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Wakeman
General Hospital |
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ARMY SERVICES FORCES 314.7 15 December 1945 SUBJECT: Annual Report - 1945 TO: Commanding Officer Forwarded herewith is Annual Report of Wakeman Convalescent Hospital prepared in accordance with paragraph 5, AR 40-1005, 19 November 1942, covering the current year. 1 Incl CHARLES T. YOUNG 314.7 1st Ind ASF, 5th SvC, HQ, Wakeman General Hospital, Cp Atterbury, Ind, 3 Jan 46 TO: Commanding General, Fifth Service Command, ASF, Ft Hayes, Columbus 18, Ohio. ATTENTION: Service Command Surgeon Approved. FRANK L. COLE R-774 |
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ARMY SERVICE FORCES Fifth Service Command Wakeman General Hospital Camp Atterbury, Indiana 7 January 1946 SUBJECT: Annual Report, 1945. THROUGH: The Surgeon, Fifth Service Command, Fort Hayes, Columbus 18, Ohio TO: The Surgeon General, United States Army, Washington 25, D. C. In compliance with Paragraph 5, Army Regulations 40-1005, the following report of the Wakeman General Hospital, Camp Atterbury, Indiana, is submitted: 1. HISTORICAL DATA HOUSING, ETC: Wakeman General Hospital was incorporated as a unit of Wakeman. Hospital Center, 1 May 1945 per Paragraph 2, General Order 13, Headquarters, Fifth Service Command, Fort Hayes, Columbus, Ohio, dated 20 April 1945. Fthe purposes of comparison, it is necessary to use figures as of 1 January 1945 from the reports of Wakeman General end Convalescent Hospital, which was the organization preceding the activation of Wakeman Hospital Center. During the period covered by this report the following major constructions have been completed. a. Addition to the existing Post Exchange building of the telephone exchange. This building was constructed and furnished by the Bell Telephone Company. b. Outpatient Clinic Building. c. Swimming Pool. d. Concrete driveway leading to the & D Office in Building 1033 and several necessary concrete walks. e. Conversion of barracks in Block 7 and the construction of fire resistant stairways of cement blocks. f. Outdoor recreational facilities consisting of softball diamond, tennis courts, handball, volleyball court, archery and driving ranges. 2. report the entire exterior of the hospital has been repainted and approximately 65%, of the interior has been repainted. The rest of the painting is in progress and is badly needed. The absence of sufficient walks about the buildings has made the police in the coridors, and in some cases, the wards, very difficult, especially during wet weather. There are 158 doors leading to the outside of the hospital, none of which can be looked because of fire regulations, and a great deal of mud is tracked into the buildings during inclement weather. The fact that the Post Engineers are responsible for the janitorial service creates a divided responsibility in the matter of police in the hospital. 3. ORGANIZATION: The organization of the hospital is as shown diagrammatically on Enclosure No. 1. Being located in the Camp Atterbury reservation, this hospital does not have its Fiscal, Quartermaster, Ordnance or Engineer personnel. The camp facilities of these services function for both installations. The same thing applies to the laundry and bakery. This arrangement has for the most part been satisfactory.
3.
5. MESS: During the period of this report the number of messes operated by the General Hospital has been reduced from nine to six by consolidation. The floor area of the patients' mess has proved to be entirely inadequate to service a hospital of this size. This has been particularly true where space to service food carts from the wards is concerned. Meat cutting has been largely removed from the messes and is being done at the central post Meat Cutting Department. The officer patients' mess has been moved from Building 1037 to Building 1025. While this did not prevent the disadvantage of having officer patients exposed to the weather on the way to the Mess it did result in a considerable saving of mess personnel. 6. EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES: Supply functions from January to VJ Day were generally normal and no serious difficulties were encountered. Following VJ Day, and with the reduction of the Army, a serious shortage of trained personnel has developed. The Army, in general, and Accountable and Responsible Property Officers, especially, are jeopardized by the use of untrained personnel in requisitions, storage, issue and property accounting functions. Excesses of supply and equipment caused by the curtailment in October and the closing in December of Wakeman. Convalescent Hospital, and its projects are being disposed of as rapidly as possible. This is being accomplished by return to depots, technical services and redistribution of excess property to other units. 7. WATER SUPPLY, SEWAGE AND WASTE DISPOSAL: Camp Atterbury facilities are available to this hospital for use. The water supply obtained from wells is adequate for the hospital needs and is palatable and potable. Samples from hospital taps are examined bacteriologically at least once each week and have never gave had any contamination. Sewage from the hospital empties into the Camp Atterbury system. Burnable waste is disposed of in one of the camp incinerators. All salvageable material is saved and turned in to the Salvage Officer, Camp Atterbury. 4. S. LAUNDRY: The Camp Atterbury Quartermaster Laundry has handled the laundry needs of the hospital in a highly satisfactory manner. The quality of the work performed is excellent and turn-in schedules have been arranged in a very cooperative spirit. 9. WELFARE, SOCIAL SERVICE AND RECREATION: The American Red Cross Field Director and her aides have been of inestimable value during the period. The recreation group, in conjunction with the Special Services Officer, has made full use of all available recreational facilities provided for patients. The social service section has been a great help in assisting patients in their personal problems. The Gray Ladies, recruited from nearby towns, have, by their kindness, unselfishness and untiring efforts, given happiness and comfort to thousands of patients. 10. RECONDITIONING SERVICE: The Reconditioning Service, comprised of Educational Reconditioning, Occupational Therapy and Physical Reconditioning was initiated at Wakeman General Hospital in January, 1945. The purpose of the program was to augment the medical treatment of patients and speed their return to civilian life or duty. Occupational Therapy and Physical Reconditioning are concerned with the physical need of the patient, stressing muscle toning, extension and coordination. approximately 200 patients each day receive the benefits of remedial exercise, calisthenics, mass games and the swimming pool through the Physical Reconditioning staff. The Occupational Therapy Department is divided into two sections: functional therapy and diversional therapy. Functional work is performed only upon the prescription of the Ward Officer to obtain a specifically desired physical result. Diversional therapy also has a physical and mental benefit, but its main purpose is for the diversion and recreation of the patient. This staff has served approximately 200 patients each day. Educational Reconditioning satisfies the educational needs of the patient. He may take college, high school or graduate level courses through USAFI which may be used for credit. He may take advantage of the testing service which will enable him to obtain a high school diploma or gain credit hours toward a college degree. A vocational and educational counseling service is available to enable men in gaining expert advice for the planning of their lives following discharge from the Army. Every day from 75 to 100 man come to Educational Reconditioning to get advice, take tests or study. To date, well over 100 men who, upon entering the Army, had an average of 2 years of high school, now have gone out of the hospital armed with a high school diploma. The Information and Education Section of Educational Reconditioning 5. keeps men posted on current war, political, and business news by way of radio newscasts, information hours in the patients' auditorium and the newsmap service. All maps and information pieces are available to patients making such a request. 11. PUBLIC RELATIONS: This department is well organized and is of great value to the hospital in supervising all publicity matter. On 12 April 1945 a weekly eight-page newspaper, THE PROBE Was inaugurated by the Public Relations Officer. This newspaper carries matters of interest to all personnel of the hospital and shows excellent planning and ability on the part of the members of this department. In addition to the newspaper and other activities, radio station WAKE is operated under the direction of the Public Relations Officer. 12. PROFESSION SERVICES: The hospital entered the year 1945 functioning as a general hospital and was designated a center for the following specialties: Neurosurgery Throughout most of the year the hospital remained constantly full; in spite of rapid disposition of patients the influx of new patients was sufficient to keep all beds occupied. After VE Day, when Camp Atterbury was designated one of the main Separation Centers in the country, we began to receive large numbers of station hospital types of cases and from this time on throughout the year we functioned as both general and station hospitals. Of the general hospital cases which were sent directly here from overseas or transferred from other general hospitals in the United States, the majority went to the two special sections and the Orthopedic Section. Bed allotments for the hospital were set up as follows: Plastic Surgery.............................. 500 beds. Neurosurgery ................................ 350 beds. Neurology..
.................................. 100 beds. Station Hospital ............................1544 beds. Regional.
Hospital..........................121 beds. 6. a. SURGICAL SERVICE: 7. lull in admissions of eye cases occurred. Authorized one hundred beds, the section's census dropped to a fourth of this total by the end of the year. Outpatient work from the Camp Atterbury Separation Center took more and more of the time of the specialists on duty in the section. The flow of war injuries was diverted to other hospitals to avoid overloading this department. Plastic reconstruction of orbits was undertaken by a team made up of members of the Plastic Surgery Section and one man from the Ophthalmologic Surgery branch. Exceptionally fine work was accomplished by these specialists. Many frightfully deformed faces were transformed by the pains�taking skill of this team. The section was confronted during the year by trying periods when inadequate and frequently changing personnel caused postponements and transfers of important cases. Enough key men were retained, however, to train replacements as they were received. The Ophthalmologic Research Laboratory was established on 1 January by The Surgeon General's Office with three principal problems assigned for investigation: development of new methods of treatment for non-magnetic intraocular foreign bodies; prevention of symblepharon by use of anticoagulants; effect of antiseptics on the regeneration of corneal epithelium. The latter has been completed and a final report has been submitted. The first will soon be terminated. Work on the other problems is still under way. One of special current interest has been started: the penetration of streptomycin through the intact cornea. The laboratory has been staffed by one officer and two enlisted men. Monthly narrative reports on progress and problems encountered have been submitted to The Surgeon General's Office. The Artificial Eye Clinic was opened in December, 1944. Captain Gerhard L. Thrun (now Major), D.C., completed the prescribed 33 days training course at Valley Forge General Hospital and was in charge of the clinic. The services of a 1st Lt WAC were secured to paint the artificial iris of the prosthesis. Her artistic ability did much in making the prosthesis appear lifelike and natural. Also aiding in the naturalness of the eye was the fine work of a master sergeant who places artificial veins and modifying colors upon the prosthesis. Probably the most exacting feature of the making of the eye is the fitting, for herein the iris is positioned and the eye made to duplicate the remaining eye as regards fullness, curvature and motion. This was the work of Major Thrun now taken over by Captain Arthur A. Heltzel, D.C., who was placed in charge of the clinic in September, 1945. b. MEDICAL SERVICE: During the past year the hospital was designated for two medical specialties - neurology and dermatology. The latter specialty was designated in July and was terminated during the latter part of October. 8. The service was divided into the following sections: (1) General Medicine, with Allergy and Cardiovascular disease as sub-sections, (2) Dermatology, (3) Gastroenterology, (4) Neuropsychiatry with Neurology and Psychiatry sub-sections. Six outpatient clinics were in operation. throughout the year: (1) General Medicine and Cardiology, (2) Allergy, (3) Dermatology, (4) Neuropsychiatry, (5) Gastroenterology, and (6) Pediatrics. The patient load at the clinics has been especially heavy in the past five months, necessitating scheduling additional hours each week to meet the consultation demand from the Separation Center on the Post. The clinics have performed a valuable function, obviating the necessity of hospital admission in a large percentage of military personnel who are referred from the Separation Center for medical consultation. Since the establishment of the Separation Center on the Post there has been a decided increase in admissions for study of pulmonary diseases, a great majority of which cases are proven or suspected tuberculosis. A chest ward has been established. for the study of such cases under the Communicable Disease Section, greatly facilitating the disposition of these patients. c. LABORATORY SERVICE: The laboratory is adequately staffed to perform accurately and efficiently all procedures that are requested for diagnosis and treatment of the sick. The laboratory staff consists of one Medical Officer, three Sanitary Corps Officers, twelve enlisted men, eight enlisted women, and fourteen civilians. The laboratory is performing all types of work ordinarily done in a modern diagnostic laboratory. During the past year, work has been done for the Reception center and Separation Center, Camp Atterbury, Indiana, in addition to the Wakeman General and Convalescent Hospital. Laboratory work has been done for the Prisoner of War camps at Austin, Windfall, and Morristown, Indiana, as well as for the Freeman Field Army Air Base at Seymour, Indiana, and the Atterbury Air Base at Columbus, Indiana. During the past year students from the WAC MDETS have spent an average of two weeks per student in this laboratory receiving on-the-job training in the various laboratory procedures done in a diagnostic laboratory. d. X-RAY SERVICES: The X-ray Service has performed equally as well as other services and is providing X-ray service for this hospital, units at this camp and other units in the vicinity of Camp Atterbury. a. - DENTAL SERVICE: The Dental Service of this hospital has continued to operate a very active section during the year 1945. The Service was organized into sections as follows: Operative Dentistry, which includes the examining and roentgengraphic section; Oral Surgery and Prosthetic Sections. The Maxillo-facial Section is organized as a sub-section on the Plastic Section of the Surgical Service. One Dental Officer is also assigned, under the direction of the Ophthalmologist, for Plastic Eye Research in the prosthetic section. Two Dental Officers are assigned to the 1560th SCU
9 Dental Technicians School. The total number of Dental Officers assigned to the service for duty in the clinic has been an average of 15 during the year, with three of these in the Maxillo-facial Section. Equipment and supplies have been adequate. The Dental Surgeon and his assistants have enjoyed excellent and splendid cooperation with the Surgical Service and other services of the hospital. This exceptionally good and remarkably fine spirit has been an important factor in building up morale for both patients and duty personnel. The following report lists briefly some of the more important accomplishments for the year: Admissions
.....................................................29479 f. NURSING SERVICE: Although there has been a cut in the allotment of nurses and the working hours of the nurses have been changed from a twelve-hour day to an eight-hour day, necessitating three shifts of nurses instead of two, there has been no let-up in the care of patients due to lack of nursing care. The nurses on duty at this hospital have been, and are, carrying on in the best tradition of the Army Nurse Corps, and much of the success of the professional service is due to their excellent work. 13. PROBLEMS AND THEIR SOLUTION: The more serious problems encountered have been (1) lack of trained Medical Department enlisted men. The system whereby we have to absorb enlisted men, especially non-commissioned officers, who have been trained in other branches of service, causes an extra work load on all concerned as these men have little or no knowledge of the duties of a Medical Department soldier; (2) the short hours of civilian personnel seriously effect the morale of enlisted personnel who have to work much longer hours; (3) lack of housing for reconditioning program. The lack of a gymnasium or other suitable place of assembly for Class III patients seriously retards the reconditioning program; (4) divided responsibility for janitorial service and maintenance. The Post Engineer is charged with the responsibility of maintenance and janitorial service of the hospital. All maintenance work, however minor in nature, must go through the Post Engineer. This causes a delay in routine maintenance. All janitors for the hospital work under the supervision of the Post Engineer and the hospital authorities have practically no jurisdiction over these men, insofar as directing or supervising their work or work hours. All of these problems require assistance of higher headquarters if they are to be solved. 10 14. MEDICAL DEPARTMENT ENLISTED TECHNICIANS SCHOOL: Upon deactivation of Wakeman Hospital Center 15 December 1945 the MDETS which had been functioning under the Center, was attached to the General Hospital. The annual report of the MDETS is submitted by the Commandant of that organization on 30 June of each year in accordance with current directives. 15. MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY: a. Hospital Statistics. Number of patients
remaining in hospital
Number of patients admitted from 1 January 1945 to Total number of patients treated from 1 January 1945 to 31 December 1945 inclusive .......36824 Number of patients
discharged from 1 January 1945 to Duty
.................................................... 15068 All other .................................................... 1999 Total. ... ...................................................33344 Number of patients
remaining in hospital b. Morbidity and Mortality. Morbidity all causes ................32811 Diseased admitted ................................... 22833 Injured admitted ................................... 3134 Battle casualties admitted ........................... 8844 Military deaths in hospital due to disease.......... 13 Military deaths in hospital due to injury........... 9 Civilian deaths in hospital due to disease.......... 13 Prisoner of war deaths in hospital due to disease...2 Prisoner of war deaths in hospital due to injury....1 11 o. Deaths and their causes. Of the 38 deaths in the hospital from 1 January 1945 to 31 December 1945 inclusive, 9 were due to injury, 29 due. to disease. Fracture of skull subdural hematoma--1 Manic Depressive Psychosis--1 Bronchiogenic Carcinoma--1 Status Epilepticus--1 Neuroblastona--1 Pulmonary Embolism--2 Brain Tumor--1 Uremia--1 Acute, cardiac Failure,
Due to Coronary Sclerosis, severe--1 Abscess, Brain--1 Peritonitis, Generalized Fibrino Purulent, secondary to Ruptured Perirenal--1 Ruptured Liver, Hematoperitoneum, Bilateral, Hemato Thorax--1 Rupture of Transverse Arch of Aorta, Due to Crushing Injury of Chest--1 Laceration of Brain, Multiple Fracture of Skull--1 Pulmonary, atelectasis due to extensive burns--1 Penetrating Wound of Brain, due to Gunshot--1 Hanging, Self-Inflicted--1 Peripheral Nerve Injury--1 Penetrating Wound of Heart and Left Lung--1 Wound, Lacerating, Brain--1 Cerebral Hemorrhage--1 Uremia, Acute Glom Erulonephritis, Acute Parotitis Left--1 Laryngo-Tracheobronchitis, Hemolytic Streptococcus--1 Congenital Hydrocephalus--1 Icterus Neonatorum Erythroblastosis Fetalis--1 Ill defined Condition of the Nervous System manifested by Fever and Difficulty in Breathing and. Convulsion--1 Premature Delivery at
Six Months Gestation--2 Atelectasis--1 Patent-Ductus
Arteriosus--1 |
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Page last revised
12/14/2012