New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1861-05-06


Tie sickness against which ought to prepare il
ouite independent OF tie question q actual bDiteF.
1t least uiue-enths Of all the deaths in armies and
camps whether in peace or war, are due 10 disease;
and il agains, fevers diarrhea, dyscntery, catarrh,
aud cholera, far more than against wounds, that Our
efforts should be directed
There are two kinds Of efforts to be made in regard
to this threatening GseGse:
!. 10 reduce il 10 its minimum by precautionary
STEPS.
III. To prepare to treat IL with skil and humanity
where II cannot be prevented.
/. In regard 10 the first point, II seems TO us that
there three directions in which tIis Association can
labor in connection with the medical men, g.: in i'm
pressing upon the authorities the Importance OF guard
ing tho three great gates through winch disease breaks
into the army "a.
|. Through the original weakness Of the conititu-
lions Of many Of The accepted soldiers IN lime
like this The oguarsaTe recruited with extreme care IN
general The rules are very strict. and, we Deleve,
properly enforced. But nobody who has watched Tue
regiments that have left us or are lea ing can iai
sec that many, very many immature unforIed oiss!-
pated and who'll unfit Iorsons have been taken mo
the ranks who food nor for powder, but ior
malaria exposure, and fever The medical profession
ought 20 be eXhotCd TO uns with us IN def'Ia'ioh
calling on the Sccretlry of War to send bach at once
while life is IN them all such crude maerls.-t0 DC re-
iected by a new survey at Washington. LEI them
come home be drilled AID disciplined, ana lea IN Ie
serve; and their Places be occupied by Stout anu aniS
bOdied ur1 culled from those volunteering WHO
the REGULAR army recruiting regulations arc for ne fu
ture enforced with the utmost ngor Two thousand
lives will probably be saved by proper A!ton &c
this sugpefion and would be worth tie eAlsehce %
our orrauzaon thousand times oyer 10 carry IL QUIZ
II was natural and perhaps necessary 70 accept these
recruit, for the elcucy but, as Napoleon sad long
pgo. they ERE merely cent to i'll up the hospitals
. TIE dietary and cooking Of The army y QUE VI se
rincips yates through which disease attacks II! ana II
i even more true OF volunteers than Oh regulars Ac
corinr to the common rule, many barrels OF pork,
beef, beans sugar, 20 many b.gs OF coheel &c. gre
made over 10 the regiment Tor the "eeh' uisIueu
arorp the comralies and that ends the care oil the
Goyerrmenf The cooking vi this food Il matter OF
COMPANY regulation and they select say two meh IRON
ecL con paLv 10 guess kDic 10 d0 ~. lou can llelte
the crudfv the waste, the Gnwhoiesomenes' Of this
rInn There is rarely or never enough, because go
much is 50 lied ana wasted in The cooking, and villa Is
eaten is eaten in a very perous form. " Beans, siha
Or. Satellee, " Kill more than bullets
Now imagine the beneiCencc Of reform which should
attach bv Government authority competent COOK 10
zach coIrnauya man specially skilled IN cooking IA
The best manner the few simV articles me SOLDIERS eat
II necessary hundred such persyns could re prepared
ia n months tine. And wonn not proper COOKS
oing wi tho army be even better than good nurses
GOING after il Would not the percentage OF illness
be very seriously diminished b. such piecauilon
3 |: there net positive lack, not 80 much in tho
guaLtyas in the LUbr Of the medical men sent WIN
lie r,oim,nt.1 How can ergle Surgeon AID his
mate be expected 10 meet the wants OF thousand
men In exp0-cd an ryng circumstances Should not
tbs force be al easl doubled Aud ought not the
official duties OF ore Of the Surgeons 10 be purely by
f6enic-deyoted % the keeping Of health sl the men
by authoritative enforcement OF proper diet, NJ
clothing careful camping ground, AID such other pre-
cauticI "a sanitary science suggeste Are The youn'
teer Surgeons subjected TO the same rigorous examine
ton to which the regular L. s. a. Surgeons have TO
submit And should there not be Il new IgOT IL
this matter.
H. The second duty, OF preparing 10 meet such sck-
ne . a. cannot be prevented with SAIL aud humanity
involves prepaatious for sending both medical men
Ia ~ ftav al lpn
Several considerations seem in Iaco here. The neces-
city Of these preVaratoIs viii appear, hen We reject
that in all probability 2jjOO men @i lie n the he1
for one veaF-and 10000 FOR three yeare-ant that
against the segulaf percentage OF illness In 20 large
BODY a. th- ndeI endent 0f Size casualties OF battle
some extraordinary pgcpad.oDs aFefequired
Moreover thee men ere 81 20 from Noulern and
healthy Liu-the largest rari u them live degrees
aoub Of their aqfural climate Whcse by the statistical
tab ", ind that the chances Of illness aud death IN
the army are about d0sbi.i. and many OF them 70
portion in the extreme Souih. where the chance
against hem pV4dr Iicd SUI further the lafgti
portion o. ticse troop, are raw, ans me McNich war
proved TINT while The OF army Lost l!O PER cent q
month the .cl .c- regiments Lest LIP and lie volun-
teefs l3-neafy double hat o. tle old reg srs Gar
troop are going too 10 the WorG scls'n ~ Tie car
to begin can psign for before they ARE hardened 20
exposure, they are ~ meet the heat and niiAsHHs
of the more Southern chncs. We Euti expect
fevers jy-Citcfy, cliauh perhaps cholera now m
digeuousl And i. becomes us TO be making every pre-
raraliou which belongs &" tie volunteer as5oGalon',
medical OF icniuitC agiu.' The time when ply sicahs
aud nurses will be IL great demand. We doub, not
mai a sqgacou. examination OF tie medical Btatis.ics
of the / niied States Army would enable experts 20
forcshaaow with ac,urac, tie demands Of ths service
In this camIa.gn upoa tho Kind OF lid Which We are
engaged in furnishing. IL il obvious that although
women nnr.e. are not prov ided for IA the army .egu
ioLs vet they are capable under careful regulations,
Of being uc.f ci,eLily worried into tho system, and
heir services We have 10 think would lie most
heartily welcomed. But they must DC Tanned unaer
tbe thorough system co. 'smpairi by society, 70
Le efficient. II is serious question whether ,ilor
ndyce from the Headquarters school Of Cooks, who
should be men ought not. under medical direction, 10
be o.cncd win ne came general caution that sur
rounds the School of NuTrge'
These suggestions are -IJuittd TO the BOARD for
ttcir copsido ration and such action they may think
eXVedeDt. ,.,.,,o,...
VALENTINE MOTT. y ". IL. pkNEE. MD.
EpT'ItE LAM OIuSTEp. ELIZA N SCHTtIER