The Express.
London, England, 1855-02-14 00:00:00

DEATHS FROM DISEASE IN MILITARY

HOSPITALS.

TEE Morning Post of yesterday draws the atten-
tion of the new Minister at War to a defect in his
department which calls for instant remedy. It
appears that there are no weans of ascertaining with
promptness and certainty the particulars or even the
fact of the death of any patient in the military
hospitals in the East. The Post gives the following
case in point. "A private in the 20th Regiment lay
sick at Scutari in the month of November. By one
of the sick soldiers recently returned to England a
statement is made that the private in question died
upon the 30th of November. Attempts are made to
ascertain the truth of this information. The clergyman
of the pariah—usually the poor man's friend in such
cues—comes to London, nothing doubting that he
will be able at the War-office to verify or disprove the
tidings which .have carried so much sorrow to one
family circle in his parish. But the War-office can
give him no information. The gentlemen to whom
he applies are accommodating and polite, and take
every reasonable trouble to meet his wishes—there is
no complaint on that score—they can tell the date of
the soldier's enlistment, attestation, day of departure,
&c.—everything, in short, that was alrehdy known,
and of no material consequence; but they could not
tell what chiefly it concerned his friends to learn—
whether he were alive or dead. Had he been killed 1
or wounded, there would have been no difficulty; but,
as he had the misfortune to fall sick, he was not
likely to be heard of for some time. In the long run,
some months hence, the returns will probably come to
hand."

Now the returns of deaths are made up at Scutari
'twice a week, but the public are not allowed access
to them. The Times' agent for dispensing the
10,000!. fond, however, from the influence of his po-
sition, is enabled to get a copy of these returns; they
are published in our contemporary's columns, and
from them copied into the other newspapers.
These lists were referred to by the clergyman in
question; the name of the soldier who was reported
to have died did not appear in them, and it was
hoped that this fact was evidence that the report was
false. That is not the case, however, as a note was'
appended to the lists to the effect that they made no
pretensions to accuracy—" that the number of burials
within the time specified exceeded the return of
deaths, the inadequacy of the medical staff rendering
it impossible for them to complete the returns or
ensure their exactness."
This state of things is really shameful—shameful

because a complete, accurate, and speedy return of the
deaths in military hospitals is of the first necessity,
and ridiculously easy of accomplishment. It is of the
first necessity to allay the anxiety of the relatives
of the poor fellows who die, not meeting death
with exciting or glorious accompaniments on the
field, bat, perhaps after weeks of disease and
decay, within the walls of an hospital. Those who
die there do not the less " deserve well of their
country" because they have not had the good
fortune to be slain by sword or bullet; and if
their minds are not cheered by the thought that the
grief of friends will be assuaged by the history of the
manner of their death, they should at least not be em-
bittered by the knowledge that to grief will be added
the agonies of ignoranceLsuspense, doubt, and des-
pair. It is easy of accomplishment, because—because
—in fact, it is impossible to conceive any difficulty
in the matter. To each hospital there should be
attached one person, whose duty it should be
to make out a list of the deaths with a correct
account of all material circumstances attending
each death ; such list should be transmitted
regularly to the War-office, and if there is any
reason to think that this is a species of information
which should not be communicated to the
CZAR (!), there they may stop. Any one
inquiring about a particular individual should,
however, receive every information. If no dan-
ger is apprehended from the CZAR'S hearing of such
things, the list might be published in that very ex-
pensive periodical, the Gazette, or sent at once to
all the London daily papers. We heartily join our
contemporary in calling Lord PANMURE'S attention
to this matter.—Daily Neve.