. But I afterwards learned, much to the relief of my
mind, that this tag had been put on me by the Major as a warning to
the next surgeon into whose hands I should fall, against tuberculosis.
In other words, in my condition, it was necessary to take precautions
against the white plague.

I experienced great pains in my throat and lungs from the gas and
seemed to be choking. My strength was entirely gone, and I was about
as miserable as one could be. I could not utter a sound and any
attempt to speak only increased my pain. I relate these facts about
the agony that I suffered simply to show what a terrible weapon of war
this deadly phosgene gas is, and to emphasize the villainy of the Hun
government in using it after having agreed with other nations years
before not to do so.

I was placed on a cot and made as comfortable as possible under the
circumstances and was awaiting a motor truck to take me to a base
hospital. On all sides of me were other wounded and gassed boys. Some
of them were exceedingly jolly and talkative, notwithstanding their
pitiable condition. I remember one boy in particular, who was about my
own age. He was going over on a raid and was shot through the temple.
The bullet entered on one side an inch or two above the eye, and went
straight through, passing out the other side at about the same
distance above the eye. It passed through apparently, without striking
the brain, and the boy was fully conscious while the wound was
dressed and seemed to be quite jolly. I watched the surgeon shave both
sides of his head around the wound to prevent infection, and then
carefully dress his head, without administering any anesthetic. I
marveled at the boy's condition, with such a nasty wound, but what
surprised me still more was several months later when I was on board
ship on my way home, there was this same boy with his wound entirely
healed. Two little white scars, one on each temple, were the only
marks that told of his awful experience.

From the dressing station I was taken to a field hospital, about
fifteen kilometers to the rear, and there placed in a ward in a tent.
The purpose of the field hospital is to treat soldiers who are too
severely wounded to be taken to base hospitals. My wound was again
examined, cleaned and dressed and again the terrible swab went its
depth. About 4 o'clock that afternoon I was loaded into another
stretcher on an ambulance and taken to Base Hospital 51 at Toul. The
distanc