Medical Aid During the Games

MEDICAL AID DURING THE GAMES. he arrangements for providing medical aid at the various places for the competitions in athletics, swimming, rowing, cycling, fencing and horse riding were made by the special committees for each of these branches. For the fencing competitions, which were held in the lawn-tennis pavilion at the Östermalm Athletic Grounds, in the immediate neighbourhood of the Stadium, the provision was made that, in the case of help being required, those in charge could apply to the medical staff on duty at the Stadium, which would be in readiness, in the event of a severe case of illness or an accident occurring during the course of the competitions at the scene of the fencing in the lawn-tennis pavilion, to give assistance there too. For the horse riding competitions, which took place on July 16 and 17, after the conclusion of the competitions in athletics at the Stadium, the medical men and their staff who had been on duty at this place, stayed there until the conclusion of these events as well. A. THE COMPETITIONS IN THE STADIUM. I. The organization of the medical staff. The following doctors, who had been chosen by the Committee for Athletics, attended for the purpose of giving any necessary medical aid at the competitions that took place at the Stadium from the 6:th to the 15:th July, and on July 16:th and 17:th, as well as during the fencing competitions: 832 FRIES, K. A. E., surgeon-lieutenant, Army Medical Corps Reserve; assistant physician at the Garrison Hospital, Stockholm; JOSEFSON, A. R., lecturer on internal diseases at the Carolean In- stitute; LEVIN, E. I., lecturer in bacteriology at the Carolean Institute; NICKLASSON, G. W., assistant physician at the Stockholm Union Infirmary; NYSTRÖM, E. G., lecturer in surgery at the Carolean Institute; WAHLSTEDT, A. J. G., surgeon-captain, attached to the Royal Field Telegraph Corps; assistant at the Public Medical Institution; ÅHMAN, C. G., surgeon-captain, Army Medical Corps Reserve; in practice at Gothenburg. The Queen Sophia Association placed trained members of the Stock- holm Volunteer Aid Corps at the disposal of the medical staff at the Stadium, for the purpose of rendering assistance there, and there were also present two Sisters from the Swedish Nursing “Red Cross” Asso- ciation, for the purpose of giving aid in the case of any of the public being attacked by illness. After application to the proper quarters, the doctors, nurses and members of the Voluntary Medical Aid Columns were granted permission to wear, while on duty during the Olympic Games, the white arm-band with the Geneva Cross, which is known throughout the civilized world. A little room on the ground floor of the Stadium, with direct communication with the stands and the principal entrance, was placed at the disposal of the doctors for the purpose of operations, the dressing of injured limbs, etc. There was direct Riks-telephone communication with this room. In addition to this, there were two rooms on the sec- ond floor, with an entrance from the staircase in the north-west tower, which were used as store-rooms for appliances which it was not necessary always to have at hand in the doctors’ room. These rooms were also intended to be used as reserve sick-rooms, and were used on one occasion, when a bed was made there for a boy-scout who had been attacked in the Stadium with acute gastritis and who was not able to return at once to the boy-scout camp in Djurgården Park. The Stille-Werner Co. Ltd. had placed all necessary medical and surgical appliances, and other articles for the care of the sick, at the disposal of the doctors on duty at the Stadium competitions. In this way, the operation-room at the Stadium, from the beginning of the Games, was so well furnished that, had there been any necessity, very serious cases could very well have been treated there. The Volunteer Aid Corps, the “Red Cross” and the Army Medical Department had sent blankets and other requisites for two beds, the necessary linen, bandages, ambulance litters and other appliances. The work of the medical staff at the Stadium during the competitions was organized in the following way. At the times when the competitions were going on, there were always present at least 2 doctors, 5 attendants and 2 sick-nurses. Of the doctors, one was always in the arena, as a rule in the vicinity of the place where such a competition was going on as gave reason to suppose that an acci- 53 Fifth Olympiad. 833 dent might happen to a competitor or an official. It was the duty of this doctor to be always at hand in the event of an accident, or a case of sickness of any kind, occurring among those present in the arena. The other doctors on duty were stationed either in the operation-room or on the balcony above, where two seats with a good view both of the arena and of the stands were always reserved for the doctors on duty. The nurses too, were on the same balcony, when they were not on duty in the operation-room, and two of the sick-attendants also had seats there. Another attendant was placed as an outlook on the balcony from which the flags of the winning nations were hoisted on the flag-staffs. If he observed anything that he thought required the attention of any of the medical staff, he communicated by telephone with the operation-room. One attendant was stationed at the gate admitting to the arena, in front of the west grand entrance. His task was to be at hand if his aid should be required by the doctor on duty in the arena. The remaining attendant had always to be either inside, or in the immediate neighbourhood of, the operation-room. All these attendants were instructed to pay very careful attention to everything that took place in the arena or in the stands, which could be easily seen from the spots where they were stationed. By this means, any accident or case of illness, not only among the competitors and officials, but also among the public, could easily be observed and reported with the least possible loss of time to that doctor that was nearest. At the same time, however, these attendants, especially those on the balcony, had to have their attention directed on the doctor or doctors that happened to be in the arena. These latter, by means of a specially arranged system of signalling could, in case of necessity, call one or two attendants either with or without a supply of bandages or an ambulance-litter. II. Medical Aid given in the Stadium. During the period when the competitions were going on in the Stadium, there were treated altogether by the medical staff on duty there, 149 cases, of which 132 were men and 17 women. From the following tables may be seen the nationality of these persons, the branches of athletics represented and the officials treated, together with the character of the complaints and injuries. Tables No 1 & 2 embrace the men; Nos. 3 & 4, the women, treated. The two cases of sunstroke which occurred during the Marathon race are not included in the tables, as both the men were taken direct to the Royal Seraphim Hospital and, consequently, were not treated at all at the Stadium. These two cases will be treated of later on. A few remarks may be made respecting a couple of the cases treated. During one of the football matches, a Danish player happened to fall and put his elbow out of joint. On examination it was found that the upper ends of both the ulna and the radius were displaced back- wards and outwards (luxatio cubiti posterior et lateralis). The injured 834 Table I. Nationality of the Men Patients. Branch of Athletics, or Office Nation Total Austria Canada Denmark Finland France Germany Great Britain Greece Holland Hungary Italy Luxemburg Norway Russia Sweden Turkey U. S. A. Total Table II. Complaints and bodily injuries of the Men Patients. Branch of Athletics, or Office Name of the complaints and bodily injuries Fainting (Syncope) Epilepsy (Epilepsia) Acute enlargement of the heart (Dilata- tio cordis acuta) Inflammation of the veins (Phlebitis) Bleeding at the nose (Epistaxis) Acute bronchitis(Bron- chitis acuta) Sore throat (Angina tonsillaris) Acute gastric catarrh (Gastritis acuta) Acute intestinal catarrh (Enteritis acuta) Carried forward 835 Branch of Athletics, or Office Name of the complaints and bodily injuries Brought forward Toothache(Odontalgia) Acute inflammation of the joints (Arthroi- tis Hydrops) Sunburn (Erythema Solare) Shingles (Herpes zo- ster) Sore on the horny membrane of the eye (Ulcus comæ) Abscess (Abscessus) Boil (Carbunculus) Cyst on sebaceous gland (Atheroma in- fectum) Sting of insect (Morsus insect.) Fracture (fracturæ) of collar-bone (fr. cla- viculæ) Fracture of ribs (fr. costarum) Broken fibula(fr. fibulæ) Dislocation of elbow joint (Lux. cubiti) Dislocation of the collar-bone(Sublux.cla- vi culæ) Ankle sprain (Distor- sio pedis) Rupture of muscle) (Ruptura muscularis) Strain (Distorsio ten- dinum) Concussion of the brain (Commotio cerebri) Thrombus(Hämatoma) Contusion (Contusio) Bruise(Vulnera contusa Cut (Vulnera incisa) Graze (Vulnera trita, v. contusa) Foot-gall (Vulneratrita pedum) Foreign body (Corpus alienum) For. body in the eye (Corp. alien. oculi) Total 836 Table III. Nationality of the Women Patients. Branch of Athletics, or Office Nation Women from Women officials Gymnasts among the and Attendants Total public Finland Sweden Total Table IV. Complaints and injuries of the Women Patients.

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