REMINISCENCES OF DECEMBER SEVENTH: VIII

Originally published in the Hawaii Medical Journal 1949 Jan-Feb; 8(3): 222.
Reproduced with the permission of the Hawaii Medical Association.

Statement of Dr. James R. Judd,* taken February 18, 1943. Dr. Judd is under the impression that the new Preparedness Committee was appointed in April 1941 because the old one had not been very vigorous in its action. He was unable to give any reason why there was a division in the assignment of hospital teams for civilian and military work between Dr. Strode and himself, and in fact was surprised when I called his attention to the fact that this was so set up. He stated he and Dr. Strode always worked in cooperation in the planning of the hospital teams.

On the morning of December 7, 1941, he was at his place on the windward side of the island working in his garden. About 8:00 a.m. he heard the firing in the direction of the Kaneohe Naval Air Station. In a little while his wife came out to tell him that the island was under attack, but she could not state under attack by whom. He remarked, "Oh, what a nuisance." They immediately drove into town, watching the flames and smoke of the Naval Air Base. He crossed the unguarded Pali (single cliff road across the island) and found everything peaceful in the Nuuanu Valley (between Pali and Honolulu). He proceeded to his home on Makiki Heights and was called by Mr. Olson, the Superintendent of Queen's Hospital, and told he was badly needed there. This was about 10:00 a.m. He rushed to the Queen's Hospital where there were some sixty or eighty casualties, with others still coming in. He was assisted in his work by the regularly assigned teams of Drs. Bell and Hill, and others. Most of the wounded among the civil population were apparently wounded by our own anti-aircraft shells [some fired with unset fuses and detonating only on impact--Ed.] The hospital elevators went out of commission and the casualties had to be carried up three flights of stairs. Everything worked smoothly at Queen's Hospital, where there were adequate surgical supplies. The nurses kept their heads and did splendid work. The casualties were all cleaned up by early evening. He stated that the casualties remained under the care of the surgeons who had done the work, and were not returned to the care of their family physicians. He does not know how their hospital bills were paid, and so far as he knows no bills were presented by the physicians or surgeons. He stated further that most of the things which he learned that day were a rehearsal of the things which he had learned in the World War--namely, never to operate in shock, to do a thorough debridement, etc.--and that the new things which he learned at that time were the value of the sulfa drugs, and of fresh blood transfusions. Dr. Judd visited Tripler General Hospital with Dr. J. J. Moorhead on December 13, and was pleased at the condition of the wounded he saw. He saw, nothing of the handling of the casualties of the seventh prior to that time or subsequently. The attack of the seventh stimulated a great amount of work to prepare for any subsequent attack.

"I have read the above report of my conversation, and it is true to the best of my knowledge and belief."

JAMES R. JUDD, M.D.

* Dr. Judd died June 1, 1947.

Medicine in Hawaii: The World War II Experience

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