EMERGENCY SERVICE

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 32, 7 February 1931, Page 14

EMERGENCY SERVICE

WELLINGTON DOCTOR'S STORY

GOOD-ORGANISATION

' Dr. P. T. Bowerbank, who went with the large army marquees and equipment which were taken from Trentham to Napier, returned to Wellington last night. "The general medical services for the Napier area are now well organised," said Dr. Bowerbank to-day. "Tho field hospital, which was sent up on tho clay of the earthquake, has been erected on the, Napier racecourse. The arrangements have been completed, and the hospital will be able to copo with any type of case, including all major operations. It is a fully-equipped hospital. Small dreseing stations have been established at Nelson Park and one or two other places, where all ordinary sick eases can get relief. It must be remembered that although the earthquake is over, there is still a large population at Napier, and there are numbers of cases of sickness to be attended to. "So far as the field hospital is concerned, it is provided with electric light, the plant being sent up by (the Wellington City Council per Major Avery. On Wednesday night the camp hospital and tents were lighted, One thing that impressed mo. was the importance of sending organised squads or detachments in ease of such a disaster. Individual helpers, however willing, cannot render the same assistance. For instance, St. John Ambulance detachments came with their full equipment, and each had its own leader. The Wellington Harbour Board sent up a squad of ten men, with motorlorry and rations for a week. These men were extremely valuable in the erection of tents and in policing the hospital and its related tents. "It is pleasing to be able to say that the camp hospital is so well arranged and- equipped that' it can copo with any possible epidemic, which, however, is not likely to occur, owing to the precautions which are being taken. The hospital is to be conducted by Napier doctors, who are to be -attached for duty at the hospital and'the various dressing stations in the vicinity. The casualty cases have been evacuated to Palmerston North, Wanganui, and Wellington. Additional cases in' Napier are being collected—injured persons, who had received little or no treatment, and who- had been taken to private houses or tents in other parts of the iNapier ■ area. The medical equipment, dressings, etc., are now adequate. Messrs. Watson and Sons, Wellington, were yesterday installing an S»ray plant which they had taken up. The earlier reports that there was some neglect of patients; on the (Jay following the earthquake .were erroneous. Although there was a good deal of chaos at that time, it was extremely wonderful the way the doctors, nurses, Bed Cross, and ambulances got the injured away. , ;■ •■' .■ TENT HOSPITAL. "The camp hospital from Trentham is now to be called the Napier Hospital, and will probably be there, for a couple of months. The'water supply and sanitary arrangements are good. Those will be improved. It is a great advantage that\ the camp 'hospital has been established a little way out of; Napier. The tents arc mostly large Army marquees, similar to the Egyptian and Indian army tents used in the war at Pont do Koubbeh,,Egypt.. They are equipped with proper hospital beds; and, in the case of further minor shocks occurring, the patients will not have tho same fear they would have, if they wero in wooden houses. As an illustration of the fear;that is apt'to be felt in a wooden house, I may mention that one morning about 6 o'clock I went to the cook-house for a cup of tea. The house, which was behind the racecourse, was full of people getting tea. A slight shake occurred, and in one or two seeon'ds the kitchen was empty; nobody waited." Dr. Bowerbank mentioned that although tho demeanour of those at the camp hospital was as a rule serious, still some amusing incidents gecurred to brighten matters. The ex-Director-General of Health.(Dr. T.H." Valintine), and tho present Director-General (Dr. M. H. Watt) were at the hospital camp for two nights, and they were given horse-boxes in which to sleep. , One wag said that! it was only right that names should be put o nthc horse-boxes, and suggested placing the name of "Gay Lord" on ono of them. Late one night the hospital cook (a man), after a strenuous/day's work, was looking for his shakedown. He walked into a tent, and stopped carefully over a'number of prostrate forms. Presently a woman's voice was heard: "Hey! This is a ladies' tent—a nurses' tent." "Oh!" was the reply, "I'm not particular!" However, the weary man made his way out into the darkness in search of his tent.