Letter from Amelia Nyasa Laws to her relatives Letter from Amelia Nyasa Laws, Valence, to her relatives, regarding swiftness of time passing; arrival of Mlle. Combe; she has perhaps consumptive tendencies and is delicate; Amelia prefers Mme. Soureillat, who gives better explanations in her teaching; description of the nun and her devotion to the patients, despite her sharp tongue; description of Mme. Chabod, who attends to the six officers and is a commercial woman; description of Mme. Soureillat, who is a little childlike and 'deservedly beloved'; the frequent arrivals of wounded result from the fighting on the Marne; they are so busy that wounds have only to start to heal before the patient is moved on to a more distant hospital; description of the eleven stretcher cases newly arrived, very weary from fighting and from a 30 hour journey; Langlois was in terrible pain when his old dressings were removed, but apologised afterwards for his behaviour and thanked them for their patience; Amelia likes the doctor, who is a civilian: the other two who were there in his absence are 'hurricanes' and 'brutes'; hot weather but a more relaxing day; there will be more arrivals as there were enquiries as to what beds they had free; Lieut. Chabessier has had a secondary amputation to allow for a false leg to be fitted later - often at the front the doctors take off only what is necessary at the time because of the laceration of the muscles; it does not make the secondary amputation a very convenient operation; she witnessed the operation and the doctor was very helpful in telling her which instruments were which; the air was heavy with chloroform but the experience was very interesting; rigorous cleaning before and afterwards; Michel is not keen on cleaning and likes work that takes him away from whatever he is doing; her timetable; Lieut. Lelore insists on having his massage after dinner - the officers are 'a caution'; the privates are much more accommodating; the officers are very selfish; they will not even help each other; she does not have her patients for very long but as she has them at an early stage, the effects are rapid; the doctor gives her liberty to achieve the right results however she wishes; she is finding the work very interesting and varied; there is no dining room for the staff, which is all right during the hot weather but will not be pleasant when the rains start; meals are very informal anyway, and have to be partly prepared by nurses; she is allowed extra milk in lieu of wine and the bread is excellent; there is fruit and good cheese. [Letter breaks off without signature] 15 August 1918