are treated by the expert and world famed in medicine.

Human wrecks, victims of shot and sh.e.l.l, are repaired and rebuilt.

It matters little whether a man is friend or foe, as long as a spark of life is there, he is picked tenderly from the trench and everything known to medical science done to bring about his recovery.

The mind is filled with horror and wonder of it all. New thoughts bombard the mind as one looks on. A man is brought in. His face is practically shot away. It seems that even should he recover he will be so disfigured that life will not be worth the living. The Carrel solution is applied. By plastic surgery and other means the disfigured ma.s.s is shaped. In a few short weeks the man again begins to resemble a human being and eventually is well, with little more than a few indistinct scars. Not infrequently he returns to the trenches. Some of the things that shock the mind are metal jaws, screened behind false beards, artificial noses, ears, cheeks, eyes and limbs. Sometimes when a man is facially disfigured beyond repair, that is, when nature can never replace the countenance, a copper mask is fitted. These sculptors in flesh-and-blood do their work with such precision and accuracy that it is startling and cannot be believed unless it is seen.

The war has seen the springing up of many hospitals of special character. There are groups of inst.i.tutions where only faces are treated, eyes, ears and nose, maimed limbs, etc. Medical attention in most cases begins in the trenches and the patient is carefully watched while being transported to the hospital. By sterilizing wounds shortly after they occur, infection and pus are robbed of their chance to hinder nature and the patient recovers in a few weeks from a frightful wound that if infected would take that many months. There are many things of today that help in the preservation of human life. The highly developed X-ray has played an important part in this great war. Electricity, new antiseptics and anaesthetics have been at the finger's end of the skilled medical profession, to work what can honestly be called miracles and wonders.

One of the strange things of this great war is the fact that new, unheard of diseases are developed. It has tended to make common rare diseases and greatly increased those that are usual. Thousands die, having no mark upon their body. Post-mortems held have disclosed in nearly every case that such deaths were caused by sh.e.l.l shock. Bombs from the huge guns dropping near a company of men will often so disarrange organs that death follows quickly.

Many who survive lose mind, sight, hearing, speech, and so on. This has become one of the common things of this great war. As a result the warring countries will find themselves confronted with a new and difficult problem when peace comes and normal times are again established. There will be hundreds of thousands to pension and no doubt insane inst.i.tutions will have to be enlarged. Rest is often a saviour. Men taken away from the fronts, minds blank, in the quiet of home often regain their reason. There is the large percentage that G.o.d in his goodness does not see fit to restore that will form an elephantine problem. There will have to be vast pension lists, for these men often have large families.

The way men may be pieced and patched together is one of the finds of the new medical era. It has been discovered that bones in legs and arms practically shot in two can be brought together by means of silver and vanadium steel plates fitted with screws and that the bones will knit and after a period the afflicted can walk almost as satisfactorily as if nothing had happened. Dr. Sherman while in this city this week displayed a steel plate that he worked out and used with marked success in the hospitals of France. These plates are applied in what would seem to be a very simple manner. A man may have a leg or an arm practically shot off. By placing the broken bones together, after a treatment with the Carrel solution to keep down infection, a plate is fitted on either side of the fracture and screws are applied. This holds the two members solidly together and in a few short weeks the bones knit. In time this place is practically the strongest part of the limb. What this means can best be told by explaining that before the discovery, an arm or a leg so badly shattered was simply amputated because this was the only safe and logical way to save the life of the individual. In the olden days gangrene would invariably set in and the patient die within a short time unless amputation was performed promptly following the accident.

Dr. Carrel has gone a long way to eliminate this danger.

Having seen with my own eyes the wonderful results of this treatment during my visits to the American Ambulance and other hospitals in France, I requested Mr. Laurence V. Benet, superintendent of the American Ambulance, to furnish me with an authoritative description of the treatment. The chief purpose of this is to enable medical authorities in this country, particularly those connected with hospitals maintained by iron and steel plants, to gain a reliable outline of the treatment. Dr. Benet, in spite of the fact that he is one of the busiest men in France, kindly agreed to furnish this information. In doing so he accompanied the description with the following letter:

1 Avenue De Camoens Paris, October 26, 1916.