NEWS AND NOTES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XL, Issue 1843, 22 June 1918, Page 4

NEWS AND NOTES.

An illustration of how casualty lists may he made to appear more serious than they really are, or need be, is given by a Dunedin soldier, in a letter received last week by ono of his friends. The soldier (an exOtago representative cricketer) was reported wounded for the fourth time some weeks ago, and he now explains the nature of his “wound.” “I had a slight accident with my rifle a couple of weeks ago,” he says, “and grazed two of my. fingers with a bullet. It was nothing, but I went to the dressing-station to get a piece of bandage wrapped round them. To my surprise and annoyance, the doctor said it would have to go through the casualty lists. Fancy worrying one’s people with (•allies, etc., over a little thing like that. However, ‘it’s orders,’ and had to be done.”

An Auckland resident bus conceived a profound respect for military titles. Some time ago she sent her son with the Expeditionary Forces two small’ l ins of tobacco, as was her custom. On Ibis occasion, knowing that the soldier was studying for a commission in England, she sent them to a private address, styling her son “Mr,” in the hope that lie would receive the parcel more quickly. The result was not quite what she expected, for the New Zealander enjoyed the privileges of the civilian Englishman to the extent of Bs, the duly on the two tins. He lias asked his mother in future to let parcels find him through the military post, considering the polite tide of “Mr” too dearly bought at Iho figure.

Some interesling details of wonderful surgical work performed at military hospitals are given in a letter received recently from Mrs (Dr) Parkcs, states the Auckland Herald. She refers specially to the facebuilding work carried on by modern surgical methods. Sometimes half the soldier’s face is blown away, and has to be replaced with flesh from another portion of the body, while a hone is taken from the leg to form a new jaw-bone. The nose is grafted on roughly at first until the new flesh grows to the part, and then operated on until the contour of the cheek and shape of the nose is obtained. Skin is then taken from another part of the body and grafted on, so that the new face is complete, but for one thing —the power of movement. It is here that a New Zealand surgeon, Gillies, devised a way. He conceived the idea of cutting into the nerves controlling the movement of the ■forehead, only partly severing about half of them, and then attaching them to the jaw, which was finally covered with skin. This was most successful, and one could hardly notice the difference between the artificially built-up side of the face and the- untouched side. A visit was paid by Mrs Parkes to the Hammersmith Orthopaedic Hospital, of which she furnishes an interesting description. An orthopaedic hospital carries on that branch of surgery which has for its principal object the restoration of function and the correction of deformity resulting from wound!; and accidents.