ered
no pathogenic organisms in it. As a period of seven months had elapsed
since this dust was collected, the fact is of no practical import,
beyond showing that, if such organisms had existed, at any rate they
were not of a resistent nature.

Insects, particularly common house-flies, were an intolerable pest at
times. In a fresh camp they were sometimes not abundant, but after two
or three days they multiplied enormously. Not only hospital tents, but
living and mess tents, swarmed with them, the canvas appearing
positively black at night. Even when dressing a wound, without unceasing
passage of the hand across the part, it was impossible to keep them from
settling, and during operations the nuisance was much greater.

Storms of rain were occasionally as troublesome as, though perhaps less
harmful than, those of dust. On one occasion a whole Field hospital was
flooded only a few hours after a number of important operations had been
performed, and the patients were practically washed out of the tents. It
was somewhat remarkable that none of the men suffered any serious ill as
a result.

At times the temperature was sufficiently high to make either dressing
or operating a most exhausting process to the surgeon. The heat of the
day was not on the whole so disadvantageous from the point of view of
the operator, as the cold of the nights during the winter in Orange
River Colony. On one or two occasions serious operations had to be left
undone, as it was only possible to consider them in camp, where, as we
arrived at night only, the temperature was too low to justify the
necessary exposure.

Water for use at operations was often a great difficulty. Even at Orange
River, where, though muddy, the water was wholesome, it was impossible
to get water suitable for operations unless it had previously gone
through the complicated processes of precipitation by alum, boiling, and
filtration. At Orange River a small room in the house of one of the
railway servants was obtained and fitted as a rough operating room by
the Royal Engineers. The necessary utensils were provided by Colonel
Young, Commissioner of the Red Cross Societies. Here a stock of prepared
water was kept for emergencies.

The remaining difficulties mainly consisted in those we are familiar
with in civil practice, such as the securing of suitable assistance in
the handling of instruments and dressing, when the rush of work was very
great.

At the Base hospitals a