As trench warfare developed the radical treatment of wounds crept nearer and never to the front line until early in 1915, Casualty Clearing Stations originally intended as temporary collecting posts for casual-Yes from several field ambulances were gradually transformed into mobile hospitals with well equipped operating theatres, X-Ray installations and laboratories. General Hospitals sprang up at all the Base Ports and a magnificent ambulance train service superseded the original evacuation by improvised goods trains, Motor ambulances were sent out in large numbers and soon entirely replaced the horse ambulances with which the Expeditionary Force had set out. The next advance was the provision of specialists for every branch of surgery in every hospital—injuries of the eyes, ears, teeth, joints, bones, brain and abdomen were under the supervision of specialists in each of these sections.
Some of my listeners may remember Boulogne in 1915—at the beginning of the Battle of Ypres. Boulogne dealt with 25,000 wounded in 15 days and in that period grew into the greatest hospital base in history and the most perfect.
Meanwhile research workers both at home and in France were solving problem after problem with a rapidity which was almost miraculous. Tetanus was largely overcome by the prophylactic treatment of every wounded man at the earliest possible moment with—anti-tetanic serum—here again some of my listeners may remember the cryptic letters A.T.S, written on their foreheads with copying ink pencil to warn doctors at all stopping places on the way from front line to Base that anti-tetanic serum and been given.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.