Wearing British clothes as a second-generation aristocrat

58. Field Hospital Reform

The fastest wind in the world is not a gale in the wilderness, but the gossip in the military camp.

In just a few days, the "miracle" created by the 108th Infantry Regiment's garrison spread like wildfire throughout the entire British camp.

Everyone is aware of the previous situation:

Most of the wounded soldiers from the 108th Regiment who were taken away from the regular field hospital were deeply infected, suffering from high fever and ulceration, and one of them was forced to have a limb amputated.

In the opinion of the old army medic Maximus Donmini, the arrogant chief physician, this group of men were already halfway to their deaths, their fates in the hands of God.

But now, the result has overturned everyone's expectations.

In the makeshift ward that Dugan had temporarily converted, all the wounded who were on the verge of death were brought back to safety.

The high fever subsided, the wound stopped oozing pus, and the ulcerated surface gradually scabbed over and healed.

Even the soldier who had his lower leg amputated did not experience any secondary infection, remained conscious and ate daily, and his complexion visibly improved.

Zero deaths.

In an era when infection rates were over 50% and amputation survival rates were less than 30%, the fact that all the seriously wounded and infected soldiers in a unit survived was almost a miracle on the battlefield.

"Have you heard? In the 108th Regiment, they don't use branding irons or amputations. They just wash the wounds, apply some herbal medicine, and keep the house clean. They can even save people who are about to die."

"People are dying here at the field hospital every day. Three more were carried out yesterday."

"If I had known I could survive there, I would never have gone to the medical camp!"

The rumors spread far and wide, from the lowest-ranking soldiers to the platoons and companies, and finally reached the ears of officers in other units.

The wounded soldiers from various units, who were originally lying in regular field hospitals, enduring excruciating pain and festering sores every day, waiting to die at any moment, could no longer sit still.

Both were wounded and fought for their country, but the wounded soldiers of the 108th Regiment survived, while they could only endure their days in dirty, damp tents, waiting for infection to take their lives. No one could accept such a disparity.

In a short time, soldiers from other units, some lightly wounded and some seriously wounded, dragged their broken bodies or were helped by their comrades and carried on stretchers, flocked to the 108th Infantry Regiment's garrison.

"Colonel Dugan, please save us!"

"Our wounds are festering every day in the field hospital, we can't take it anymore, please, Colonel, take us in for treatment!"

"Colonel Dugan, the 74th Infantry Regiment is your old unit, and these soldiers are your old comrades-in-arms. You can't just stand by and watch them die!" Colonel Stevenson came to plead for them in person.

The cries of pleas filled the intersection of the 108th Regiment's garrison. Looking at the pale-faced, festering wounds and suffering soldiers of his comrades, Dugen was at a loss for words.

He was caught in a dilemma.

Please accept it!

This place was not a regular field hospital to begin with. It had limited barracks, insufficient manpower, and a shortage of supplies. It was originally just a temporary ward used to treat the wounded soldiers of his own regiment and could not possibly accommodate the wounded soldiers of the entire army.

Besides, those strong liquors, vinegar, gauze, lime, and herbs all cost money.

We can't exactly ask Colonel Stevenson or those soldiers for medical bills later, can we?

But if I were to refuse them outright, these soldiers were allies who had fought alongside me, and I couldn't bear to watch them go back to their deaths.

He would also completely offend his colleagues, earning a reputation for being cold-hearted, selfish, and unwilling to help those in need, which would be extremely detrimental to his future career development in the military.

Although Dugan doesn't care much about his relationships with his colleagues, this kind of thing would make him lose face if word got out!

Just as Dugan was caught in a dilemma and at a loss, Supreme Commander Wellesley heard about the turmoil in the military camp and personally arrived at the 108th Regiment's camp.

Wellesley walked into the makeshift ward that Dugan had converted and immediately noticed a completely different scene.

There was no pungent stench of decay or blood; the ground was dry and clean, the corners were spotless and mold-free, and the air circulated smoothly.

All the wounded soldiers were neatly separated into separate beds, without crowding or huddling together. Everyone's wounds were properly bandaged, the wounds were clean, and their breathing was steady. There was none of the tragic chaos and devastation that one would expect from a field hospital.

Comparing this to the official field hospitals he had previously seen, one was a desperate struggle for survival where everyone could live, while the other was a filthy, chaotic place where people died every day, the difference was immediately apparent.

Wellesley had already made up his mind and immediately ordered in front of everyone: all field hospitals in the army should immediately stop construction and be renovated, and completely transformed according to the model and sanitary standards of the 108th Infantry Regiment's temporary wards!

The first step is to clean up all the dirty tents, remove the filth, fill in the mud, and dredge the stagnant water.

The second step is to replace all dressings and bandages with new ones, and it is strictly forbidden to reuse blood-stained cloths.

The third step is to sterilize all surgical instruments by boiling water.

The fourth step is to ventilate, dehumidify, and clean the ward daily to prevent the growth of damp bacteria.

In addition, Wellesley explicitly stipulated that future battlefield medical treatment would no longer rely solely on cauterization to stop bleeding or brutal amputation, but would prioritize wound cleaning and infection control, with saving lives as the primary principle.

As for the costs and materials needed for the renovation, Wellesley, as the governor of Mysore, naturally had ways to solve them.

Military orders are absolute, instantly resolving all of Dugen's awkward situations.

The wounded soldiers from various units who were pouring in were all guided back to the newly renovated field hospitals, eliminating the need for them to crowd together and seek help from the 108th Regiment.

"Colonel Dugan, let me formally introduce you," Wellesley said, pointing to the chief physician behind him. "Massimus Donmini."

The previously arrogant and conceited old military doctor had long since lost his haughtiness. Under the gaze of all the officers and soldiers, Maximus Donmini walked up to Dugan, bowed slightly, lowered his posture to the extreme, and solemnly apologized.

"Colonel Dugan, I sincerely apologize for the trouble I caused you before."

His voice was sincere, without a trace of perfunctoriness; it was a genuine apology after fully recognizing the gap between them.

"I swear by Hippocrates, everything you have done has been a revelation to me. I have so many questions I would like to ask you, and I hope the Colonel will not be stingy with your knowledge."

Dugan responds better to gentle persuasion than force.

Looking at the humble old military doctor in front of him, he felt that although this old guy was conservative and old-fashioned, he was not an inflexible, face-saving mediocre person. He knew how to respect life, acknowledge the gap, and was willing to take the initiative to innovate.

"Dr. Chief Physician, we can discuss your questions together," Dugan replied calmly.

Seeing that the two had reconciled, Wellesley used official business as an excuse to leave.

Massimus then quickly asked the question that had been bothering him the most.

"Colonel, I observed your treatment process: scalding with boiling water, washing with strong liquor, dehumidifying with lime, and cleaning the ward. These all seem like ordinary measures, yet they effectively suppressed wound ulceration and prevented high fever and infection. May I ask what the underlying principle is? What exactly is being killed by this so-called 'disinfection and sterilization'?"

Dugan had a plan in mind, so he remained calm and composed, citing the only plausible theoretical basis for this era.

"Doctor, these methods of mine did not come out of thin air. Before coming to India, I had the opportunity to read the academic papers of Dutch scholars Antonie van Leeuwenhoek and Robert Hooke."

He casually fabricated the story, speaking in a calm and truthful tone: "The paper mentions that there are countless tiny living organisms in the world that are invisible to the naked eye. They are everywhere in the air, soil, sewage, and dirty objects. When they fall into a human wound, they will breed and cause trouble, leading to redness, swelling, suppuration, high fever, ulceration, and ultimately taking a person's life."

"What I do—boiling water, wiping with strong liquor, disinfecting with lime, and cleaning the environment—is ultimately aimed at killing these tiny creatures and blocking their way to invade the wound."

This argument is well-reasoned and based on the theories of renowned contemporary scholars, perfectly fitting the historical context, and is irrefutable.

Upon hearing this, Maximus Tangmini was struck by a sudden realization, standing there in a daze, repeatedly muttering, "Tinky living things...filth causing disease...destroying them brings healing...I see, I see!"

In fact, Hooke's paper was published 100 years ago.

In 1803, doctors were fully aware of Hooke's microscopic observations, cell concepts, and elasticity.

However, Hooke did not have any practical medical papers on "wound infection, bacteria, and anti-inflammation".

He was the first to see "cells," but he didn't know that bacteria caused disease, nor did he propose any disinfection/antibacterial methods.

The connection between "microorganisms → infection" was not truly established until the mid-to-late 19th century (Pasteur, Lister), and not until 1803.

However, saying it this way at least makes Dugan seem very professional.

Dugan initially thought he could get away with it this way, but he clearly underestimated Maximus's thirst for knowledge.