Old Wounds (57)

18 Feb. '45
Beloved,
     ...My patients kept me busy all day.  They may be transferred to another hospital for civilians and I hope to heck they are.  I opened an abscess of a cheek and took out a chunk of bomb fragment on a young girl.  It had gone in just below into the side of the nose, cut off four upper teeth, went through the pallet [roof of the mouth] and maxillary sinus [just behind the cheek bone] and stopped next to the angle of the jaw.  Some more have osteo [osteolysis, or degeneration of the bone] of the femur and foul discharging wounds.  Poor people!  And tonight I opened a fellow's bladder about the pubis [the forward part of the hip bone] and put in a catheter.  He (a civilian) had been shot by a sniper six weeks ago and urine drained out a hole at the side of his thigh.  I must say I prefer caring for fresh wounds!  All outfits held a Thanksgiving Service for the liberation of the Philippines today, at MacArthur's order.  But I was operating and couldn't attend.  I missed church too, and the cockfights I wanted to see.  Another time!

Capt. Eugene Pfile in the Philippines

     Well, we've been ashore over a month and quite a few events have happened, both to us and elsewhere.  One of our men who was wounded that night [January 19, 1945, the night the 92nd Evac was attacked by Japanese snipers and 5 men were killed] returned.  He had a grenade fragment in his thigh.  I don't believe I wrote that we've had a shower in operation for about a week.  There is lots of water and lots of shower heads.  My but it is wonderful!  The water is from a surface well in the rice paddy and is very soft.  A shower is much more satisfactory than a helmet bath!  I hope I don't get lousy!  It seems that some of our F. [Filipino] patients brought a few colonies of pedicullii [lice] with them!  That is something new for us.
     There is one subject I've neglected in my photography and that is the guerrillas.  They are somewhat colorful!  Several soldiers have told me that they are fine on scattered fighting, but can't be relied upon when there is concentrated shellfire by the Japs.  Then they remember business elsewhere!

Gene's scrapbook label: "Filipino guerrilla detachment eating breakfast
after doing night guard duty on our perimeter"

19 Feb. '45
     ...  I now have on my women's and children's ward a graduate F. nurse and a nurse's aid.  Both seem quite capable so order is coming to chaos.  This morning when I reached the ward (after seeing my other patients) they had already started in to do dressings.  The nurse (what her name is, I haven't the faintest idea) wears a white nurse's uniform and can interpret.  She wears a wedding ring.  I haven't gone into her private life!  Then there is the regular ward man and his F. assistant.  Also a self-appointed F. assistant.  Also the various relatives of the patients.  So it is a tent full!  Some of the people bring food, such as rice in a polished coconut shell, chicken and I don't know what all.  One little girl with the osteo and the pneumonia wants rice to eat.  She doesn't like our food.  I've had others tell me the same.  I inquired at the kitchen and we have practically no rice.  Now to get rice, I'm certain it would have to come from the States, when we are in the rice center of the island!  The rest of the people with the phosphorus burns are doing O.K.  Speaking of coconut shells reminds me that there are no coconut palms around here.  There are some of the "palm leaf fan" palms, if I make myself clear!  Their leaves are about 3 or 4 feet across the fan part.  It is funny how I once thought that was the shape of all palm leaves!  Someone brought bouquets of flowers to the hospital today!  I recognize several of the various kinds.
     I appropriated some [second class] magazines and papers that came in for departed members [92nd Evac doctors that had been sent to other units] today.  [Maj.?] George [Christie, his former tent mate and good friend] "contributed" Colliers, [Capt.?] Ed Powers some Los Angeles Times, [Lt. Col.? Albert] Tipple a November's Readers Digest and one of the nurses a Montgomery Ward Christmas catalogue!
     All my love, Eugene