The national Republican., 1862-02-01
70 CoRaHsroNDrx7s Mo sttention will b
paid to Anonymous communication
THE ABUSES IN THE ALEXANDRIA
hospital.

sanator WusoN's resolution calling for inqui-
ry Into The abuses existing in tho hoepita' ~ Al
exsudris, aud which called forth from Mr.. Hale
an attack on The old fogyism of the medical
department" requires attle e1plana don In
relation to Hospital management by the Medi.
cal Department in this District. In few
dayss paper on this subject entering into the
detail Of the whole Hospital question will be
submitted. In the mean time It will be we'll
to let the public know that the heads Of the
Medical Department are constant In their en-
deavors to provide the sick with every neces.
ssry comfort, and If any Of the Hospitals In
the District or in the country lack such, 1t Is the
fault OF the surgeon in charge Of the. Hospital.
This surgeon is proyi led by the Medical Depart.
,nent with everything needful for sick soldiere,
and indeed with many things which they might
we'll do without, and still not suffer. In addition
to rations Of bread, beef, (and soup0 potatoes,
rice, beans. bacon, salt, TO-, which Is drawn
in pounds" from the Commissary Of Subsist-
ence on a,e order Of The head surgeon Of each
Hospital, there is the Hospital fund, for every
such establi shment In the country, which, Qor
Hoppitals in this District particularly must
amount TO several hupdred dollars month,
and which may be expended, and Is intend
cd by the Medical Department to be 30,
for the exclusive use Of the sick.
This buys butter, eggs. milk, chickens, por'
ter, and indeed everything nourishing required
for suffering med. II these things are MOI
bought for the sick, the surgeons in charge Of the
hospital is TO blame, and no other person, and
he must make out false reports to the heads
of the Medical Department, II be accounts fol
this money, (Which he Is obliged to do) snd
does not use II. It Is not true that the heads o
the Medical Bureau are careless, and that eff
cient" men are needed in their stead. Thu
Surgeon General cannot know whether sur
geou Is dishonest or not, unless 1t is reported Il
him, no more than the President can tell wht
are the traitors In bis vicinity. When an abuse
is made known to him, he searches into 1t
and has removed more than one surgeon from
hospitals here, who did not do their duty to the
rick, and recently made one such removal from
Alexandria for this very reason.
The Union Hospital at Georgetown seems Il
be provided with every comfort, and yet moth
ing is given to 1t but its rations and fund
through the commissary. 1t serves twenty-tw
ounces Of bread q day to some Of Its patient
aud others live on chickens, egg.nogg, oyster
brown stout, &C., and Its store-rooms are file
with fish, butter, vegetables, and other thing
bought entirely out Of the hospital fund.
But DR.. McLaren (whom Mr.. Hale terms q
old fogy, perhaps,) is an h9p(st man and
good one, who Is devoted to the comfort Of hl
patients. 1t is not &c old fogyism," therefor'
in the Department, but dishonesty in hofpits
surgeons that creates abuses" The tale abor
the q" swill-tub " is doubtless an exaggeratiol
having Its origin in the small allowance
bread served out to the men.