Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1862-10-29
For the Standard.
HOSPITALS, SURGEONS, &c.

a
Ma. EDITOR In recent editorial Of yours upon
Hospitals, the following statement occurs:
1.-The committee of Congress on Hospitals, give III
connection with their report, an exhioit from the
Surgeon. General of the number OF SICK ana "oun,
<led soldiers received in the Hospitals In kcnmoho
and Petersburg In the Richmond Hospl'ais' ee re-
ports 49, sos as the number admitted from ther Or
yanization to the 18th Of Sept last vi TINS mum
her he saws ia have been furloughed, ,34l have
been discharged, 1878 have died and reports only
10 700 as the whole number now remaining in the
Uosnitals. That accounts for only about 80 OoO OF
the SO. OOO What has become of the balance! Inc
Petersburg Hospitals report only $40 received;
of whom S29 have been furloughed. l,57l dlschar
ged, TOT died, leaving 1892 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 fA duty to their commanding officers These
men who had filled our Hospitals, after beng cured,
were returned by the Surgeons for active field ser
wee and have largely contributed to our glorious
victories. l simply make this statementt to correct
nm erroneous impression which your article unex-
planned, might make upon your. readers. And in
this connection, refer with an honest prde'ln
nv profession to the statistics OF sickness and death
in our army. say, in tae very face OF the extraor
binary abuse and detraction of the medical officers
of the army, that under the circumstances the NOR
taty is low, the per centage of deaths small.
Never were men so badly abused as the medical
officers of the army-never did men work barrier
and never did men do more with the means at COM
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 impositons
and tyranny of many petty Colonies and Lleuten-
ant Colonies, who do not sknow how to trea: 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 vino fitted Cor active lie service as SOL
diers. They have constantly to stand the fire of
dcnunciaton for this and like causes, both within
and without the army.
The experience of army Surgeons will corroborate
the statement that in all efforts to prevent sick
ness in all our recommendations for cleanliness OF
clothing and person. in all have urged, or to the
proper preparation Of TODD, comfort and health in
sleeping and hospital accommodations petitions
; and remonstrances have, in majority of cases,
| been disreSardcd 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
verseness of officers who have not needed the sug
geStlons of their medical officers Oh points relating
10 lne nealtu vi tLe lneH lueHl Anu YET
Surgeons, deprived of almost all power to command
by military authority, attention to these important
matters, are everywhere held responsible for sick
ness and deaths in the army.
If the Quarter Master and Commissary Depart
ments had been endowed with more authority t
supply the wants of our sick soldiers the mortalit,
in camp and hospitals would have been less. Pro
per allowances in these respects have been with
held, and our soldiers have sckened and died il
Al L a.
medical supplies, that the wonder is that Surgeon
have done SO well. All this is evident from the in
vestigatDhs OF: Congress and the report of tn
Special Committee on the Medical Department. ant
is triumphant reply to the croakers and detractor
! Of Army Surgeons. | do not include in this vcI
dict all the members of Congress, for number G
them have in this, in other matters, played tn
part Of demasogueS, in making speeches agains
Surgeons for home use Pity that such men ar
not in the ranks. They would then to
nusances to the Government by consuming tn
public time in ill-tmed and ill.founded criticism
upon good army officers. The manner. Gin whic
they are constantly lending themselves to the gnt
bic work of trying to get furloughs and dschars.
for men who do not deserve them, and thus int
iering with the duties and rights of Surgeons al.
others, shows that they are studying home pop,
larity more than they are the interests of the Coz
tederacy and the triumph of arms. No doui
there have been special cases Of neglect and incon
potency the part of some Surgeons; and for sue
!. exceptions it would seem that the whole Medic
: Corps of the army are to be held accountable,
the unsparing denuncations from editors. ignoral
t of what they write, disappointed applicants for u
r deserved furloughs and discharges, and of SELLS
and designing harpies and ccnsorous critics at hon
e out of danger of Yankee bullets to be receive
as sufficient to convict them. Judged by this rul
and all our glorious army of company, field ar
e general officers ought TO he condemned, becau
l. some of their body are cowardly and incompetent
: Able and impartial boards of medical examine
d pronounce upon medical man before he can be a
e. mitted as an Army Surgeon, and through no Su,
A. ordeal have other officers Of the army passed befo
n assuming the responsibilities Of their position.
y is hard that medical officers who are competer
It devoted, and have received the approval of hig
Is tribunals, should be generally denounced and
such fimsy grounds, while other officials so Oft
1t elected by them, incapacitated. and so often Il
< fit for the posts they fill, encounter no complain
e nor reproaches. AN ARMY SURGEON.
is Oct. 18th, 1862.
IS For the Standard
j. THE TRITIMV1RATE