Wearing British clothes as a second-generation aristocrat

57. Fighting the Infection

British frontline medical care in 1803 was crude and barbaric, reflecting the era's inherent limitations.

In this era, there was no systematic concept of disinfection, no sterile dressings, no anti-infective drugs, and no mature trauma treatment system.

Military doctors rely entirely on old, outdated experience passed down through generations, and their treatment methods are nothing more than bandaging, stopping bleeding, cauterizing with hot irons, and brutal amputation.

In the common understanding of all British military doctors, whether a soldier survives a battlefield injury never depends on medical skills, but only on the soldier's physical condition and whether God is on their side.

Field hospitals were notoriously filthy, crowded and damp, with blood flowing everywhere, pus piling up, and bacteria breeding rampantly. Countless soldiers survived artillery fire and bayonets, but ultimately died from silent wound infections, sepsis, and necrosis.

For example, Marshal Jean-László, one of Napoleon's favorite generals, died of gangrene caused by an infection in his wound.

Dugen stood at the entrance of the stinking tent, looking at the few barely breathing soldiers of the 108th Regiment, and felt a pang of sadness.

Dugan stepped forward and carefully examined their injuries.

Although their injuries were not minor, most of them were not fatal.

Some had penetrating bullet wounds to the arm, some had superficial shrapnel abrasions to the chest and abdomen, and some had deep stab wounds to the leg.

From the perspective of modern medicine, as long as the treatment is thorough and infection is prevented, the patient can gradually recover by resting.

However, it was now 1803, and under the rudimentary treatment provided by this regular British field hospital, these soldiers, who should have survived, were already stepping into the brink of death.

The repeatedly used, dirty bandages tightly wrapped the wound, causing pus and blood to accumulate, the skin to turn black, ulcerate and ooze pus, and the stench to be unbearable.

The wounded were all suffering from persistent high fever, delirium, and edema, typical symptoms of severe infection.

The military doctors were helpless and perhaps didn't want to help, letting the wounded soldiers' conditions worsen, leaving their fate entirely to luck.

Dugan crouched down, gently stroking a soldier's burning forehead. Looking at his festering wounds, and then surveying the hospital that resembled a slaughterhouse, his face immediately darkened.

He turned and walked straight to the medical station inside the tent, where he found the chief physician.

This nearly fifty-year-old military doctor, who had practiced medicine for over thirty years and considered himself highly experienced, was now expressionlessly fiddling with a scalpel stained with dried blood. The instrument had not been thoroughly cleaned for years, and the rust and bloodstains were intertwined, a shocking sight to behold.

"Chief Surgeon..." Dugan said bluntly, "These wounded soldiers shouldn't have died. They died from the filthy environment, from repeatedly used soiled bandages, from the complete lack of sterilization and protection. This isn't treatment, it's murder."

The old military doctor paused, glanced at Du Gen with an arrogant and disdainful look, showing no remorse whatsoever, and then continued the surgery.

"Colonel, the battlefield is your responsibility, saving lives in the hospital is mine."

After saying that, the old medic noticed that Dugen was still standing there and hadn't left, so he looked up and said, "I've been with the army for thirty years and have seen more battle wounds than you've ever heard of. It's not up to an outsider like me to tell me what to do. This is all we can do; the rest is up to God."

Dugan raised an eyebrow, anger rising within him.

Dugan said, "Since you can't save them or treat them, then I'll take responsibility for my people myself!"

Without further ado, Dugen turned and immediately ordered, "Take men and move all the wounded soldiers of our 108th Regiment back to the regimental headquarters! Immediately!"

The chief physician completely ignored Dugan; in his view, Dugan taking the wounded away would just reduce his workload.

Therefore, the soldiers of the 108th Regiment carefully transferred and evacuated all the seriously wounded and infected soldiers of the 108th Regiment.

The old military doctor stood there, sneering incessantly, convinced that these severely infected wounded soldiers would only die faster if they left a proper hospital.

Upon returning to the 108th Regiment's base, Dugen immediately emptied three well-ventilated, dry, and elevated barracks, converting them into temporary wards to minimize pollution sources by keeping them away from livestock sheds, garbage dumps, and sewage pits.

It is now 1803. Due to the limitations of the times and technology, Dugan can only do what he can.

He first had someone bring in a large amount of quicklime, which was then evenly sprinkled on the damp floor, corners, and gaps under the bed in the ward.

Lime reacts with water, which can not only dry and dehumidify, preventing mold growth, but also powerfully kill bacteria and insect eggs hidden in the soil, cutting off the root cause of continuous infection caused by the damp environment, and perfectly solving the biggest drawback of the cold and damp barracks on the front line.

At the same time, he ordered all bandages to be boiled in clean water before use, all bandage strips to be replaced with new ones, and all old bandages and soiled cloths to be collected and burned, never to be reused.

All surgical instruments, including scalpels, forceps, and splints, are sterilized by boiling in water for an extended period of time to prevent contamination.

The area around the wound should be rinsed and wiped with strong liquor to effectively disinfect the surface.

Among the wounded soldiers transferred back this time, the most critically injured was a private whose leg had completely necrotized. His lower leg wound was severely infected, the skin and flesh were black and necrotic, and he was in a coma with a persistent high fever. According to the plan of the veteran military doctor, not only would he have to undergo a brutal amputation, but he would also likely die from a secondary infection after the operation.

Dugan personally performed the standardized amputation, ensuring sterilization of all instruments, disinfection of the wound with strong liquor, and aseptic bandaging after the procedure to eliminate all sources of infection.

Then, Dugan had someone bring in Ayurvedic vinegar from India and sprayed it in the ward every 6 hours.

The gauze covering the amputee's wound was also soaked in vinegar and changed every 4 hours.

Just as Dugan was preparing to implement his modern, simplified sterilization treatment plan, Amir, who had been accompanying him throughout, approached Dugan.

"Colonel, we have several local herbs that have been passed down for generations and are remarkably effective for treating this kind of festering wound."

"Really?" Dugan said quickly, "Go get it so I can see it."

Amir immediately turned around, ran quickly back to his tent, and took out a packet of dried and ground herbal powder and a few bunches of fresh herbs.

This is a traditional Indian remedy for inflammation that has been passed down for thousands of years. It is made from a mixture of herbs such as turmeric, neem leaves, basil, and sandalwood powder. It is non-toxic and gentle, and is used to treat ulcers and inflammations caused by tropical battle wounds. It is a commonly used remedy for local soldiers to save their lives.

Dugan's eyes lit up.

Dugan certainly knew the medical principles of modern disinfection and sterilization, but anti-infective drugs were hard to obtain in this day and age.

Amir's native herbs perfectly fill the gap and are the most suitable auxiliary means for the current battlefield conditions.

For mildly suppurating, red, swollen, and inflamed wounds, after cleaning away the pus and blood, sprinkling on fine local herbal powder can quickly reduce swelling and pain, and inhibit the spread of ulceration.

For deep trauma and postoperative wounds, herbal poultices are applied topically, followed by tight bandaging with clean gauze to continuously inhibit bacteria and promote skin and flesh healing.

Soon, news of Dugan's outburst at the chief physician spread throughout the army.

Some people think Dugan is just being considerate of his soldiers, while others think he's just throwing a tantrum and being overly dramatic.

Everyone thought Dugan was wasting his time, even finding it absurd and laughable, and were convinced that Dugan would soon kill these severely infected wounded soldiers.

But as time went by, a miracle quietly occurred.

The wounded soldiers, who were originally suffering from high fever, coma, and persistent ulceration, gradually saw their body temperature stabilize and drop, the redness and swelling of their wounds subside and they stop oozing pus, the ulcerated flesh slowly scabs over and grows new skin, and their mental state improved day by day.

The private who had his leg amputated did not experience any secondary infection throughout the entire postoperative period. His wound healed smoothly, and he was completely out of danger.

In just a few days, all the wounded soldiers of the 108th Regiment who were brought back from the field hospital miraculously survived, with none dying or their condition worsening.

The news spread quickly throughout the camp, causing an uproar.

Upon hearing this, the self-important veteran army doctor was utterly astonished and incredulous. He repeatedly sent people to inquire about the situation, but still could not understand it.

A group of infected wounded who he judged to be "certain to die, left entirely to God's decision" miraculously survived thanks to dryness and cleanliness, lime disinfection, boiling water sterilization, and a few local herbs.

Dugan stood in front of the clean and dry temporary ward, looking at his soldiers' gradually improving complexions, his face full of pride.

"Don't underestimate the importance of interns!"