The surgical & medical history of the naval war between Japan & China : during 1894-95 / translated from the original Japanese report, under the direction of Baron Saneyoshi by S. Suzuki.

  • Saneyoshi, Yasuzumi, Baron.
Date:
1901
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: The surgical & medical history of the naval war between Japan & China : during 1894-95 / translated from the original Japanese report, under the direction of Baron Saneyoshi by S. Suzuki. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Glasgow Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Glasgow Library.

    33/614 (page 11)
    Jovver deck autl waited to receive the womided with Assistant Paymaster Takei and medical attendants as help-mates. Ahoiit fifty mmutes past noon, the hattle commenced, the bombardment on both sides growing gradually more and more violent, and a furious rain of shells from the enemy fell on all sides. On the npper deck, a 15 cm. shell exploded against the turret o^'our 32 cm. gun, and one of the gunners was injured by the flyuig pieces at 55 minutes past noon ; at 1.20 p.m. a shell bursting against No. seventh light Hotch- kiss' gun destroyed the gun, and two persons were killed, and two injured by pieces of the shell. About 2.34 p.m., I went out to give instructions for carrying the wounded ; I crossed the deck to the starboard gun room just opposite tlie temporary hospital and at this instant, a rumbling noise, and a violent shock suddenly arose, and I knew that some shells had struck our vessel; going back immediately to the hospital I discovered that exactly where I had been standing a moment before had been obliquely perfo- rated by a 20 cm. shell discharged from the Chinese ship Ping Yuen. The greater part of surgical articles were destroyed by this shell and the rest were scattered here and there. As work in the hospital under such circumstances, was impossible, I tried to prepare a hospital in a gun-room on the starboard side or in the staff officers' cabin, on the after part; but the majority of medicines and surgical instruments having been either damaged or lost, I thought it better to transfer myself to the hospital on the upper deck, and informed the officers of the battery on the lower deck of my purpose ; accor- dingly Assistant Paymaster Takei, and others and myself reported the state of damage to Dr. Kawamura, Surgeon-General of the Squadron, and Dr. Ogisawa, Chief Surgeon of the sliip. About 3.30 p.m., as I was occupied in assisting Chief Surgeon Ogisawa to treat a case of mutilation of limb, and Surgeon-General Kawamura was treating a case of mutilated wound of the abdominal wall with Assistant Surgeon Abe, two 30.5 cm. shells struck the ship, at the same time, one of them exploded with tremendous force against the shield of 12 cm. gun of No. 4 on the port side of the fore part of the lower deck, where the tempoiary hospital was stationed ; the deck was torn np and the gas produced by the explosion filled all around, so that nothing could be seen, and one could only hear an indescribable cry, and tremendous sound. Two severely wounds ed persons who were just under treatment in the hospital died from the shock, I was momentarily stunned and had a peculiar feeling as if the ship was sinking. Thinking that all the officers would be standing on the after deck according to their ranks, wait- ing an honorable death, I determined to die with them ; but was nearly suffocated Avhile endeavouring to reacii the deck, besides stumbling over articles scattered all about, but