Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1862-10-24
For the Standard.
HOSPITALS. SURGEONS. &c.

HOSPITALS, SURGEONS, &c
Mr. EDITOR :-In . recent editorial of yours upon
Hospitals, the following statement occurs:
"Eire committee of Congress on Hospitals, give in
conRection with their report, exhibit from tho
Surgeon, General, of the number of sick ana woun-
ted soldiers relieved in the Hospitals in Richmond
and Petersburg In the Richmond Hospitals he re-
ports 49, sos as the number admitted from their or
ganization to the 18th of Sept last OF this num-
Der he says 9 ia have been furl9lghed, 2341 have
been discharged, 1878 have died. and reports only
1920 as the whole number now remaining in the
Hospitals That accounts for only ABOUT 80, 900 of
the 80 900. What has become of the balance? The
Petersburg Hospitals report only IL $40 received
Of whom 800 have been Iurloughed, l,571 dischar
ged 707 died, leaving 892 in the Hospitals at the
time of the report which accounts for only about
one half received We suppose the rest have taken
French leave"
The balance" and the 'rest' were simply return
ed for duty to their commanding officers. These
who had filed our Hospitals, after being cured
were returned by the Surgeons for active field SER
wee, and have largely contributed to glorious
victories. I simply make this statement to correct
an erroneous impression which your article unex-
planned, might make upon your readers. And in
this connection, can refer with an honest pride in
my profession, to the statistics of sickness and death
in our army. say, in the very face Of the extraor
binary abuse and Distraction of the medical officers
of the army, that under the circumstances the
Never so badly abused the medical
officers of the army-never did men work harder
and never did men do more with the means at CON-
mand. The press, from one end OF the Confederacy
TO the other, have been down upon them. They
have no rank to protect them from the mpositons
and tyranny Of many petty Colonies and Lieuten-
ant Coloues, who do not know how to treat their
Surgeons and Assistant Surgeons. They have to
withstand storms Of abuse because they will not,
against their judgment and the interests of the
country, recommend for furloughs and discharges
those who fitted for active te service SOL
dierS. They have constantly to stand the fire of
denunciation for this and like causes both within
and without the army.
The experience of army Surgeons will cJrroborate
the statement that in all efforts prevent sick
ness in all our recommendations for cleanliness Of
clothing and person. in all We have urged, or to the
proper preparation Of food, comfort and health in
sleeping and hospital accommodations our petitions
and circumstances have, in minority of cases,
been disregarded by company and field officers,
who have had the power and authority, and there
fore should bear the responsibility of evils result
ing from such violations Of laws of health. Two
thirds of the sickness of the army would have been
avoided but for the ignorance indifference and per-
verscneSs of officers who have not needed the Sug-
gestiOns Of their medical officers points relating
to the health of the men under them And yet the
Surgeons deprived of almost all power to command,
by military authority, attention these important
matters, are everywhere held responsible for sick.
ness and deaths in the army.
II the Quarter Master and Commssary Depart
ments had been endowed with more AUTHORITY to
supply the wants of sick soldiers, the mortality
in camp and hospitals would have been less Pro.
per allowances in these respects have been with
held, and soldiers have sickened and died in
consequence, and the blockade has so stnted our
medical supplies, that the wonder is that Surgeons
have done so we'll All this is evident from the in
vestigatiOns of Congress and the report of the
Special Committee the Medical Department and
is triumphant reply to the croakers and deractors
OF Army Surgeons. | do not include in this YER
dict all the members Of Congress, for a number of
them have in this as in other matters played the
part of demagogueS in making speeches against
Surgeons for home use. Pity that such men are
not in the ranks. They would then cease to be
nuiSances to the Government by consuming the
public time in itimed and ILL., founded criticisms
upon good army officers. The manner in which
they are constantly lending themselves to the gno-
bic work Of trying to get fur0ughs and discharges
Tor men who do not deserve them, and thus inter
fering with the duties and rights of Surgeons and
others, shows that they studying home popu-
larty more than they the interests of the Con-
federacy ana the triumph of our arms. No doubt
there have been special cases of neglect and ncon-
potency on the part OF some Surgeons and for such
exceptions, it would seem that the whole Medical
Corps of the army TO be held accountable if
the unsparing denunciatons from editors ignorant
of what they write disappointed applicants for I'm.
deserved furloughs and discharges, and of selfish
and designing harpeS and cenSorious critics at home
out of danger of Yankee bullets arc to be received
as sufficient to convict them. Judged by this rule,
and all our glorious army Of company, field, and
general officers ought TO he condemned because ,
some of their body cowardly and incompetent |
Able and impartial boards of medical examiners !
pronounce upon medical man before he can be ad- /
mittcd as an Army Surgeon, and through no such !
ordeal have other officers of the army passed before
assuming the responsibilities of their position 1t ,
is hard that medical officers who are competent,
devoted, and have received the approval of high |
should be so generally denounced, and on
such 6Imsy grounds, while other officials so often
elected by them, incapacitated and so often un
1T for the posts they fill, encounter no complaints
nor reprracheS. AN ARMY SURGEON.
Oct 18th, 1862