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- Demonstration of the use of the Bridgers Apparatus at the 65th General Hospital. William H. Bridgers was a fellow in surgery and chief of neurosurgery in the 65th General Hospital during World War II. Bridgers (M.D., Duke, 1936) was a member of the Duke Hospital house staff from 1936 to 1940. The 65th General Hospital served as an affiliated unit of the Duke University School of Medicine during World War II. Authorized on October 17, 1940, the Hospital was headed by Dr. E. L. Persons (chief of the medical service), Dr. C.E. Gardner, Jr. (chief of the surgical service), and Miss Julia E. White (chief nurse). After substantial training, the Hospital was deployed overseas to Worcestershire, England, where hospital staff treated patients from the Air Force and others transferred there for care. The unit consisted of male and female doctors and nurses who all had some connection to Duke University, creating a mix of faculty, medical and nursing school graduates, and current or former house staff. Members of the 65th handled a constant stream of front-line casualties from heavy bomber crews, acute diseases and emergency cases, and acted as a specialty center for neurosurgery, thoracic and plastic surgery, burns, and hand injuries.
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