The wire brush

One of the few genuinely funny jokes I know that I originally learned in English:

During World War I, a British general is visiting an Army hospital. He shakes the hand of one soldier, who is lying in bed.

"What's wrong with you, son?"

"Gonorrhea, Sir!"

"What is the treatment for gonorrhea in the British Army?"

"The wire brush, Sir!"

"What is your fondest desire?"

"To recover and to serve the King and the country, Sir!"

The general then turns to another soldier.

"What's wrong with you, son?"

"Hemorrhoids, Sir!"

"What is the treatment for hemorrhoids in the British Army?"

"The wire brush, Sir!"

"What is your fondest desire?"

"To recover and to serve the King and the country, Sir!"

The general then turns to a third soldier.

"What's wrong with you, son?"

(softly) "Laryngitis, Sir!"

"What is the treatment for laryngitis in the British Army?"

(softly) "The wire brush, Sir!"

"I see that you have difficulty speaking. Is it true that your fondest desire is to recover and to serve the King and the country?"

(softly) "Nay, Sir. It is to grab the wire brush before the others, Sir."