Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1847-11-10
FROM THE NATIONAL INrELLIGENcER.

The moral and political objects of the War wi
Mexico, and the blessings with which it is fraug
10 The country, have been SD variously stated as
leave the mind of the most attentive reader i'm al
soiute doubt as TO their relative claims upon I'll
pubic favor. We ourselves summed them u
some months ago, by way of showing their ute
holiowness, and, further, that from their inconss
tcncy and incompatibty, even were each of tn,
objects avowed by the friends of the war separatel,
true, they could not stand together. In Mr. Web.
STEERS speech at the Wing Convention of his own
State, he occupied unanswcrably the same ground
But one OF the blessings resulting from this war
mad not then entered into our heads, nor apparent
ly into Mr. Webster's, as he did not particularly
advert to it, 1t might possibly have been in the
mind OF the Hon. c. j. Ingersoll. when he com
'nunlcated to the Public Gin Letter addressed to
the Editors of this paper) his own opinion that
"the war is doing ,corld Of good to both coun-
'ries." However that may be- the first lawn upon
our intellectual vision of the latest blessing atribu
Ted to The war is disclosed in letter published i'm
the last number OF the government paper. Our
INST impression on reading the article was that il
was piece of irony, so delicate, though keen its
edge as to have euded the perspicacty of the vet
eran Editor. On further perusal, however, we in-
cline to believe it to have been seriously intended.
We subjoin SO much Of il rs includes the surges
ton Of the great benefit which the war has thus
far conferred, and if prOtraced is likely further TO
confer, upon Humanity and Science:
ITO The Editor ofttc Union:
Sir The present war with Mexico is already
fruitful In great events and important knowledge;
ana KNOW OF no greater service the President can
render me community In general, and the medical
profession in particular than by appointing some
eral practitioner of known worth and abilities and
eminent medical attachments and education 10 visi,
Mexico TO gather up the fragments of medical and
surgical kno,cLedgc that hare fallen in the several
campaigns. and present them TO the public, after
the manner of Larry, Monroe, Prngle, Thacher,
and Parsons, &c, whose admirable army reports
and medical instructions have long served as guide,
to army practitioners both in this country and Eu-
rope
"No campaigns, indeed, under Napoleon or
Wellington ecer afforded finer field for medical
and surgical records than those under Scott and
Taylor; ard 1t would be a misfortune 20 the pro
teSSion and the ,cOrd if they should fail to be pre-
served through press of duty and want Of Time
and opportunity in the medical staff immediately
engaged in service.
such a record might naturally enough be ex-
pected from the Surgeon General of the Army and
doubtless he will feel ii his duty from his position
to make general report to the War Department:
but apprehend his time and attention are altopo-
iher too much occupied in the general supervision
of the surgical and hospital departments to enable
him TO accomplish this desirable work while witt,
tine volunteer surgeons and assistants ere,y nc,le is
slra'ned amt ece'y moment occupied IN GrdtOus
practical duties and neither time nor opportunity
offers, nor inclination probably suits them to make
more than simple record of the most extraordna-
ny cases, those which are too rare and important
to be wholly lost" &c.
So the advancement of Surgical knowledge is
one of the consequences Of the war which it would
be misfortune TO the world to lose the benefit of
nearer view Of this fine field for medical and
surgical records" is afforded by the following ar,i
cle which fell under eye at the moment OF
reading the foregoing;
From the Richmond Republican,
One Of the Surgeons Of the Army, (who has
since been himself dangerously wounded writing
10 friend after the battles of Contreros and Chu
rubusco, says:
'Alier operating, with my assistants, tilf three
o'clock in the morning, left the building of which
had made a temporary hospital, to take an hours
rest in the open air turned round to took at ,nv
taLe under 1t ,cas PERFECT HEAP
OF ARMS AND LEGS and, looking at myself l
found was covered with blood from head 10 FOOT