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[Page 16]
arm had been opened, we found tourniquets of pieces of spun yarn, or a handkerchief, or a piece of cloth bound round the limb above the injury. In some cases, I believe the majority, they had been put on by the patients themselves. One man told me he had put one on his arm himself. They were all in severe pain from the constriction and in all cases where amputation was required, the presence of these tourniquets made it necessary to amputate much higher than one would otherwise have done. But no doubt their lives had been saved by the tourniquets. There was very little evidence of any skilled treatment before they arrived on board. Naturally the German Surgeon had been very much shaken and handicapped. His station in action was the stokehold, which was uninjured. His Assistant Surgeon was less fortunate, his station being the tiller flat aft, and when they were badly struck aft, fire broke out above him, whereupon he went up and was blown overboard, slightly wounded. The steering party remained in the tiller flat & were unhurt. After being blown overboard the Surgeon managed to get ashore, and during the night he lay helpless and exhausted, dying of thirst, along with a few others who had also got ashore. After much persuasion he got a Sailor to bring him some salt water, of which he drank a large quantity, and straightway became raving mad and died.
Having now cleared up most of the immediate work we had the theatre straightened up once more and cleared, after the constant stream of filthy cases had left it in a pretty mess. Operations