Born in Chile, Ohio, in 1864, Dr George Washington Crile was an American surgeon who served in the Spanish-American War (1898-1899). In January 1915 he took a small group of Lakeside Hospital surgeons, nurses, and technicians to Paris, where for three months they staffed the Ambulance Americaine. During Crile’s service in Paris, several noted surgeons visited to observe surgery, particularly his blood transfusion technique.
After Crile returned to Cleveland in the summer of 1915, United States Surgeon General W. C. Gorgas asked him to outline a plan for organizing and equipping a base hospital unit for service should the United States enter the war. Crile’s plan became the model for the Lakeside Unit, a group of doctors, nurses and support staff from Cleveland led by Dr Crile, that became the first American medical unit to deploy to France in 1917. Located in Rouen and based on plans developed by Crile, the Cleveland Unit became US Base Hospital No. 4. Crile’s plans also became the blueprint for other US Base Hospitals which were staffed by doctors and nurse from different American hospitals.
During his presentation, Will Bryant will look at the origins and organisation of the US Army Base Hospitals on the Western Front. He will also examine their day-to-day operation, the types of casualties that were treated, and the protocol involved in returning them to active service.
Will Bryant is a retired member of the Irish Naval Service and member of the Cork Branch of the Western Front Association. He has a life-long interest in the Great War, especially the involvement of the US armed forces
Photos show: Dr George Washington Crile (Ref: US Public Domain), The Officers of U.S.A. Base Hospital No. 5 (Harvard Medical School Unit), taken at Fort Totten, N.Y., May 10, 1917 (Ref: US Public Domain).