When the narrator says the wounded soldiers "were all very polite and interested in what was the matter, and sat in the machines that were to make...

The narrator is being skeptical. We can tell by the contrast between the doctor's enthusiasm and the major's skepticism. The doctor seems to be more excited about football than medicine, so the major asks sarcastically, "And will I too play football, captain-doctor?" We are sure it is sarcasm because the major never played football but was instead a fencer.

Later, the narrator explains that the major had bluntly stated that the machines were "an idiotic...

The narrator is being skeptical. We can tell by the contrast between the doctor's enthusiasm and the major's skepticism. The doctor seems to be more excited about football than medicine, so the major asks sarcastically, "And will I too play football, captain-doctor?" We are sure it is sarcasm because the major never played football but was instead a fencer.

Later, the narrator explains that the major had bluntly stated that the machines were "an idiotic idea." The narrator suggests that this skepticism affected every patient at one point. Their continued attendance seems to be either out of habit or obedience, but not because of faith in the techniques.

At the end of the story, this skepticism is reinforced by the photos of a hand injury like the major's. The photos are allegedly examples of similar cases where the machines produced a full recovery. The narrator points out that he understood that "we were the first to use the machines." This contradiction undermines the credibility of the doctors and reinforces the tone of sarcasm in the original statement.