Meaning please medical treatment: m. and d.

[MaureenE]

 

What is m. and d. short  for ?

 

From a published book, the diary of  an Australian in Egypt

 

Thursday, May 4th.—Usual routine and less water. I'm orderly corporal and have just been in charge of a sick parade. The M.O. ordered m. and d. in every case and, when he had finished, he said to me: "I wonder how many of those chaps called me a bastard?" "I wonder," was my only reply. Of course there's always a big sick parade previous to a route march, yet a few did look crook to me—yes, "I wonder."

 

Chapter X   Grains of Sand (1 April-15 June, 1916)

There and Back: The Story of an Australian Soldier 1915-35 by Edward Lording, writing as A. Tiveychoc

http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks16/1600501h.html#ch-10.  Project Gutenberg Australia

 

Cheers

Maureen

[Wexflyer]

Duckduckgo suggests "medicine and duties".

In other words, take a Disprin, and get back to work!

 

[Interesting to note that Disprin is banned in the US, as dangerous!]

 

 

Edited 19 July , 2020 by Wexflyer

[MaureenE]

Thanks Wexflyer

Hard to realise that he was only sixteen when he wrote the above, and at age 17 in France he suffered horrendous injuries which resulted in at least 52 operations  and an addiction to morphine.

 

Maureen

[TullochArd]

Attached is "Medicine and Duty" from the "Listening Post" dated August 1917 ...... says it all.

 

 

[Robert Dunlop]

5 hours ago, Maureene said:

...horrendous injuries which resulted in at least 52 operations  and an addiction to morphine.

Chronic pain requires chronic pain killers. When opioids such as morphine are effective (not all chronic pain is relieved by opioids) then long-term use of morphine is a feature of the pain rather than addiction. I have looked after many cancer patients who required morphine for chronic pain and who were able to have the pain relieved by other means. When the pain was relieved, they did not show signs of addiction to morphine because they were able to reduce or even stop the morphine completely without going through withdrawal. So an alternative to the phrase '...addiction to morphine' would be something like '...required long-term morphine for pain management'. 

 

Robert

[Matlock1418]

10 hours ago, Wexflyer said:

In other words, take a Disprin, and get back to work!

Or, take a No. 9, and get back to work!

Apparently a No. 9 worked wonders for a range of complaints - that orderly in "The Listening Post" rather looks like he is getting ready to administer another one!

;-) M

19 minutes ago, Robert Dunlop said:

So an alternative to the phrase '...addiction to morphine' would be something like '...required long-term morphine for pain management'. 

Or perhaps an addiction, with or without pain management use :-(

Don't think we can necessarily tell from here and now.

But I suspect not 'Swingtheleaditous' [Shouldn't that be 'Swingtheleaditis'?] in Maureene's case example.

:-) M

Edited 19 July , 2020 by Matlock1418

[A Lancashire Fusilier by Proxy]

12 hours ago, Maureene said:

The M.O. ordered m. and d. in every case

 

5 hours ago, TullochArd said:

"Medicine and Duty" from the "Listening Post" dated August 1917

 

I enjoyed Maureen's quote from Edward Lording and TullochArd's cartoon.

In January 1918 my grandfather was returning from leave to his unit (1/5th LF) in the La Bassee area, and had been instructed to wait for them at Gorre, as they were to be relieved and move into billets there very shortly. Then suddenly the orders were changed, and he had to go straight up to HQ at the Front. He had no idea why until he got there, and found that most of the HQ officers and the MO had been laid low by a gas attack. For a short time my grandfather, a lowly Captain, found himself performing virtually all HQ roles, including issuing Battalion orders. The following day he (a chemical engineer in civilian life) even took Sick Parade, commenting wryly:

As my treatment was mainly Castor Oil or M and D, I wasn’t over popular as a ‘quack MO’.

Members of this Forum who have read other posts of mine may be aware that I am preparing my grandfather's diary for publication. Having googled M and D, I had added a rather tentative footnote that I thought it must stand for "Medicine and Duty", so I am pleased to have that confirmed by this thread.

Thank you!

 

Edited 19 July , 2020 by A Lancashire Fusilier by Proxy

[seaJane]

5 hours ago, A Lancashire Fusilier by Proxy said:

"Medicine and Duty",

Or what a Surgeon Commander I know described as "man up and take a paracetamol" .

[MaureenE]

9 hours ago, Robert Dunlop said:

Chronic pain requires chronic pain killers. When opioids such as morphine are effective (not all chronic pain is relieved by opioids) then long-term use of morphine is a feature of the pain rather than addiction. I have looked after many cancer patients who required morphine for chronic pain and who were able to have the pain relieved by other means. When the pain was relieved, they did not show signs of addiction to morphine because they were able to reduce or even stop the morphine completely without going through withdrawal. So an alternative to the phrase '...addiction to morphine' would be something like '...required long-term morphine for pain management'. 

 

Robert

Chapter 22 of the book is called Dope, and the chapter description includes the words "The strangling tentacles of morphia"

The text includes the wording

 

....the [hospital] superintendent, as though overhearing everything, appeared at the foot of the bed.

"I know your complaint," he said. "You are a drug addict."

"Yes."

http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks16/1600501h.html#ch-22

 

A 1935 book review included at the end of the book transcription says

"This is a revelation of gallantry unsurpassed. To extol it, or to attempt to describe it, after a reading of the author's own simple story, would be an excess. Mr. Lording's own modest account is the finest possible conveyance of it"

[Robert Dunlop]

On 20/07/2020 at 00:46, Maureene said:

Chapter 22 of the book is called Dope, and the chapter description includes the words "The strangling tentacles of morphia"

The text includes the wording

 

....the [hospital] superintendent, as though overhearing everything, appeared at the foot of the bed.

"I know your complaint," he said. "You are a drug addict."

It is helpful to provide such references, thank you. It is important, however, for members of the Great War Forum and for other people who see this thread via a Google search for example, to understand that the treatment of something like chronic cancer pain with long-term morphine is not the same as being a drug addict. People who are suffering from severe pain in this context are often frightened about becoming drug addicts. This stops them accepting morphine (or equivalent) and benefitting from the pain relief. Chronic use of morphine for chronic pain is not the same as drug addiction. If the pain is relieved by other treatment, such as an operation or radiation treatment, the person can stop the morphine without the signs of drug addiction withdrawal. Hopefully this information enables readers to continue appreciating the points that you are making without interpreting these points inappropriately in their own personal experience. 

 

Robert

[Dai Bach y Sowldiwr]

On 20/07/2020 at 07:54, MrSwan said:

 

Sorry but my Aspergers has just kicked in:

 

Swingtheleaditis uses the suffix "-itis" which is describes inflammation, and would imply an infection of the swingthelead. 

 

Swingtheleaditous uses the suffix "-ous" which describes having a lot of, so the MO's diagnosis of Bath Mat uses the correct term.

As an entity, it should be  Swingtheleaditus.

 

If you were suffering from it you could be Swingtheleaditous.

 

Definitely not Swintheleaditis unless as you say, some inflammation  is involved. (And inflammation doesn't  have to be due to infection).

Edited 26 July , 2020 by Dai Bach y Sowldiwr

[Marilyne]

in Belgian Army lingo we would say he suffers from "Carrottitte aiguë" … coming from "un carrottier".

I've seen my lot of them during my time as instructor !!

 

M.

[aconnolly]

Hi Maureen

 

Definitely "Medicine and Return to Duty".  Ref here:  https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/military-heritage/Pages/military-abbreviations.aspx#m

 

Andrew

[MaureenE]

Thanks all for your comments.

 

Cheers

Maureen