MAIMED SOLDIERS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 175, 19 April 1919, Page 8

MAIMED SOLDIERS

SALVING WRECKED LIMBS WORK AT CHALMERS HOSPITAL ORTHOPAEDIC TREATMENT. DESCRIBED Chalmera Military Hospital at Christchurch, in charge of Colonel D. S. AVvlie, is ail example of the remarkable developments in surgical science under the stimulus of war experience. This three-storied building, with its spacious wards and sunny verandahs, standing in tlis garden grounds of C'hristchurch Public Hospital, has 130 soldier patients who need orthopaedic treatment. Close to the Chalmers Meinorinl AVard is a row two-storied building, which will soon give accommodation for another hundred patients, while a business arrangement with tiie Y.M.C.A. enables fifty moro disabled men to have conifortablo board at the expense of the Defence Department while they receive treatment in the Orthopaedic Hospital. The soldiers receiving treatment in this institution are suffering from war injuries of many types. Some of the hone, muscle, ami nerve'injuries are so severe that orthopaedics—which ia not miraeleworking, but only good surgery carefully foliowed up with common-sense methodscan only roduco and not completely euro tin disabilities. A. man's limbs may be badly lacerated by shell fragments, a bane smashed, nerves severed, met muscles torn. He has first to recover from the shock, tho wound lias to heal, and tho bone 1m replaced. Though this may bo done successfully, lie is still incapacitated, for the function of the limbs may not be completely restored. This is whore the development 9f f orthopaedic surgery conies to tho soldier's aid. One of the most powerful X-ray plants in New' Zealand has been installed at Chalmers Hospital by the Defence Department. With tho aid of tho excellent negatives it secures, dislocated or fractured bones may be easily examined and tho surgeon enabled to operate oil a clear diagnosis of what might be a most complicated injury. Tho operating theatre of tho Christclnircli Hospital is used for the surgical work., But tlio surgeon docs not complete his work operating. 110 lws to secure, if possible, the icstoration of tho original functions of tho limb, and this is where tlio large variety of appliances and methods of a wellequipped institution such as Chalmers Orthopaedic Hospital is of tremendous value.