In this atmosphere of hopelessness and despair, POW doctors maintained positive attitudes that exhibited great strength and courage. Consequently, the POW doctors’ display of strength and courage gave strength and courage to the POWs to get through another day. POW doctors routinely put their lives in jeopardy by treating the injuries of beaten POWs. As part of the punishment, POWs were denied medical treatment by their Japanese captors for injuries sustained from beatings.[1] To dare to interfere with a beating or render aid to a beaten POW invoked the wrath of the Japanese soldiers. [2] Ex-POW John Michel, shared the following story about a Dutch POW doctor, interned in Java, who had helped a fellow POW that had received a severe beating from a Japanese guard. ‘The doctor set the POW’s broken arm and taped his broken ribs. The guard returned in the morning and beat the POW again for receiving treatment. Then, the guard sought out the POW doctor who treated the POW and beat him unmercifully.” Even at that, the Dutch POW doctor returned later that night to the POW to treat him again. [3]  The very thought that someone cared enough to risk their own life to help them, gave the POW a sense of self worth and therefore greatly improved the POWs attitude towards survival.

 

In the face of such brutal treatment, POW doctors’ attitudes remained optimistic. POW doctors soon became adept in relying on their resourcefulness and innovativeness to improve the quality of medical care provided to POWs. If the POW doctor had not cared deeply in saving lives, he would not have bothered. As a result of their caring, POW doctors explored new avenues to improve the health of the POWs. Since there were little resources available, it led to a good deal of creativity and experimentation. Sir Michael Francis Addison Woodruff, a British army doctor interned at Changi Prison in Singapore, wrote in his memoirs about developing ways to avoid vitamin deficiency. In his experimentations, Woodruff used rice polishings, husks, dead weevils and grass as medicine. In addition, Woodruff made a machine to extract the juice from grass for the nutrient riboflavin it contained. As a result, dietary deficiencies decreased dramatically at Changi. [4]  Another example of creativity and resourcefulness was exhibited during the Bataan Death March, when POW Elbert Shabart, M.D. and his colleague were confronted by a young man who needed an appendectomy. Initially, Shabart told the man he could do nothing. The man was in excruciating pain. Shabart noted, “He begged us to do anything at all --- he was ready for anything and if we couldn’t, he begged us to help him die quickly.” [5] The POW’s courage convinced the doctor to try anything.  A piece of glass was used for a scalpel. For sutures, sewing thread and a needle were donated by on-looking POWs. As there was no anesthesia, several POWs held the man down during the surgery. Shabart expected the man to die. [6] In spite of this, Shabart found out months later that the man had indeed survived. On hearing the news, he exclaimed, “What a wonderful feeling it was, and how grateful I felt!” [7] Saving the life of another had an uplifting effect on the POW doctor’s morale as well as everyone who witnessed the act. It gave their life purpose and self worth.

 

POW doctors believed that an attitude of self worth and purpose contributed to their own survival. In conversation after the war, Dr. Henri Hekking told other ex-POWs who were interned with him at the same POW camp in Burma, “You do me a great honor telling me I saved your lives, when it is you (POWs) who saved my life.”[8] Other POWs concurred that the act of helping others sicker than themselves, improved their attitudes and contributed to their survival. Ex-POW Corporal Charles McCartin recalled being sent to the POW camp hospital at Cabanatuan. He was so ill he could barely move. However, he looked about the camp hospital ward where he laid and saw other sick POWs worse off than himself. McCartin decided, “I was going to help those folks … and even though I could hardly walk, I grabbed some canteens and crawled over to the water spigot … Without realizing it, the exercise each day, gave me a little bit more strength.” [9]  Another ex-POW, Mario Machi, who was a medic, claimed that his work in the hospital helping the sick and dying kept his mind off of his own suffering and helped improve his attitude.[10]  It gave Machi and others like him a purpose to live.