BY MARILYN IRVIN HOLT

N e b r a s k a ’ s B a s e

H o s p i t a l N o . 4 9 i n

W o r l d W a r I

199 • nebraska history

Left: Nurses of Base Hospital No. 49, Allerey, France. U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health

AmonthaftertheUnitedStatesdeclaredwaragainstGermanyinApril1917,theNebraska State Medical Journalobserved:

“ThegrowingrealizationthatAmericaisatwarandisintoittothefinishcallsforseriousconsiderationofthepartthephysiciansofNebraskaaretoplayinthestruggle.”Thearticlewentontonotethatdoctorsinprivatepracticewereenlisting.SotoowerestudentsandfacultyatthemedicalschoolsofCreightonUniversityandtheUniversityofNebraska.TheArmy,Navy,andMarinesdesperatelyneededmedicalpersonnel.Thearmy,forexample,hadonly440medicalofficersin1915.Anadditional2,750doctorswereenlistedinthearmyreservesorNationalGuard.Thenumberhadbarelyincreasedby1917whentheU.S.WarDepartmentestimatedthatatleast20,000physicianswererequiredforserviceoverseas,atU.S.militaryinstallations,andaboardhospitalships.Theneedfordoctorswenthand-in-handwithanurgentdemandformoremilitaryhospitals.Duringpeacetime,TheU.S.Armypreparedplansforsettingupoverseashospitalsincaseofwar.Theplanscalledforonlyonebasehospital,four216-bedfieldhospitals,two423-bedevacuationshospitals,andasmanyfront-linedressingstationsasneeded.Consideringthebreadthoftrenchwarfare,changesinmilitarytacticsandthelethaleffectsofmodernizedweaponry,theplanwaswoefullyinadequate.Therewasnodoubtthatthenumberofhospitals,andtheirtypes,hadtobeexpandedandthatdoctorsmustbefoundtostaffthem.Thedemand,aswellasthewaveofpatriotismsweepingthecountry,encouragedmedicalschoolstovolunteertheirservices.ItwaswithinthischargedenvironmentthattheUniversityofNebraska’sMedicalCollegeatOmahaannouncedthatitwouldformabasehospitalforoverseasduty.1

Atthetime,therewerealreadyasmallnumberofbasehospitalsinEurope.StaffedbyAmericans,thesehospitalswereRedCross-supportedandworkingundertheBritishmilitaryuntiltheUnitedStatesjoinedtheAlliedarmiesandassumedcommandoftheAmericanmedicalunits.ThefirstoverseasbasehospitalwasestablishedbyLakesideHospital,Cleveland,Ohio,andheadedbyDr.GeorgeW.Crilewho,withafewotherAmericandoctors,hadearliertakensmallsurgicalunitstoEurope.TheCleveland-sponsoredhospitalandfiveotherbasehospitalswereinplacebeforeU.S.troopslandedinEurope.Anotherforty-fourwereaddedaftertheAmericanExpeditionaryForces(AEF)arrived.Additionalbasehospitalsin

Europe,atotalof188,werelaterestablishedbythemilitarywithofficersandenlistedmenfromU.S.trainingcamps,butthefirstfiftyhospitalswereunique.OrganizedbytheAmericanRedCrossunderauthorityofSecretaryofWarNewtonD.Baker,theywerefundedbyprivateindividualsandorganizations.Eighteenwerecreatedbymedicalschools,includingBaseHospitalNo.49,sometimesknownasNebraska’shospital.2

PlansforBaseHospitalNo.49beganinSeptember1917,thesamemonthinwhichHarvardUniversity’sBaseHospitalNo.5,oneofthefirsttogooverseas,wasattackedbyenemyaircraft,killingUniversityofKansasSchoolofMedicinegraduateLt.WilliamT.Fitzsimons,threeotherofficers,threeenlistedmen,andwoundingtwenty-eightothers,includingpatientsandanurse.ThesewerethefirstAEFdeathsduetoenemyaction.IfthisgavetheNebraskaplannerspauseormadethemmoredetermined,theirthoughtshavenotbeencapturedforhistory.Theplanningwenton.TheOmahaAmbulanceCompanywastappedastheorganizationalcommittee.EstablishedatUniversityofNebraska’smedicalschoolinMarch1917“tobereadyforactiveserviceincaseofneed,”theambulancecompanyseemedthelogicalchoice.Tothiscoregroup,thirtyphysiciansfromaroundthestatewereaddedinthehopesofgainingstatewideinterestandsupport.Dr.OlgaStastnay,wholaterservedinFrancebutnotwithBaseHospitalNo.49,wasnotedbytheDaily Nebraskanas“workingwithprominentbusinessmenofthestatetoestablishahospitalunitfromNebraska.”Dr.AugustF.Jonas,UniversityofNebraskaMedicalCollegeprofessorandoneoftheorganizersoftheOmahaAmbulanceCompany,wasnamedchairoftheorganizationalcommittee.Dr.CharlesA.Hull,aninstructorinsurgeryatthecollege,wassecretary.The“burdenoftheorganizationoftheunit,”saidtheNebraska State Medical Journal,“willfalluponDr.A.C.Stokeswhohasbeennameddirector.”Hewasresponsibleforreviewingapplicationsfromthosewishingtoserveintheunit,whichwasexpectedtoconsistof230membersbutwouldeventuallybe“nearly400strong”whennurses,enlistedmen,andofficerswerecalculatedtogether.3

ArthurC.Stokes,anassociateprofessorofsurgeryattheUniversityofNebraska’smedicalschool,themedicaldirectorfortheGuarantyLifeInsuranceCompany,andalieutenantintheU.S.ArmyMedicalReserveCorps,wasborninCanada.WhenhewasfifteenhisfamilymovedtoIowawherehelaterattendedIowaStateCollegeatAmes.HethenstudiedattheCollegeofPhysiciansand

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SurgeonsinChicago,spenttwoyearsatOmahaMedicalCollegewherehegraduatedin1899,andstudiedabroadbeforereturningtoOmahain1904toestablishasurgicalpractice.Hisresponsibilityofevaluatingandenlistingpersonnelwascompletedinearly1918,andaftermeetingwithofficialsinWashington,D.C.,Stokesannouncedthathebelievedthehospitalunitwouldbe“calledintoactiveservicewithinthenextfewweeks.”4

TheunitwascommandedbyStokes,whoreceivedtherankoflieutenantcolonel.Dr.CharlesA.Hullwaschiefofsurgicalservices,andDr.EdsonL.Bridges,an1896graduateofOmahaMedicalCollegeandprofessorofclinicalmedicineattheUniversityofNebraska,waschiefofmedicalservices.Themajorityofphysicians,enlistedmen,andcivilianpersonnelwereNebraskanatives.Amongthecivilians,forexample,wereEvaO’SullivanandPatriciaNaughton,UniversityofNebraskagraduates,servingaslaboratorytechnicians;AnneGifford,fromOmaha,stenographerandFrenchinterpreter;IreneH.Jess,fromOmaha,jobnotspecifiedintheextantrecords;andMurielRusland,fromOmaha,thehospital’sdietician.(TheRedCrossinsistedthatadieticianbeincluded,despitegrumblingsamongRedCrossdietitiansthatarmymesssergeantsignoredtheirrecommendations.)ThemajorityofofficerswereeithergraduatesoftheUniversityofNebraskaMedicalCollegeorOmahaMedicalCollege,whichaffiliatedwiththeUniversityofNebraskain1902toformtheUniversityofNebraskaCollegeofMedicine.Somewerefacultyorstudents;notalloftheenlistedmenweremedicallytrainedbutservedinavarietyofcapacitiessuchascorpsmenandorderlies.5

Unliketherestofthestaff,thenurses,whosenumbersvariedbetweeneighty-seventoonehundredduetotransfers,andinonecasedeath,representednotonlyNebraskabutIdaho,Illinois,Iowa,Kansas,Maine,Massachusetts,Minnesota,Missouri,NewYork,Oregon,Pennsylvania,SouthDakota,Utah,Wisconsin,Wyoming,Canada,andonewomanrecentlyarrivedfromIreland.ThemajorfactorforthisdiversitywastheRedCrosswhichwasinstrumentalinrecruitingwomen,includingRedCrossnurses,forserviceintheU.S.military.Onceenlisted,however,allnursesgaveupanypreviousaffiliationswithhospitals,publichealthwork,orwithrelieforganizationssuchastheRedCross.Theybecamemembersofmilitaryunitsandsubjecttomilitaryorders.Theyworetheuniformsoftheserviceinwhichtheywereenlisted—Army,Navy,orMarines.Themilitary

requiredthattheybeunmarriedandstate-licensed,althoughtheserequirementswerewaivedasthewarwentonandtheneedfornursesremainedhigh.Initially,militarynursesreceivedfiftydollarsamonthifservingintheStates,andsixtydollarsifoverseas,buttheamountwasincreasedtosixtyandseventydollars,respectively,bythe1918ArmyAppropriationBill.ThefiftydollarsamonthwasonparwiththeamountpaidtoamanintheU.S.ArmyMedicalCorpswiththerankofsergeantfirstclass,althoughthewomenservedwithoutrankandwoulddosountilrankswereinstitutedin1920.Manynurseshadspecializedtraining.BaseHospitalNo.49nurseAnnaAmgwertfromMurdock,forexample,hadtrainedasanorthopedicsnurseatOrthopedicHospitalinLincoln.Specialtrainingornot,womenjoiningthemilitarywentwheretheywereassigned,whichexplainswhyNebraskawomenalsoservedinotheroverseasbasehospitals.KatherineP.RochefromWoodRiver,forexample,servedatBaseHospitalNo.29inLondon;FrancesWilkinson,fromLincoln,wasatBaseHospitalNo.76atVichy,France;EdithMullen,fromElmwood,wasatBaseHospitalNo.114,BeauDésert,France;andMaryR.Swann,fromLincoln,wasassignedtoBaseHospitalNo.117,LaFauche,France.AsforBaseHospitalNo.49,thechiefnursewasIdaL.Gerding.OriginallyfromMissouri,GerdingwouldreturntoNebraskaafterthewarandbecomesuperintendentofnursesatLutheranHospitalinBeatrice.6

WhiletheorganizationalcomponentforNebraska’sbasehospitalseemedtobewellinhandbyearly1918,theessentialneedwasmoneytoequipthehospital.Itwouldhavespaceforonethousandbeds,withthecapacitytoexpandtotwothousandifnecessary.Besidessupplyingthewardswithbasicssuchasbedding,basins,andwashtubs,theunitrequiredsurgicaltablesandinstruments,stretchers,wheelchairsandorthopedic“appliances,”drugsandanesthetic,laboratoryequipment,andmuchmore.TheAmericanRedCrossgaveasmallamounttowardsfurnishingbasehospitals,butitexpectedtheorganizinggroup,localbusinesses,andprivatecitizenstocontributemostofthemoney.Thetotalcostforequipmentwasanestimated$150,000,buta“reasonable”amountofequipmentcouldbehadforonly$50,000to$75,000.ItwasuptoNebraskanstoraisethefundsbysubscription.TheRedCrossurgedOmahaandDouglasCountyspecifically,aswellasallofthestate’sRedCrosschapters,tolendtheirsupport.7

Thispresentedaproblem.TheonlyRedCrosschapterinNebraskabeforethedeclarationof

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Above: Part of the hospital center at Allerey, France. NSHS RG784

Below: Officers of Base Hospital No. 49, Allerey, France. U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health

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warwasachapterinBeatrice,andithadbeeninexistenceforonlyonemonth.Thiswasnotunusual.LesspopulousstatesandU.S.territorieswithoutlargemetropolitanareasonthescaleofaNewYorkorChicagohadfew,ifany,localchapters.Beforethewar,therewerejust272RedCrosschaptersintheentirecountry.WithinthefirstfivemonthsofAmerica’sentryintothewar,however,thenumberquicklygrewtoovertwothousand.Thiswaslargelytheresultofanationalcampaigntocreatelocalchapters,helpedalongbycivicleaders,women’sgroups,andthemedia.AMay1917editionoftheLincoln Star,forinstance,featuredafullpagedevotedtotheRedCrosswithaheadlinethaturgedreaders,“DoYourbitbyjoiningtheRedCrosstomorrow!”Meanwhile,theAmericanRedCrossusedseveralmeanstopromotenewchapters,includingacolumninitsnationalpublicationthathighlightedstateactivities.Nevertheless,Nebraska’sresponseseemedslow.BetweenApril1andApril30,1917,onlythreechapterswereestablished—inAlliance,GrandIsland(anauxiliarychapterforallofHallCountywaslaterformed),andinOmaha.By

comparison,withtheexceptionofSouthDakotawhichhadnonewchaptersduringthesametimeperiod,Nebraska’sneighborswereslightlymoreresponsive:Iowahadninenewchapters;Kansas,six;andColoradohadfive.8

Inthefollowingmonths,however,Nebraskasawasignificantincrease.Thirty-onenewchapterswereorganizedinMayandJune1917.Atleastone,thechapterinCusterCounty,wasinprocessofbeingformedbeforewarwasdeclared,butitwasnotofficiallyorganizeduntilafter.Mostchapterswerecountywide,andinsomecasesexistingchaptershelpednewonesgetstarted.ThepresidentoftheAlliancechapter,forinstance,attendedMorrillCounty’sorganizationalmeetingwhere,notedacountyhistory,peopleturnedout“despiteperverseweather”andseventy-fiveimmediatelyenrolledinthenewchapter.Eachchapterwasexpectedtoholdfirstaidclasses,rollbandagesforfieldpacks,andknitscarves,socks,andglovesforservicemen.TheywerealsoaskedtocontributetoBaseHospitalNo.49.Thiswasnotaneasytask,consideringthatchaptersalsoraisedfundsforreliefworkinBelgium,France,

Map of Hospital Center at Allerey, France, showing the location of Base Hospital No. 49. NSHS RG784

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Italy,Serbia,andRussia,aswellasforRedCross-supportedcanteens,libraries,and“convalescenthuts”overseas.(The“huts”freedupspaceinhospitalwardsbyhousingconvalescentpatientsineithertentsormorecommonlylong,narrowwood-framebarracks.)Addedtothesefundraisingprojects,chaptersregularlyaskedlocalcitizenstomakedonationsforthepurchaseofmaterialneededtomakebandagesandknitteditems.Still,consideringtheirindividualcounty’spopulationnumbersandlevelsofincome,theRedCrosschaptersdidanadmirablejobinraisingfundsforbothnationalRedCrosscampaignsandforlocaluse.Howmanychapterscontributedtothebasehospitalcannotbedetermined,butanumberdid.TheGrandIslandandHallCountychapters,forexample,eachdonated$500whiletheBurtCountychaptergave$1,000.9

InLincoln,UniversityofNebraskastudentsandfacultyinitiatedtheirownfundraisingcampaign.InApril1918,acampuscarnivalwasheldtoraisefunds.Thegoalwas$500tobeusedtowardthepurchaseofequipmentsince,saidtheschoolnewspaper,“theunitisprovidedwithverylittle

morethanisabsolutelyrequired.”Infact,reportedthepaper,thehospitalwasthemost“poorlyequipped”amongothersuchunits.Althoughprivateindividuals,businesses,andRedCrosschaptershadmanagedtoraise$95,000,thisamountwas“but$5,000morethantheminimumforanyhospitalundertheRedCross.Mostunitshaveequipmentamountingtofrom$200,000to$250,000.”Withthehelpoflocalmerchantswhocontributedgoodsandservicesasprizes,thecarnivalbroughtin$250.Another$150wasraisedwhenMay7,1918,wasdesignatedNebraskaBaseHospitalDayoncampus.Eventually,thegoalwasreached,and$513.48wasforwardedtothebasehospitalafteritreacheditsoverseasdestinationofAllerey,France.Receiptofthemoneywasannouncedintheuniversity’sstudentnewspaperthroughapublishedletterwrittentotheuniversity’sdeanofwomen,AmandaHeppner,byCapt.EdwardW.Rowe(thepaperincorrectlyidentifiedRoweasEdwardW.Rouse).Rowewrote:“LaterIcansendwordtothedonorsofthefundtowhatusethemoneyhasbeenput.Justnowitisaquestionofwhatisthemostpressingequipment

Enlisted men of Base Hospital No. 49, Allerey, France. U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health

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weshouldbuy.Itislikespendingmissionarymoney....[We]aredrawingonthesupplieshereandimprovising.”10

BaseHospitalNo.49wasnottheonlyunitthathadtolearntheartofimprovisation.AnaccountfromBaseHospitalNo.26,organizedbytheUniversityofMinnesotaandinthesamemedicalcomplexassignedtotheNebraskagroup,providesaninsidelookatwhatpersonnelfacedwhentheyarrivedaheadoftheirhospitalequipment:

Of supplies, aside from beds and bedding, ranges and kitchen utensils, there was almost

nothing, all we had was the very simple so-called “crisis expansion” outfit that came with

the tents. . . . So the resourceful corps built out of biscuit tins, tubs, sinks, and distills . . . out of empty barrels, a sterilizing plant, while refrigerators were

improvised from gunny sacking stretched on frames and kept wet by dripping water.11

BaseHospitalsNo.26andNo.49werebothlocatedinAllerey,France.ThevillageofAllerey,withapopulationofaboutfourhundred,wasapproximately150milessoutheastofParis

intheBurgundyregion,andabout180milesfromArgonneontheWesternFront.Thearmycategorizedthelocationas“intermediate,”asafedistancefromchangingbattlelines.ItisnotclearwhentheNebraskagrouplearnedofitsdestination,andCaptainRowe,mindfulofthecensorsdeletinganyreferencetoitinhisletter,onlyhintedatthelocation.“WeareinoneofthosewidevillagesthatCaesarmentionsinoneofhiscommentaries,”Rowewrote.“Oncleardayswecanseearangeofmountains....”12

UnlikeBaseHospitalNo.21staffwho“weretoosurprisedtobescared”whendeployedtoRouen,France,onlytwomonthsafterAmerica’sdeclarationofwar,theNebraskaunithadmonthstocontemplatewhatlayahead.BaseHospitalNo.49wasmobilizedatOmahaonMarch25,1918,andsenttoFortDesMoines,Iowa,fortraining.TheunitremainedthereuntilJuly4whenitleftfortheembarkationfacilityofCampMillsonLongIsland,NewYork.OnJuly14,theunitsailedforEurope.AfterdockingatLiverpool,England,theunittraveledbytraintoSouthampton,England,whereitcrossedtheEnglishChannelboundforCherbourg,France.ArrivingonAugust3,theythentraveledbytraintoAllerey,arrivingonAugust5.BaseHospitalNo.49wasthethirdhospitalcontingenttoarriveatthemedicalcenterdesignedtoaccommodateseveralunits.Bywar’sendthecomplexincludedBaseHospitalNo.25,organizedatGeneralHospital,Cleveland,Ohio;BaseHospitalNo.26,organizedattheUniversityofMinnesota;BaseHospitalNo.56,formedatCampGreenleaf,Georgia,fromenlistedpersonnel;BaseHospitalNo.70,establishedatFortRiley,Kansas,fromofficersandenlistedmen;andBaseHospitalNo.97,formedwithofficersandenlistedmenatCampNewtonD.Baker,ElPaso,Texas.13

Notallbasehospitalsweresetupingroups,butthearmybelievedthatcenters,liketheoneatAllerey,weremoreefficientforbringinginsuppliesandcasualties.Centersalsoallowedforspecializationateachhospital,althoughtheplansometimesfalteredwhenlargenumbersofsickandwoundedarrivedwithinshorttimeframes.AtAllerey,BaseHospitalsNos.25,26,49,wereassigned“gravesurgicalcases.”InfluenzaandpneumoniacaseswenttoNumbers25,26,49,and70;complicateddentalcases,particularlythoserequiringsurgery,weretreatedatNo.26;patientswithinfectiousskindiseasesorvenerealdiseasewereassignedtoNo.56;psychiatricpatientswenttoNos.25and49;andNo.49wasresponsibleforallotolaryngologicalcases(asurgicalspecialtydealing

Operating room at Base Hospital No. 28, Limoges, France. National World War I Museum and Memorial, Kansas City, Missouri

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withtheear,nose,and/orthroat).Sincemanypatientssufferedfrommorethanonecondition,“asortingofthemwaseffectedinsuchamannerastogivethegraverconditionpreferentialconsideration.”BaseHospitalNo.26alsotook“practicallyalloftheGermanprisoners[numbering322]comingtothecenter.”Aftertheyweresufficientlyrecovered,theGermansweretransferredtoaprisoner-of-warcamp,buttherewerestillsixteenseriouscasesinthehospitalwhenitbegantoclosedowninearlyJanuary1919.ThesemenweremovedtoBaseHospitalNo.49whichwasstilloperational.Consideringthespecializedassignmentsgiventoeachofthecenter’sbasehospitals,BaseHospitalNo.49hadmorethananyoftheothers.14

ThecitizensofAllereyandthesurroundingareahadknownsinceFebruary1918thattheAmericanswerecoming.Alocalnewspaperreported:“Forsometimenow,wehavebeeninformedthatthetownofAllereyhasbeenchosenfortheinstallationofavastAmericanmedicalhealthservicecamp.AfterseveralvisitstothesitebyFranco-Americancommissions,theprojectisallegedlyonthevergeofbeingcarriedout....Thelandchosenis...alongtheroadtoBeaune,neartheCháteauxandnotfarfromthewoods.”Anumberofcivilianswerehiredtohaulmaterialsandtoworkonconstructing

thecomplexlaidoutbytheU.S.ArmyCorpsofEngineers.Besidesthehospitalsandsurgicalareas,thecomplexhadatelephoneandtelegraphoffice,abank,achapel,asectionforthequartermasterandanotherformotortransport.Therewashousingforpersonnel(tentsandwoodenbarracks),aswellasdentalfacilities,centralizedkitchensanddininghalls.Eachbasehospitalhadasmallclinicallaboratory,butonelargerlaboratorywasavailabletotheentirecomplex.AsectionoftheParis,Lyon,&MediterraneanRailRoadranthroughthecenterofthecomplex,andthewatersupplycamefromthreerecentlydugwellsandconstructedpumpstationsneartheSaoneRiveraboutthree-quartersofamileaway.Therewasalsoamorgueandacemeterythat,bywar’send,had445burials.(AftertheArmistice,323remainswerereturnedtotheUnitedStatesatfamilies’requests;122wereremovedtotheSt.MihielAmericanCemeterynearThiaucourt,France.)InAllerey,BaseHospitalNo.49wasunderthecommandofLt.Col.LeopoldMitchell,agraduateofTulaneUniversity’smedicalcollegeandamemberoftheU.S.ArmyMedicalCorpssince1912.15

Besidestreatingthewoundedandphysicallyill,BaseHospitalNo.49wasalsodesignatedasoneofthehospitalstoreceivesoldierssuffering

Convalescent ward at Base Hospital #17, Dijon, France. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division

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fromthementalandnervousdisordersthatwerevariouslyreferredtoas“shellshock,”“warnerves,”or“wartrauma.”InWorldWarI,thepsychologicalbreakdownoftroopswasconsideredanewdisorder.Mostnoticeableduringandafterbigmilitarypushesandbattles,thenumberofcaseswasstaggering.Toaddresstheproblem,theU.S.ArmyMedicalCorpscreatedaDivisionofNeurologyandPsychiatry.BystudyingtheBritish,whichhadareportedeightythousandcasesbywar’send,itconcludedthattreatingsoldiersfarawayfromthefrontonlyseemedtoingrainsymptomsratherthanalleviatethem.ColonelThomasSalmondesignedatreatmentprogramforAEFtroopsthatconsistedofthreetiers.Thefirstwastreatingsoldiersatclearingstationsclosetothefront.Ifthatwasunsuccessful,thepatientwasmovedbacktoadesignatedbasehospitalsuchasBaseHospitalNo.49,andifthathadnoeffect,thelasttierwasplacementina“specialtreatment”hospitalfarfromthefront.16

PuttingthisplanintoactionmeantthatneurologistsandpsychiatristswerewithhospitalsinEnglandandinFrance.Doctorsoftenwereassignedtomorethanone.Dr.OttoG.Wiedman,forexample,associatedwiththeBostonPsychopathicHospitalandtheNewYork

NeurologicalInstitutebeforethewar,workedforatimeatAllerey’sBaseHospitalNo.25,aswellasBaseHospitalNo.49whereDr.GustaveW.Dishongwasinchargeofpsychiatricpatients.Describedasaspecialistinneuropsychiatry,DishongwasagraduateofCreightonUniversity’smedicalschool.Hehadstudiedandpracticedatseveralinstitutions,includingapsychiatricinstituteinLondon,England.ForthreeyearshewasapathologistandanassistantsuperintendentattheStateHospitalinNorfolk,Nebraska.By1917,hewasaprofessorof“nervousandmentaldiseases”atCreighton’smedicalschool,andlateintheyear,afterjoiningBaseHospitalNo.49’sroster,thearmysenthimtoNewYorkfor“intensivetraininginnervousdiseases.”Presumably,thispreparedhimforthetypesofcaseshecouldexpectandintroducedhimtoSalmon’sthree-tiedprogram.17

BaseHospitalNo.49personnelarrivedatAllereyonAugust5,1918,notlongaftertheGermanshadlaunchedtheJulyoffensivethatbecameknownastheSecondBattleoftheMarne.TheGermansintendedtodrawFrenchforcesawayfromtheBritishfront,butunliketheGermanvictoryattheFirstBattleoftheMarnein1914,theGermanswerenowfacingnineAmericandivisions,twenty-threeFrenchdivisions,andtwoItaliandivisions.The

NSHS Superintendent Addison Sheldon, right, visited Base Hospital No. 49 in December 1918. From Nebraska History 2, No. 2 (April-June 1919): 4.

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Germansweredrivenback.AlliedtroopskeptupacounteroffensivethatincludedtakingtheGermanstrongholdoftheSt.MihielSalient.ThiswasfollowedbythedecisiveMeuse-Argonneoffensive.Asawhole,themedicalcomplexatAllereyreceivedoverfortythousandcasualtiesafterthewoundedreceivedinitialtreatmentandevaluationatfront-lineaidstationsandhospitals.OfthefortythousandthatcametoAllerey,BaseHospitalNo.49treatedalmostfivethousand.18

MajorEdsonL.BridgesrecountedthisperiodinaletterpublishedintheNebraska State Medical Journal:

The first part of our stay dragged a little due to the incompleted condition of the hospital and the consequent lack of patients. Some of the staff, especially on the surgical side, became considerably disgruntled because they had nothing to do, but the past few weeks they

have been too busy to even peep. . . . Since the big drive started [the Meuse-Argonne

offensive] they [surgical cases] steadily gained on us, and now lead [the medical cases] by a good big margin which is increased with each train that comes in. At the present moment we have 800 surgical and 600 medical cases with

3 more trains due in tonight.19

Inthebeginning,medicalcaseswerekeptseparatefromthesurgical,andtherewasa“distinctsegregationofsurgicalcases”inthehospitalwards.Onewardwasforfracturesandjointinjuriesthataffectedmusclesandnerves;twoweresetasidefor“cleansurgical”cases;onewasforcaseswithactiveinfections;andtwoheldpatientswithopenwoundsbutnoinfections.Asthenumberofarrivingwoundedincreased,however,“itbecameapparentthatallideasofsegregation”hadtobeabandoned.“Infact,”saidareportfromtheU.S.ArmySurgeonGeneral,“agreatnumberofsurgicalcaseswerespreadhereandtherethroughoutthehospital,whereverabedcouldbefound.”20

OneofthesurgicalcaseswasClarenceOlsen,fromFarwell,Nebraska.OnNovember5,1918,hewrotehismother:

I just got through w`riting a letter to Henry on October 28th and telling how safe we are, but

Fritz got the best of me that same evening. I am now in hospital minus one leg just above

the knee and a shrapnel hole through the other one just below the knee. From present indications I am getting along as well as can

be expected and lately have not suffered very much. This may be a shock that I should put it as plainly as I do, but you might as well know how things are now. Then you won’t worry if

recovery seems slow later on.21

Amonthlater,Clarencedied.Dr.JustusE.Olsson,fromLexington,Nebraska,wrotefromBaseHospitalNo.49totheyoungman’smother.Intheletter,OlssonexplainedthatwhengangreneaffectedClarence’sotherleg,ithadtobeamputatedabovetheknee.Heverywellcouldhaverecoveredfromtheamputations,butClarencedidnotsurvivethebronchialpneumoniathatsetin.“Heputupamostwonderfulfightagainsttheinevitable,”wrotethedoctor.“Thetragicpartofitallisthefactthatheshouldfightthroughthewarandbecutdownwhenvictorywasinsight.”22

Ofthemedicalcases,EdsonBridgeswrotethatthefourmostprominentweremenwhohadbeensubjectedtotheGermans’useofmustard,chlorine,andphosgenegases(430gassedcaseswerereported);gastro-intestinalproblems;pneumoniawhichwasof“averyvirulentandunusualtypeofbroncho-pneumonia”;andinfluenza.Thelasttwowereindicativeoftheinfluenzapandemicthatspreadaroundtheworld,appearinginthreemainwaves.Thefirstoccurredinthespringof1918.Thesecondarrivedinlatesummerandcontinuedthroughthefall.Thethirdappearedintheearlymonthsof1919,andwiththeexceptionofrelativelyfewcasesin1920,theepidemicendedanddidnotreappear.BaseHospitalNo.49sawitsfirstinfluenzapatientsatthebeginningofthesecondandmostdestructivewave.OnAugust26,eightcasesarrivedamongatrainloadofwounded.Thesecouldbechalkeduptothefactthatcontagiousdiseasessuchastheflu,the“commoncold,”andthemeasleswerefairlycommon,buttheweeksaheadprovedthatthiswasnoordinaryinfluenza.BySeptember10,thehospitalhad52cases;bytheendofSeptember,therewere110;andbyOctober6,therewere242.AllalongtheWesternFront,influenzaspreadandjustatthetimetheMeuse-Argonnepushwasunderway.Dr.AlbertFranklinSarver,whowaswiththe355thRegiment,89thDivision,andatthefront,laterwroteinhisreminiscencesthatwhenexhaustionand

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influenzamadeitimpossible“togoanyfarther,”hewasevacuatedwithabouttwohundredsickorwoundedtoBaseHospitalNo.49wherehespentfivedaysinbed.23

Caringforinfluenzaandbronchialpatientsputmedicalpersonnelatriskforinfluenzaorthepneumoniaoftenassociatedwithit.AtBaseHospitalNo.32,locatedatContrexville,France,andformedbytheRedCrosschapterofIndianapolis,Indiana,NurseMaudeFrancesEssigwroteinherdiarythat“ourmenarewinning”intheMeuse-Argonnedrive,butatthehospital,“NeverthoughtIcouldworksohard—ManyofourstaffareoffdutysickandforacoupleofdaysIthoughtIcouldnottakeitbutamupandatit.”AtBaseHospitalNo.41,fromtheUniversityofVirginiaandworkingnearParisatSt.Denis,fifteenmedicalofficersandhalfofthenursesandcorpsmenbecameill,andfourofthestaffdied.AttheUniversityofCalifornia’sBaseHospitalNo.30,atRoyat,France,abouthalfofthemedicalofficerscontractedinfluenza.Threecorpsmendiedthere.HowmanyinfluenzacasesoccurredamongstaffattheNebraskahospitalcannotbedetermined,buttherewasaleastonedeath.NurseOrmaA.Schreiber,fromAlma,Wisconsin,diedinOctober1918.24

TheU.S.WarDepartmentconservativelyestimatedthat26percentofthearmy,morethanamillionmen,weresickenedbyinfluenza.AtleastthirtythousanddiedatcampsintheUnitedStates,andduringthelasttwomonthsofthewar,overtwothousandsoldiersdiedonlydaysafterreachingEurope.ThetotalnumberofdeathsamongtheAmericanExpeditionaryForcesinEuropebetweenSeptemberandOctober1918hasbeenestimatedatfifteenthousand,anditisbelievedthatinfluenzakilledmoreAmericansinEuropeduringthesecondphaseoftheMeuse-Argonneoffensivethanduringanyotherperiodofthewar.Thenumberofnursestodieoverseas,saidMarySarnecky’shistoryofarmynursing,was“anuntoldnumber.”Thevaguestatementisinexplicablesincethearmy’sGravesRegistrationServicemadeeveryefforttoidentifythedeadandrecordtheirplaceofburial,includingthoseofnurses.Othersourcesareonlyslightlymorehelpful.Onestatesthat101nursesdiedwhileanothergivesthenumberas272;thediscrepancymayrestonwhetherthesourcecountedmilitarynursesinboththeStatesandoverseasorjustinEurope.Nevertheless,womendiedfrominfluenza,receivedmilitaryfunerals,andwererememberedinprofessionalpublicationssuchasThe American Journal of Nursing.25

AftertheArmisticewasdeclaredonNovember11,1918,thehospitalcontinuedtofunction.InearlyDecember,AddisonE.Sheldon,secretaryandsuperintendentoftheNebraskaStateHistoricalSociety,“wasuponaFrenchrailwayexpresstrainonroutefromParis,bywayofDijon”toBaseHospitalNo.49.HemayhaveintendedtovisitthehospitalaspartofhistriptoFrancewhenhesetsailforEuropeinOctober,butthewarwasstillragingandSheldon’sgoalwas“tostudyonthewesternfrontthepartNebraskaistakinginthewar.”Holdingpresscredentialsthatallowedhimtotraveltothefrontlines,hesawbattlefieldsinBelgiumandFrance.Then,whentheArmisticecame,hebegantocollectbattleground“warmaterial”suchashelmets,gasmasks,trenchingtools,andmaps.Withthese,heplannedtobuildacollectionforthestatehistoricalsocietythatwould“commemoratetheworkofNebraskasoldiers.”26

AftertouringtheWesternFront,SheldonwenttoBaseHospitalNo.49.Ofthevisit,hewrote:“ThedayIarrivedatAllereye[sic]therewereabout1,100casesinthehospital.Itwasthreeweeksafterthelasttrainloadofwoundedhadreachedthecenter.”ThenumberofcasescitedbySheldonwasdownfromtherecordnumberof1,950recordedonNovember10.Sheldonwasledonafour-hourinspectiontourbyArthurStokes,andlaterwrote:“Manyofthesemenweresotornwithfrightfullaceratingprojectilesthatitseemedimpossibleforthemtosurvive.Yetnearlyallofthemwerehopefulandcleareyed.Almostallmaderecovery.”Col.JosephH.Ford,commanderoftheentiremedicalcomplex,informedSheldonthattheNebraskahospitalhadthe“lowestmortalityrateofanyhospitalunitintheAmericanarmy.”27

Sheldonpaintedahopefuloutcomeforthepatientsandportrayedthestaffashardworkingandamiable.Theyoungdoctorswhowerelieutenantsandunlikelytobepromotedinrank,invitedhimtotheirO.P.L.(OrderofPermanentLieutenants)Clubwheretheirbadgesofhonor,“fastenedbyaribbontothecoat,”wereleadcrossesmadefrombulletsremovedfrompatients.Asforthenurses,SheldonlapsedintotheconventionalimageofnursesasAngelsorMadonnasoftheBattlefield.“IshallneverthinkoftheNebraskawomenIsawinBaseHospitalNo.49inanyotherwaythanwithakindofmedievalreverence,suchastheoldpaintersputintothepicturesofthewomentheypainteduponthecathedralwallsofEurope.”28

Marilyn Irvin Holt, the author of seven books, received her M.A. from the University of Illinois at Springfield. She has been a research consultant for local and national PBS documentaries and worked as an editor at the Illinois State Historical Library and Kansas State Historical Society.

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PraiseforthehospitalstaffwascoupledwithabriefdescriptionofwhatSheldonhadseenonthebattlefield.Hewantedhisreaderstoappreciatetheenvironmentinwhichdoctors,nurses,andenlistedmenworked:

Along the line of the Meuse a month before [visiting Base Hospital No. 49] I had

seen the waste and the wreck of war—dead soldiers and horses scattered over the field,

broken trucks and caissons, wounded men in ambulances going to the rear. Here was the salvage station [base hospital]. The men and women of the hospital corps constituted the redemption arm of the military service. No heroism or sacrifice of war time seemed to me so worthy of highest praise as that of

the hospital corps.29

ThebasehospitalsattheAllereymedicalcomplexbegantocloseinearly1919.HospitalsNos.25and26endedtheirworkduringthesecondweekofJanuary.Nos.56,70,and97closedinFebruary.BaseHospitalNo.49ceasedtofunctiononJanuary20,1919.Thepersonnelbegantheirjourneyhome.AftertravelingbyrailtoBrest,France,theytooksailonApril12,1919,andarrivedinNewYorkonApril23.TheunitthentraveledtoCampDodge,Iowa,whereBase

HospitalNo.49wasofficiallydemobilizedonMay7,1919.TheunitreceivedcommendationsfromColonelC.H.Connor,oftheU.S.ArmyMedicalCorps,andMerritteW.Ireland,SurgeonGeneraloftheU.S.Army.Physiciansreturnedtotheirpracticesortheirteachingjobs.NurseswhohadbeenreservistsintheU.S.ArmyNurseCorpswerereleasedfromduty,andthosewhowereRegularArmywerereassignedtobasehospitalsintheStatesortooverseasinstallationsinsuchplacesasHawaii,Guam,andthePhilippines.TheUniversityofNebraska’sstudentnewspaperbegantoreportthereturnofrecentgraduatesorstudentswhowouldberesumingtheirstudies.In1921,theNebraska State Medical Journalnotedthat“medicalmembers”ofthebasehospitalhadrecentlymetforareunion.ItmayhavebeenatthiseventthatArthurStokesandhisfellowdoctorsdiscussedreestablishingthebasehospitalforpeacetime.Theywouldprovidetheorganizationalstructureandmedicalexpertise,buttheRedCrosswouldberesponsibleforsupplyingandstoringtheequipmentthatwouldbeneededinthe“eventofadisasterinNebraskaornearbystates.”ThereisnoevidencethattheRedCrossactedonthisplan,andaspeoplesettledintotheirpostwarlivesandasyearspassed,BaseHospitalNo.49dimmedinthestate’scollectivememory.Therewasabrieftime,however,whenthehospitalanditsstaffrepresented,inthewordsofAddisonSheldon,a“LittleNebraska”inFrance.30

Sheldon’s article about Base Hospital No. 49 appeared in one of the earliest issues of this journal (Volume 2, No. 2, April-June 1919) and listed the hospital’s personnel.

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NOTES1 “MedicalMilitaryProblems,”Nebraska State Medical

Journal2(May1917):312;CarolR.Byerly,Fever of War: The Influenza Epidemic in the U.S. Army during World War I(NewYork:NewYorkUniversityPress,2005),25-26;MaryC.Gillett,The Army Medical Department,1917-1941(Washington,D.C.:CenterforMilitaryHistory,UnitedStatesArmy,2009),4.

2 Gillett,The Army Medical Department,1917-1941,7-9,31;Secretary of War, War Department Annual Reports,1918,vol.1(Washington,D.C.:GovernmentPrintingOffice,1919),629.Foralistofallbasehospitals,seeJosephH.Ford,The Medical Department of the United States Army in the World War,vol.2(Washington,D.C.:GovernmentPrintingOffice,1927),Chapter24.

3 Ford,The Medical Department of the United States Army,632,675;“HowtheGermansBombedanAmericanHospital,” Red Cross Bulletin1(September21,1917):3;“WillEstablishHospitalUnit,”Daily Nebraskan,September26,1917,p.1;“TheUniversityofNebraska,”Nebraska Teacher(March1917),328;Bulletin of the University of Nebraska, Annual Catalog of the College of Medicine,1917-1918(Lincoln:UniversityofNebraska,1917),6,8;“ABaseHospitalforNebraska,”Nebraska State Medical Journal2(December1917):532;“SurgicalPathologyDisplayHousedinMedLibrary,”Daily Nebraskan(Lincoln),October1,1948,p.3;“Capt.EdwardW.RousetoMissHeppner,”Daily Nebraskan,September25,1918,p.4.FitzsimonsArmyHospital,whichopenedinthefallof1918inAurora,Colorado,wasnamedforLieutenantFitzsimons;itsprimarypurposeduringandimmediatelyafterthewarwastreatmentofmenexposedtochemicalweapons.Dr.OlgaStastny,whowasrefusedanofficer’scommissioninU.S.militarybecauseshewasawoman,joinedtheworkofAmericanWomen’sHospitalsinFrance.SeeStepankaAndrewsKoryta,“Dr.OlgaStastny,HerServicetoNebraskaandtheWorld,”Nebraska History 68(Spring1987):21-22.

4 “Dr.ArthurC.Stokes,”inOmaha: The Great City and Douglas County, Nebraska,vol.2(Chicago:S.J.ClarkePublishingCo.,1917),797;“Notes,”Nebraska State Medical Journal2(February1918):69;“BaseHospitalListComplete—EnlistedPersonnelofNebraskaUnitFinished,”Nebraska State Medical Journal2(March1918):95.

5 Bulletin of the University of Nebraska, Annual Catalog,7;BerniceM.Hetzner,“TheDevelopmentoftheOmahaMedicalCollege,”Nebraska State Medical Journal45(March1960):111,115;Ford,The Medical Department of the United States Army,675;“BaseHospitalNo.49,”The Pulse12(February1918):14;“UniversityofNebraskaBaseHospitalNo.49,”The Cornhusker(1918yearbook),p.99,NEGenWebProject,http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~negenweb;“UniversityofNebraska,”Nebraska Teacher20(May1918):418;AddisonE.Sheldon,“BaseHospital49:AVisittotheUniversityofNebraskaOverseas,”Nebraska History and Record of Pioneer Days2(April-June1919):5;AmericanRedCross,Department of Military Relief, Red Cross Base Hospitals(Washington,D.C.:AmericanRedCross,ca.1917),7,11;“RedCrossNowSupplyingTrainedDietitians,” Red Cross Bulletin1(October1,1917):4;LaviniaL.Dock,et.al.,History of American Red Cross Nursing(NewYork:MacmillanCo.,1922),1404.

6 MaryT.Sarnecky,A History of the U.S. Army Nurse(Philadelphia:UniversityofPennsylvaniaPress,1999),93;Dock,et.al.,History of American Red Cross Nursing,313-14;

“ToCorrectaWrongImpression,” Red Cross Bulletin2(June17,1918):3;U.S.AdjutantGeneral,Official Army Register,December1,1918(Washington,D.C.:AdjutantGeneral’sOffice,1918),1139:A.F.Buechler,R.J.Barr,andDaleP.Stough,eds.,History of Hall County, Nebraska(Lincoln,NE:WesternPublishingandEngravingCo.,1920),553;KathieHarrison,“WWIHonorRoll,LancasterCo.,Nebraska,WomenintheArmedForces,”NEGenWebProject;Sheldon,“BaseHospital49,”2;“BaseHospitalNo.49Personnel,”NebraskaAHGPwebsite,https://nebraskagenealogy.com/ahgp;“NursingNews,”American Journal of Nursing18(July1918):908;“Nebraska,”Modern Hospital14(May1920):54.ForAnnaAmgwert(laterDodge)see,Eighteenth Biennial Report of the Board of Public Lands and Buildings(Lincoln:WoodruffBankNotesCo.,1912),50.

7 “ABaseHospitalforNebraska,”Nebraska State Medical Journal,532.

8 “DoYourbitbyjoiningtheRedCrosstomorrow!”Lincoln Star,May21,1917,p.5;JoelynHansen,“90YearsAfterItsFoundingtheGageCountyRedCrossContinuestoServe,”Daily Sun(Beatrice,NE),November13,2007,Daily Sunwebsite,http://beatricedailysun.com;“NewChaptersandSecretaries,” Red Cross Bulletin1(March31,1917):4;“NewChaptersandSecretaries,” Red Cross Bulletin1(April30,1917):3-4;“GrowthofRedCrossChapters,” Red Cross Bulletin1(August20,1917):3.

9 “NewChaptersandSecretaries,” Red Cross Bulletin1(June21,1917):6;“NewChaptersandSecretaries,” Red Cross Bulletin(July19,1917):6;W.L.GastonandA.R.Humphrey,History of Custer County, Nebraska(Lincoln,NE:WesternPublishingandEngravingCo.,1919),338-39;GrantL.Shumway,History of Western Nebraska and Its People,vol.2(Lincoln,NE:WesternPublishingandEngravingCo.,1921),406;Buechler,Barr,andStough,eds.,History of Hall County Nebraska,455;“BurtCountyChapter—AmericanRedCross,”p.83,BurtCountyinWorldWarI,rootsweb.ancestry.com.

10“BigFundforHospitalUnit,”Daily Nebraskan,April16,1918,pp.1,6;“PlanFinalBoostforHospitalFund,”Daily Nebraskan,May7,1918,p.1;“Capt.EdwardW.RousetoMissHeppner,”Daily Nebraskan,p.4.NoEdwardW.Rouseappearsonthehospitalroster,butEdwardW.RowefromLincolnislisted.See“BaseHospitalNo.49Personnel,”NebraskaAHGPWebsite.

11A.A.Law,“HistoryofBaseHospitalNo.26,”Minnesota Medicine2(June1919):204.

12“Capt.EdwardW.RousetoMissHeppner,”Daily Nebraskan,p.4.

13Ford,The Medical Department of the United States Army,651-52,681,693,715.BaseHospitalNo.21wasorganizedbytheWashingtonUniversitySchoolofMedicineinSt.Louis.See,DonnaBinghamMunger,“BaseHospitalNo.21DuringWorldWarI—1914-1918,WashingtonUniversitySchoolofMedicinewebsite,https://medicine.wustl.edu.

14 Ford,The Medical Department of the United States Army,524;“BaseHospitalNo.26,”typescript,noauthor,UniversityofMinnesotaArchiveswebsite,https://www.lib.umn.edu/uarchives.

15AntoinGuillot,The American Camp at Allerey(1918-1919),Englishtranslation,HistoricalStudiesGroupofVerdun-sur-Doubs,1999,BrighamYoungUniversity,HaroldB.LeeLibrarywebsite,https://lib.byu.edu/;LettieGavin,American Women in World War I: They Also Served(Niwot,CO:UniversityPressofColorado,1977),56;Ford,

211 • nebraska history

The Medical Department of the United States Army,492,675,andAppendix,p.492;Report of the Surgeon General, War Department Annual Reports,vol.1(Washington,D.C.:GovernmentPrintingOffice,1920),3036;AlexBennet,AmericanBattleMonumentsCommission,totheauthor,November28,2016,citing“St.MihielAmericanCemetery,”inUnited States Army, American Graves Registration Service(Washington,D.C.AdjutantGeneralCenter,1976),51;“Deaths—LeopoldMitchell,”Journal of the American Medical Association109(October23,1937):1379.

16ThomasW.SalmonandNormanFenton,“NeuropsychiatryintheAmericanExpeditionaryForces,”inThe Medical Department of the United States Army in the World War,vol.10(Washington,D.C.:GovernmentPrintingOffice,1929),Chapter6;HansPolsandStephanieOak,“WarandMilitaryMentalHealth:ThePsychiatricResponseinthe20thCentury,”American Journal of Public Health97(December2007):2132-42;TraceyLoughran,“ShellShock,Trauma,andtheFirstWorldWar:TheMakingofaDiagnosisandItsHistories,”Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Scienceswebsite,https://academic.oup.com/jhmas.

17“ReportoftheCommitteeonWarWork,”inProceedings of the American Medico-Psychological Association at the Seventy-Sixth Annual Meeting(np:AmericanMedico-PsychologicalAssociation,1920),385;DonaldC.Force,“PearceBailey,”inHome Front Heroes: A Biographical Dictionary of Americans During Wartime,ed.BenjaminF.Shearer,vol.1(Westport,CT:GreenwoodPress,2007),38;“UniversityofNebraskaBaseHospitalNo.49,”The Cornhusker(1918yearbook),p.99,NEGenWebProject;“GustaveDishong,”Biographies,DouglasCounty,NebraskaGenealogyandHistorywebsite,https://nebraskagenealogy.com;A.Johnson,Twelfth Biennial Report of the Superintendent of the Norfolk State Hospital for the Period Ending November 30,1912(np:ca.1913),2;“OrderstotheOfficersoftheMedicalCorps,”Journal of the American Medical Association70(January5,1918):858.

18TherearemanyhistoriesofWorldWarIbattles,butspecificreferencetoBaseHospitalNo.49andtheoffensivesinthefall1918canbefoundinGavin,American Women in World War I,56-57.

19“ExtractfromLetterfromMaj.E.L.Bridges(datedOct.4,1918),”Nebraska State Medical Journal3(November1918):355.

20Report of the Surgeon General, War Department Annual Reports,1919,3541.

21“WarLetters:Death—1918France,”NET(Nebraska’sPBSandNPRStations)website,http://netnebraska.org.

22Ibid.“WarLetters:Death—1918France,”givesthenameasDr.J.E.Olson,buttheletterwriterwasmostcertainlyDr.JustusE.Olsson,listedinSheldon,“BaseHospital49,”3.

23“ExtractfromLetterfromMaj.E.L.Bridges,”Nebraska State Medical Journal,355;Report of the Surgeon General, War Department Annual Reports,1919,3539;Ford,The Medical Department of the United States Army,675;“Dr.AlbertFranklinSarver,AmericanExpeditionaryForces,WWIDiary,WWIMedicalFrontwebsite,http://www.vlib.us/medical.

24AlmaB.Woolley,“AHoosierNurseinFrance:TheWorldWarIDiaryofMaudeFrancesEssig,”Indiana Magazine of History82(March1986),IndianaUniversitywebsite,https://www.indiana.edu;“AGuidetothePapersofBaseHospital41,”p.2,ClaudeMooreHealthScienceLibrary,

VirginiaHeritagewebsite,http://vaheritage.org;AlfredW.Crosby,America’s Forgotten Pandemic:The Influenza of 1918(Cambridge,MA:CambridgeUniversityPress,1989),163;Dock,et.al.,History of American Red Cross Nursing,“AmericanRedCrossNursesWhoDiedinWarServiceorAsaResultofDisabilityContractedTherein”Appendix;“NursingNewsandAnnouncements,”American Journal of Nursing19(December1,1918),241.

25FrancesL.P.Ayres,The War with Germany: A Statistical Summary(Washington,D.C.:GovernmentPrintingOffice,1919),125-26;Crosby,America’s Forgotten Pandemic,140,163;Byerly,FeverofWar,6;CarolR.Byerly,“TheU.S.MilitaryandtheInfluenzaPandemicof1918-1919,“Public Health Reports125(Supplement3),Public Health Reportswebsite,http://journals.sagepub.com/home/phr;Sarnecky,A History of the U.S. Army Nurse,120-21;“FightingforCausesatHomeandAbroad,1775-1918,”VFW Magazine,specialedition(July2011):6;ElizabethA.P.Vane,“ContributionsoftheU.S.ArmyNurseCorpsinWorldWarI,”ArmyNurseCorpswebsite,http://armynursecorps.amedd.army.mil;LeoP.Hirrel,“TheBeginningsoftheQuartermasterGravesRegistrationService,”GravesRegistrationService,U.S.Armywebsite,https://www.army.mil/article/128693.NoU.S.nursesdiedfrombattlewounds,butanumbersufferedtheaftereffectsofenemygasattacksorwereinjuredduringshellingsorbombings.

26Sheldon,“BaseHospital49,”2;“SecretarySheldoninEurope,”Nebraska History and Record of Pioneer Days1(November1918):1;“FromEuropeanBattlefields,”Nebraska History and Record of Pioneer Days2(January-March1919):3.

27Ford,The Medical Department of the United States Army,675;Sheldon,“BaseHospital49,”2.FordhadalongcareerintheU.S.ArmyMedicalService.WhentheAllereymedicalcomplexwasfirstestablished,hewasincommandofBaseHospitalNo.26andthenpromotedtooverallcommandofthecenter.

28Sheldon,“BaseHospital49,”2.

29Ibid.

30Ford,The Medical Department of the United States Army,651-52,675,681,693,715;“LettersPraiseWorkofBaseHospital49,”Daily Nebraskan,May7,1919,p.1;“AbouttheDoctor,”Nebraska State Medical Journal6(April1921):127;“PlanReorganizationofBaseHospitalNo.49,”Western Medical Review26(November1921):534;Sheldon,“BaseHospital49,”2.Forexamplesofreturningstudents,see“Personals,”Daily Nebraskan,May9,1919,p.3,andMay12,1919,p.3.

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