Surgical Experiences in South Africa, 1899-1900: Being Mainly a Clinical Study of the Nature and Effects of Injuries Produced by Bullets of Small CalibreMakins, George Henry
History
Surgical Experiences in South Africa, 1899-1900: Being Mainly a Clinical Study of the Nature and Effects of Injuries Produced by Bullets of Small Calibre
Makins, George Henry
Gunshot wounds; South African War, 1899-1902; Surgery, Military
pairs of Scissors, 1 skin-grafting razor and roll of perforated tin
foil, 1 metal pocket case, and 1 hypodermic syringe with tabloids. A
stock of silkworm gut, horsehair and silk ligatures, the latter prepared
and sterilised for me by Miss Taylor, the Theatre Sister at St. Thomas's
Hospital. Some pairs of McBurney's india-rubber, and cotton-thread
operating gloves.
[Illustration: FIG. 2.--Instrument Holdall rolled]
The instruments were packed in sets in small linen holdalls suggested
and made by Messrs. Down Bros., who also devised my satchel. In the
light of the experience gained I should have preferred a tin case to the
satchel, as it never needed to be carried on horseback.
For dressings I trusted entirely to the Royal Army Medical Corps, and at
my request Colonel Gubbins, R.A.M.C., sent out to the Cape a quantity
of sterilised sponges and pads made by Messrs. Robinson & Co. Ltd. of
Chesterfield, which fully met all requirements in this direction.
[Illustration: FIG. 3.--Tin Water-bottle for the march (Military
Equipment Company)]
This equipment was superfluous at the Base hospitals, but when in the
field with the troops proved very useful. In the early part of the
campaign I was able to do all my travelling by train, but later I
travelled by road only. I received the greatest kindness and help in
this particular. General Sir William Nicholson, Chief Director of
Transport, provided me with a buggy, a pair of horses, and a driver, and
Prince Francis of Teck, the Chief Remount Officer, selected a pony
suitable to my equestrian powers. The buggy proved a very great success;
the box seat carried my instruments and dressings, the front a 4-gallon
tin water-bottle for emergency operations, and the rear shelf my
personal belongings. The water-bottle was lent to me by the Portland
Hospital. (Fig. 3.)
The cart was able to cross any drifts or dongas, and when an engagement
was in progress was able to accompany the Ambulance wagons, so that I
had all my necessaries on the spot, even at the first dressing station.
In point of fact when with the Highland Brigade, on some occasions, we
did all necessary operations on the spot during the progress of
fighting; a most useful performance, since fighting on several days did
not cease till dark, and the evenings were much too cold to allow of
operations being done with safety to the patients. The great advantage
of the buggy was its lightness and smallness. On one occasion it
accompanied me between 500 and 600 miles without a single accident,
beyond the fact that one night I was relieved of both my horses by some
troopers whose own were worn out.
[Illustration: FIG. 4.--My Buggy on the veldt at Bloemfontein. (Photo by
Mr. Bowlby)]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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