From the News

Dated:

A correspondent in France who visited the Canadian lines on his way back looked in to the hospitals, among them No. 3 of McGill University, of which Dr. J. M. Elder is head surgeon. He writes:

Looking down from the ridge of sand hills, we saw between us and the English Channel a magnificent array of canvas tents. The hospital was McGill No. 3 General, and as we left our cars a little later on we were greeted by Colonel Birkett. At an early stage we peeped into the operating theater where we saw four patients under chloroform. One of them had a severe injury to the shoulder from shrapnel, and in the X-ray room we saw the photograph which indicated where the shrapnel had lodged. This operating theater had four chambers, in each of which operations could be carried on simultaneously.

The hospital is entirely under canvas, but huts will be provided for the nurses quarters before winter sets in. The tents are of the Indian pattern, and the interior is Oriental in color, thus avoiding that somberness which marks the ordinary marque. They are commodious tents, holding a large number of beds, leaving sufficient space to move the beds further to the center if the weather is bad. There are not many inmates and such as there were, were mostly sick cases. One man seen, who had been wounded, was brought round by oxygen, which had been contributed by American friends, and but for this it was believed he would have gone under the previous day.

Col. Birkett showed us some of the “comfort bags” sent by Montréal ladies, which he said were much appreciated by the men. There were also packets of tobacco and cigarettes sent by the Gazette which he said were always acceptable.

Colonel Birkett keeps a hand on every detail of the hospital. For instance, in the kitchen he showed us a patent potato peeler. The operation was simple enough. Potatoes were put in, and the crank turned. Out there rolled dozens of potatoes neatly peeled, thus saving an immense lot of time on this one detail of cookery.