我覺得下麵段落中的"COMMUNICATIONS"應是把傷口中的感染物轉到消毒過的紗布塊上的過程。作者幽默，故意用這個字。“INTERIOR"應是傷口內部“；“PADS OF GAUZE"應是藥用紗布塊。
英文原文：
The colonel was in Communications, and he was kept busy day and night transmitting glutinous messages from the interior into square pads of gauze which he sealed meticulously and delivered to a covered white pail that stood on the night table beside his bed. The colonel was gorgeous. He had a cavernous mouth, cavernous cheeks, cavernous, sad, mildewed eyes. His face was the color of clouded silver. He coughed quietly, gingerly, and dabbed the pads slowly at his lips with a distaste that had become automatic.
譯林出版社翻譯如下:
這位上校在通訊司令部供職，晝夜忙碌不停地把內地傳送來的一連串電文記錄到一本本用紗布做成的正方形記錄簿上，每記滿一本，他便細心封好，放入床頭櫃上一 隻有蓋的白桶內。上校風度不凡，嘴巴寬大，兩頰凹陷，雙眼深迭，目光陰鬱，似發了黴一般，臉色灰蒙蒙的。每次咳起嗽來，他總是小心翼翼地壓低聲音，心裏亦 不由自主地厭惡起來，遂用記錄簿慢慢輕拍自己的嘴唇。
上海出版社81年版的譯文節選如下：
這位上校在通訊係統工作。日日夜夜都得忙著把內地發來的不愉快的無線電報記錄在方形的塑料簿子上。。。。。
