Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1863-02-19
@Ortester 4ailg Spy.
THE DAILY SPY.
The sanitary Condition of the Army.

Since tins war commenced, 1t has seemed
to me that great injustice has been done by
the press, ana through it by the public, with
out design it is presumed, to the medical men
engaged in our military service. 1t has been
stated and re-echoed from one end of the land
to the other, that there has been vast, and un-
necessary suffering endured by our poor, I'M
fortunate soldiers from the neglect, the in
competency and drunkenness of our surgeons,
and great and avoidablc mortality has result
ed from these causes. These are grave
charges, and, if true, it should heap disgrace
and intamy upon the heads of those who are
acting as their guardians of the health of the
army.
The surgeons have none of that stimulus of
the hope OF promotion or those advantages in
political life that spring from the glory gained
by good fighting that attend other officers in
the field. Besides, their pay is so small that
no man can leave a good business at home
and go into the army without great pecunary
sacrifice, which has deferred many of our best
surgeons from entering the service. Had
Henry Wilson, the chairman OF the military
committee, recommended grading the medical
corps with regular chances for promotion for
meritorious conduct, instead of reducing the
pay which was established at the breaking out
of this war, he would have increased the eff
cheney Of the medical staff. instead of m king
it so difficult as it now is to obtain surgeons
from those in full practice. This reduction of
pay must detract from the efficiency of the
medical force. Nevertheless the health of
the army will be found to compare favorably
with that of other armies, and with our own at
other times, as the facts taken from the re-
port Of the sanitary commission will show.
sit appears that the number of deaths in the
volunteer forces during the present rebellion
has been at the annual rate of So for 1000 nu-
merical strength" 'About A I-2 were from
disease and accident, and - from wounds"
"OtiicerS, 80 for 1000 from all causes; 2I.S
from disease and accident; ia from wounds.
In summer, IL per 1000 died from disease
and accident.
In Autumn, BIG per 1000 died from like
causes.
In winter, 58.5 per 1000 died from the same
causes.
From the eastern and middle states, 27.9
per 1000 died from disease and accident.
From the western states, 1858 per 1000 died
from the same causes.
From the eastern and middle states, 81
per 1000 lied from wounds received in action.
From the western states, 49, per 1000 died
from wounds in action.
In time of peace, annually, our army died
at the rate of 26 per 1000 from all causes.
Civilians of the same aye in England and
q America, from to 10 per 1000 died from all
causes.
In the Mexican war from lS47 to lS4S,
deaths lis per 1000 from all causes; deaths
l04 per 1000 from disease and accident.
In the Peninsula the annual death rate of
the British army from 1911 to 1914 was l65
per 1000 from all causes; Is per 1000 from
disease and accident.
From 1908 to 1872 in the British army
abroad 50 per 1000 died from all causes; II
per 1000 from disease ana accident.
The annual rate of mortality q IA years.
of the Crimean war was 232 for 1000 from all
causes; PIG per 1000 from disease and acct
dent.
Nine~tenths of the diseases, of which the
British troops died in the Crmea, ''were due
to preventabe or Zymotic causes diseases
chiefly of the scorbatic and malarcous types,
which are readily checked by proper attention
to the quality and preparation Of food and
drink, by judicious selections of camp sites,
by avoidance of over-crowding in tents, and
by efficient camp police" By proper atten-
ton to these causes our medical men have re-
duced the mortality from PIG in the Crmean
army to A 1-2 to 1000 in our army. The
British lost by disease five to our one.
Ii will readily be seen, that without expert
ence, entirely unprepared, the most gigantic
army III all the world sprngng into existence,
as by enchantment, its medical staff with the
other aids at hand have reduced the mortai-
ty far below the rate of the most warke ma
ton in the world, that has had the training
and experience OF ages. EXcellng England
in the health of our army, beating ourselves
by large odds in the Mexican war, instead of
complaining of our surgeons we have right
to assert from these results, that no army ever
had more able, temperate, self-Sacrlticlng
medical corps since history began.
Not all of this, nor near all, is attributed to
the surgeons; but without a competent medi-
cal corps it could have never happened. No
nation ever supplied food, clothing, medicines
and personal care in more ample abundance
than ours. The generosity and philanthropy
of our people has cropped out in all direc-
tons, yielding to our soldiers consolation,
sympathy, comfort and health on all sides.
But the browning glory of the head and the
heart Of the people eliminated in the sanitary
commission, who have pitched their tents, with
feeling hearts and open hands, wherever the
soldiers feet have marched; brigade of
brave christian men, who, like their nation,
are warning against the enemies of the human
race.
Without competent medical corps to di-
rect where to encamp to avoid malaria; to dl-
rect the cooking of the food, to see to the
cleanliness of the men and the healthy posi-
ton OF the camp, the proper administration
of medicines, stmulants and food TO the sick,
but little good could have resulted from these
bountitul supplies Of the government and
people. With less than per cent. of deaths
from all causes, and with the troops east of
the Alleghanies less than 3 per cent, we have
good reason to thank God and take courage,
rene mbering that one result of the success of
our cause will be to restore to life four mil
lions of human beings, who are dead to pro-
gress and to freedom, while we re-establsh
one of the best governments upon which the
sun ever shone. NJ.
Copperheads Catching 1t Again.