The New York herald., 1862-01-08

Tho efficiency Of an army in time Of depends quite
o. much the health and spirits Of tho en their
bravery and the range and power Of their guns 1t 10
very erronsous estimate to imagine for moment that
the principal foe Of the defenders Of liberties and the
constitution b found in tho weapons Of the enemy.
80 far where three Of armed have fallen or be-
disabled by wounds in time Of battle ninety
have been sent the hospital by illness The army Of
the allied Powers in the Crimsa with almost unntsr-
rupssd series Of engngemen found eightysx disabled
BY illness for every fourteen who killed wounded
In battle II We omit all considerations Of humanity and
only consider the campaign in its military aud fnan
cia aspects, shall And the health Of the soldiers
. subject Of the very highest Importance. English
writer's political economy have estimated the value of
soldier In active service in time one hundred
pounds sssrling-hve hundred dollars In other words
for every that is killed permanently disabled by
disease the nation suffers to the amount of
i've hundred dollars before his place filled There must
BE- rsckcned the cost oflnstng training subssting and
transporting substitute besides what the country suf
frs for want Of hs services before the efficient soldier
can bs manufactured out of a recruit.
INEFFICIENT REcRUITs AND IMPERFECT MEDICAL IN
sPEcTIoN.
The Sanitary Commission report that over $50 mon of
the Army Of the Potomac have been discharged after
snlistmcnt-being than half OF all became
disabled invsded for Notwithstanding the
ssartns conclusion tha, fully 6ftythreeYper
thus discharged of disabilities that existed
before their enlistment, and which should have
been discovered by the medical inspection"
Reckoning the cost Of each at one hundred dollars
for his pay, rations clothing transportation medicines
&C., here is eighty thousand dollars absolutely
wasted men who ought to have been enlisted
Looking the whole army since the commencement Of
the campaign, the Commission Of opinion that a
tont tr.a
medical inspection
THE UTILITY OF THE SANITARY COMMISSION.
We have two reports Of the Sanitary Commission-one
Of hundred pages the sanitary condition Of
the volunteer army its medical staff hospital and hos
pita supplies addressed TO the Secretary Of War by
der ofthe Commission and Of forty eight pages ION the
condition OF the troops the Valley OF the Mississippi
No one can give the most cursory glance at
these reports without coraing 10 the conclusion
that the Sanitary Commission performing
services Of the very highest vaue the nation and
the volunteers. There very little evidence in the
port to subs,antiats a. but have doub,-in fact
We have much outside evidence to prove-hat the Com
mission Is looked ofncous, Intrusive, and a nui.
sancs by the regular medical stan and number OF
tho oncers Of the volunteer army The Commission
appointed by the Secretary of War The 9th Of June
1851 and had their rst session June 2 and at
tered upon their duties They especially
TO inquire the principles sud practices connected
with the inspection Of recruits and enlisted men the
sanitary condition Of the volunteers TO the c pre-
serving and restoring the health and Of securing The
general comfort and efficiency Of troops the propr
provision Of cooks and hospitals other sub
jects of like nature.
The Commission has from TIE first fully recognized the
fact its ONCE purely auxiliary nd advisory and
that created solely give what voluntary aid
could 70 the Department and the Medical Bureau in
ring the pressure Of great and unexpected demand Oh
The Medical Bureau especially, orgsnized with rsfe
renee 10 the wants Of an army 81 only aiew thousand
men seemed likely 10 be most seriously embarrassed IN
its operations when called prov e for newly levied
force OF several hundred thousand, especially both
the officers and O these hastily assembled Cgments
mostly without eyfcr ence and required immediate
and extraordinary instruction and supervision save
them from the consequences Of exposure, nalaria,
wholesome food and other pcrils Of camp lie
Il viii be from this that the duties Of the CoHmis
place of being Official and having actual pow
er, consisted Of inspection and adyice-"a twoioid
duty, vz.-inquring into the sanitary condition of the
This latter function included not only the duty u adj.
dressing TO different departments of government, from
time TO time such rec lamentations or suggestions oc
casion might suggest bat also that ~ keeping volunteer
officers and soldiers themselyss constantly and directly
instructed and warned 10 the novel dangers which
they exposed, the necessary precautions sganst
them and the means pointed " expert nee rs best
calculated TO preserve them In bodily health aud vgor Cor
the performance OF their duty 10 the country.
The Commission report that, with very rare eycep
tons, the advice and suggestions maize by their med cal
inspectors have been received and followed by the o
and chcerulness The subjects to which their attention
called the quality Of raons and Of water the me-
thod Of camp cooking the ventilation Of tents and quar-
tes the drainage Of the camp, the heahulnsss OF It's
si,e the administration Of the hospital and the sucisncy
OF its supplies the police Of the camp, the quality o the
tents and Of the clothing Of the men the material used
for cnt flooring If any &c e.. Whatever defciencies
or evils they find TO exist BY which the hea morale OF
efficiency OF the men may be endangered they are In
structed TO Indicate 70 tho proper ooer at the same
time offering advice, II needed, to the best
thod Of remedying thsm. Very few camps have been
visited In which important improvements have been
ordered at the suggestion and in the presence Of the in
The influence, however which officers unconsciously
receive through the direction Of their attention to
neglected duties, by the inquiries which the inspectors
have need TO address 70 them constitutes the chief part
Of the value Of the of the commission This, OF
course cannot be specified and recorded But the effect
OF the advice given BY the inspectors Of shc commission
10 found not 10 be confined TO the particular camp visited
or 10 the officers with whom they converse The
and enforcing sanitary laws is very generally
followed by others near IL, and emulation 10
ssc.ea among company and resmentai onlcers the
cases where an ilreguated regiment has been trans
ierred TO the neghborhood Of cleanly well policed
thoroughly drained and salubrous camp. Men who have
been flooded out Of their tents rain storm get little
lympathy from their neshbors who have been instructed
how to protect themselves by drains those who
feel natural and scdisy pride IN the good order and
Cleanliness Of their camp generally careful 70 conceal
wnen tney enter camp inferior TO their own.
Inc Commission have printed and distributed
80 tnree Thousand each Of Ave concise treatses ION
sns best means Of preserving health camps and the
treatment OF the sick and wounded In camp and battle
ned."
NATIVITY AND AGE OF TUE VOLUNTEERS.
An examination has proved that at least tcoird, Of
The volunteers are natiN Americans In SIX and half
per cent Of the regiments inspected majority OF the
men were Germans; in five and haf per cent majority
we're Irish, and in ve and half per cent the proportion
OF hreign and native about equal. Tfs dverno,
ose d ne vu1tus Is foirnd 10 ts lie Under tusnfy-
~ yeo,s IN more than halfhfty eight per csnt--of
ne regiments there had been pretence OF thorough
inspection OF recruits on enlistment
LIBERALIZATION, VICIOUS MEN, ETC
Inc est'nuon Of the Commission has boon called pnr