A gunner under ether, 1918

Excerpt from Chapter XV: Wounded — A Peep Behind the Veil

By William McGinnis

... I was getting weaker, owing to the fact that I was bleeding quite freely. I distinctly remember a peculiar buzzing sound in my ears; everything seemed to change color; I took one hasty glance at that corner and made one supreme effort to pull myself together, but failed and lapsed into unconsciousness.

The following morning at 4.00 A. M. I heard voices at my head. I opened my eyes and saw strange forms running from one place to another. As I gradually regained my senses I saw the form of a woman all in white near me. She was moistening my lips with a piece of gauze dipped in water and placing wet towels on my forehead. I asked for a drink and then she spoke for the first time. She was speaking English; she told me to keep quiet, but in my semi-delirium, I could not understand why I should, so she left me. I saw that I was in a bed with white sheets and that there were other beds in this place. I sat up to see what was going on. I could not understand it. Where was I? What had happened? Why was it so quiet? Why had the guns stopped firing? I saw myself in bandages, then I remembered that I was hungry; I had not eaten anything for over forty-eight hours.

The nurse returned in a short while and making me lie down again rolled up my right sleeve and shot some liquid into my arm from a small syringe. She told me that I was going on the operating table and that she had given me morphine. I was soon back in the land of dreams again.

Thirty-two hours later, I came out of the ether. Owing to my weakened condition it had taken me over twenty-seven hours to recover from the time ether had been administered. The next two days were critical days for me. I had the opportunity to just peep behind the veil, which separates life from death, but with good care and treatment I pulled through. I discovered that I was in Evacuation Hospital, Number Six, and that we were in the town of Meaux.

As soon as I was allowed to talk to the fellow in the next bed, he told me how I had acted under the influence of the ether. As the other patients glanced towards my bed they were all smiles; I wondered why; so he told me that in my delirium I had informed all and sundry that I alone knew how to overcome submarine warfare. I explained a new invention that was capable of wiping out the entire German Army and that I could not understand why the Government would not accept my invention. I could only smile, but I felt embarrassed.

He advised me to stay awake because while I was sleeping they had brought two new cases in from the operating room. They soon began to rave. I realized then what a good time the other fellows had had in listening to me. They were fighting their battles over again, shouting for ammunition and ducking enemy shell fire. This was our only source of entertainment here, listening to the ravings of the other poor victims.