OFF IGF OF THF FURGKON GENERAL 
Report of 
Medical Department Activities 
in 
TH? PERSIAN GULF COMMAND 
by 
ABRAM J. ABELOFF 
Colonel, M.C, 
Commanding Officer 
of 
256th ftation Hospital 
113th General Hospital 
19th Field Hospital 
Copy No. 1 
29 May 1945 Interview with Abram J. Abeloff, Colonel, M.C. 
29 May 1945 
(Col. Abeloff graduated from Columbia University, College of Physicians 
and Furgeons in 1926. He entered on active duty 1$ April 1942 and was 
sent to Fort Monmouth, New Jersey. He wat with the surgical service at 
Fort Monmouth until 12 October 1942 when he went to Camp Butner, North 
Carolina,to form the Headquarters Detachment of the Persian Gulf Fervice 
Command, Overseas he was in command of the 256th Ftation Hospital, the 
19th Field Hospital, and the 113th General Hospital.) 
LOCAL CONDITION? 
' In the desert the temperature in the shade, according to the thermom- 
eter we used, was between 110 to 120°. This thermometer was placed in a 
box because there wore no trees to provide shade. The only trees near our 
area were at Khorramshar along the Gulf, 
OPERATION? 
I departed for overseas with Headquarters for the Persian Gulf Command 
1 November 1942 and arrived in Iran 11 December. After a few days of 
staging at Khorramshar we went to Teheran, I was made acting surgeon of 
the Command because the surgeon was down at Basra, another part of the 
Command. 
At Teheran we set up a dispensary and also started to build a hospital 
for the 30th Ftation Hospital, which was coming there. The building to be 
converted into a hospital was one used by the Presbyterian Missions, Part 
of this building I used as a dispensary for illnesses that weren't too 
severe., This was done to avoid sending patients to the British hospitals. 
I was at Teheran for only six weeks and then was sent to Ahwaz to a 
hospital which had been set up by the North Atlantic Division to treat 
civilians. The purpose of this hospital was to treat civilians who were 
building roads to set up a supply route to Russia. This hospital was des- 
ignated the 256th Ftation Hospital, It was a 50-bed unit. The only per- 
sonnel assigned to the unit were one Medical officer, one Dentist, one ser- 
geant and myself as C,0. The other personnel we used were borrowed from 
other organizations. * 
I had a confusing situation in trying to organize the hospital. There 
wasn't a copy of AR 40-590 available but I managed to get along. I did . 
know how to take care of patients but the making out of forms was something 
altogether different. The hospital at one time had about two hundred 
patients. We were able to handle this many patients because of our 
"moonlight" requisitioning of supplies and equipment. I was at this location 
about three months and then in A 1943, moved eighty miles north of Ahwaz to Andimerhk 
After arriving at Andim ;hk I took command of the 19th Field Horj-ltal 
Thi f wafi an interetting experience became it wa; located in the derert 
and the building of the new hospital wat ftill in fregretf, Ve took over 
the hutf that had been jareviou; ly ueed by the Hriti.'h. The; e building; 
were widely dit parted becaut-e the Britith were afraid of bombing.1. The 
hute would hold only twelve or fifteen patientt. Thir made the treatment 
of patients difficult. There were only a few bedjanp an*-! it wa; arau; ing 
to tee ambulancet driving through the area with perronnel to di;tribute 
them where needed. 
Ward tente w#*re finally used to house the jatients becaure they were 
much cooler than the huts. Two tent; were used with one placed about 
three feet above the other. This allowed for free circulation of air. 
The floor of the ward wa; fix feet beneath the ground level of the desert 
Twice a day a 1,500-gallon water truck sprayed the tent and patients. To 
amuse the patients we also the nurses. The spraying resulted in 
keeping the temperature down 10 lower than it was on the outside. 
In July, 1943, our hospital moved into buildings which had been built 
by our Army, The jatients and personnel of the unit were more comfortable 
than jreviously. I ; tayed at this hos pital unt4l 1 June 1944, when I was 
transferred to the 21st station Hospital at Khorramshar. This was a 500- 
bed unit, I was there only three months and was transferred to Ahwaz to 
take over the 113th General Hospital, 
The 113th General Hospital had originally come from the 5tate; as a 
750-bed unit, but because of the difficulties in evacuating patient; to 
Cairo to the 38th General Hospital the 113th was made a general hospital. 
The 113th General was: expanded to 1,000 beds but the census never went over 
750 or 770. In January it was dropped to a 750-bed hospital and later 
when the census in the Command dropped still further, the ho;fital was made 
a 500-bed unit. This unit .‘till remained as a general hospital but the 
T/0 was reduced accordingly. 
The 113th General Hospital stayed at Ahwaz until 10 February 1945 when 
it was moved to Khorramshar, Ahwaz was closed as an installation and the 
whole Command was gradually being reduced, a; our function of supply in 
Russia was finished. Ve moved into buildings formerly occupied by the 
21st Ttation Hospital, which had been released from our Command and sent to 
Italy. 
The unit departed for the ftates 5 Way 1945 and I left 6 May. Many 
of the best trained men were left behind and I was a little bit upset 
about this. One hundred and five of the best trained technicians were 
left behind, plus some of the best officers, leaving me w/ith only a 
skeleton of a hospital. This was necessary because the 19th ftation Hospital 
in Teheran had been moved to Khorramshar. This was 250-bed hospital but 
the Var Department had authorized them to operate as a general hospital, even though it wasn't designated at such, so I had to leave my best 
personnel there in order to have it adequately staffed. The census of 
this hospital when I left was only lft5. 
A certain amount of our equipment was left, too, because our unit 
left on a T/O for a 500-bed station hospital. The laboratory had trained 
technicians to carry on the work. 
MEDICAL PITUATION. 
• a. General 
The outstanding cause of admission during the first year was 
diarrhea and malaria. During the second year it would be impossible to 
cite an outstanding cause for admission to the hospitals. The beds of 
the Command were never even fifty percent occupied. 
When we arrived, the British had been having rates something like 
eighteen percent of their command being hospitalized. We set up on a 
ten percent basis and everyone anticipated much difficulty in caring for 
the number of patients we would receive. This was not true, because as 
soon as the men learned how to take care of their mess kits, kitchen 
utensils, etc., the diarrhea dropped. Venereal disease was always a 
problem but when we received penicillin, there was no hospital rate at all. 
Four hundred cases of leishmaniasis were reported in 194,3 and 1945 but 
very few of these cases were hospitalized. At first there were many cases 
of sandfly fever, but later the admissions dropped. The reason for the 
falling rate of this disease is unknown, except we may have been more accurate 
in our diagnostic procedures. Heat strokes were prevalent during 1943 but 
I don't remember a single one during 1944; at least we didn't have one at 
the 113th General Hospital. 
b. Leishmaniasis. 
Having been interested in surgery, I felt that a lot of these 
lesions could have been cleared up by cutting in ten days. The lesions 
were being treated with neostam and stilbamldlne as The Surgeon General's 
Office wanted this information. Interesting results were obtained. One 
result was the discovery that it is a self-eliminating disease. The Persians 
say it takes a year to wear the disease out. 
I excised several epithelioma in order to get material for slides so 
we could make studies and treat it as you would a malignancy. In perform- 
ing the excision it is necessary to cut wide of the tumor in order to 
prevent the return. The jathologlst can make this study to determine if 
you have removed the diseased tissue. 
In the lesions of the face one would hesitate to perform surgery 
because of the damage that could be done. If surgery were done in leishmaniasis cares, probably the patients would be cured in seven to 
ten day*. 
The disease is not Incapacitating except in a few cases where cellulitis 
develops. Most of the patients with this disease were ambulatory and 
were not admitted to the hospital* They lost work hours coming to the 
clinic but were never carried as sick in quarters. 
Our feeling is that the intermediary host in leishmaniasis is the 
kangaroo rat and then the disease is carried by the sandfly. During 1943 
when there was much building and many natives were in the neighborhood, 
rats abounded in the area. Late in 1943, when the laboratory was well 
established, we tried to get some kangaroo rats to work with but there were 
none present. This project would have been interesting if carried out. 
Our theory is that the diminution in rats and sandflies giver a low rate of 
leishmaniasis. 
I sent one of my officers to Palestine to consult with Dr, Adler, who 
has done more work on leishmaniasis than anyone else, except a few Russians, 
and the final opinion is that not too much is known about the diseate. It 
is a relative innocuous thing except for the possible disfiguring and 
scarring of a woman. The only kind of leishmaniasis seen wat of the 
dermatological type. 
This disease is prevalent throughout the Middle Fast, It causes a 
noticeable scar when on the face. It is a tissue-paper scar, usually 
blotched all over. 
The Russians have been experimenting with a form of immunization which 
produces a lesion of leishmaniasis. Just how successful this is I donft 
know, 
c. Venereal Disease 
The drive on venereal disease in Persia is terrific. Our VD rate 
was about 50 and I did not think it war high, but after comparing it with, 
the rates of other units; which averaged 35, I realized that our rate was 
high. 
The education program has been stressed to a high degree. This pro- 
gram has been reported in ETMD's from the Persian Gulf Command. Fverything 
possible is being done to control the venereal disease rate. Telegraphic 
reports are submitted each Saturday morning on the V D rate and it reminds 
one of the stock market. 
The education nrogram was a terror campaign to control venereal disease 
but actually it doesn't work. As long as I can remember, and I suppose 
for thousands of years back, fear has been used in an attempt to control 
V.D. but with poor success. It is definitely impossible to make sexual 
intercourse unpopular but the attempts should be made to make prophylaxis 
popular. At one of our locations there was a large field that had been used by 
the British Indians for trench mortar practice. The prostitutes gathered 
in this field at night and carried on their work. This information was 
given me by the men in the pro station. I talked this situation over with 
the provost marshal and I decided he should go see the Persian policeman. 
We thought that if we turned these women over to the Persian policeman, he 
might fine them. We suggested this and he was more than willing as the 
police are lew paid and graft plays a big part in their wages. On a 
designated night we surrounded this area and took about fifty women into 
custody and turned them over to the Persian policeman. It took about 
three nights to get this area cleaned out and then business at the pro 
station dropped. 
A little later one of the men from the pro station told me that the 
prostitutes were operating in a cemetery about six miles from us. How the 
Soldiers get to these places is unknown but they find a way. We also 
raided this area and took the women in custody for the Persian policeman. 
Gonorrhea was treated with penicillin and within eight hours we were 
through with the case except we made the patient return for a check as a 
matter of control. Formerly we had used sulfa drugs, but it took three or 
four days to clear up the discharge and then a few days to get the smears 
negative. This method usually kept the patient in the hospital about * 
week. Patients were sometimes sensitive to sulfa, whereas with penicillin 
we haven't had that trouble. 
Penicillin was used in the treatment of syphillis for only two months 
before the hospital was closed, I can't give any data on this but with the 
few cases that wo did have, penicillin cut down the hospital days considerably. 
Ordinarily, a patient could be released after seven or ten days' treatment 
at the most, 
d. Nursing 
The nurses were never overworked. There was an excellent chief 
nurse of the Command, The rotation system for the nurses was excellent and 
also promotions were given. This helped a lot in keeping up the morale. 
Their training was excellent but I do not know how they would have stood 
up in combat, A rest camp was established at Teheran and it was a very 
pleasant place. Nurses were put on 10-day special duty to go there. Palestine 
was designated as a leave area by the Command and every nurse had 10 days 
there, / 
SUPPLY AND EQUIPMENT 
Medical supply was excellent. At first we did have trouble getting 
supplies but as the Command became better organized we got everything we 
needed. We needed a respirator one time and had no trouble at all getting 
It. Up until this time we had been using the British respirators but the 
British didn't take good care of them and often they wouldn't work, 
ROTATION AND MORALE 
The morale of Medical officers is a very difficult problem with which 
to deal. If they could only be kept busy, the problem would be solved. There were too many beds allotted but this couldn't be helped. We had 
an unusually healthy command. These beds are necessary because the Army 
personnel Is entitled to the best care possible. Under this condition 
there must be specialized personnel that are not too busy, becaut e they 
are necessary for emergencies. 
Rotation within the theater wasn't very successful because none of the 
hospital personnel ever worked themselves to death. We were jutt not busy 
all the time. Only occasionally did we have a peak load and that would 
last only a short time. 
A rotation policy was established for personnel to return to the ftates 
but it took months and months before replacements arrived. IVeryone felt 
that the ]lfe of the Command was limited and that the work was about com- 
pleted. This did not help the morale of the Command at all. 
It is my opinion that a reasonable length of time for anyone to ttay in 
this Theater would be one year. If the individual knew he was going to be 
there for only a year he could carry on. It is definitely wrong to promise 
rotation and then for it not to operate. 
PROMOTION? 
I feel that the most dangerous promotion in the Medical Department 
is from captain, MC, to major, MC, When a Medical officer is promoted from 
captain to major, it immediately gives him authority to be chief of a service. 
He then has a terrific amount of control as to how patients are to be 
treated. Promotions should not be made on the basis of protracted service 
alone but also on medical qualifications. I have talked with a great many 
people about this and find it a bit touchy. It is my feeling that personnel 
should be rewarded for their length of service but not by being advanced a 
grade when they are not capable. It happens very often that a man with little 
service and specialized training has to work under a chief who is not com- 
petent. This creates a problem because usually the T/O is filled and there 
is no chance for the younger officer to be promoted. 
FTMD1s 
The first RTMD that I saw was at Teheran in the furgeon's office and I 
asked him why he didn't send it down to me so I could look at it. After 
this all FTMD's were circulated throughout the hospitals in the Command. I 
thought these reports were excellent. In fact it was the first inkling at 
all that we had of what was going on in other theaters. It wat difficult to 
read these reports when they were in the small form, but when they were 
changed to a larger size, they were excellent. It was our feeling that when 
we sent in an ETMD, someone in Washington was going to see it, and we would 
get a reply. It wasn't just going to be filed. 
The WTMD's were used as a basis for staff conferences in the surgical 
and medical services. This was a good disseminating information. The officers really enjoyed the material as they felt they were losing out 
on the real things that were happening in the combat areas. 
PROPHYLACTIC fTAT10NP. 
fecond-rate men should not be placed in these units as so often 
kis the case. If there are conscientious men in a pro station, it usually 
is a good one;if second raters are used the pro station is second rate 
too. If the oorpsmen are interested in their work, they will report .to 
the officers information that is valuable in controlling the VD rate.