The Portland daily press., 1863-01-22
The Portland Daily Press has the LARGEST
regular circulation Of any daily paper in
the city.
Army Surgeons and Chaplains.


= volunteer to fight its battles. When soldie
enlists, he does so with all the hazards of wal
before him. He may be obliged at times te
subsist upon scauty or poorly prepared rations
and sometimes unpleasant fasts, broken by
no sumptuous feasts, unavoidably fall to his
lot.
Then the malaria of swamps, the scaldine
heat Of a summer sun or the piercing blasts Of
awintry wind, the drenching rain, the chilling
sleet or the penetrating fog,-these may act
singly or in partial concert to undermine his
health, and to break down robust constitu-
ton.
Then there are other evils with which he
has to contend, operating indirectly upon his
physical powers through his mental conditions,
such as dependency, homesickness, and what
is usually known as the "blues;" and though
he may not receive sympathy from his COM
rades while laboring under such depressing
influences, no one who has experienced such
depression Of apirits, will for a moment deny
his need OF cheering words and encouraging
sympathies to nerve him for his duties.
These are some of the evils that soldier
has to contend with, entirely outside she cat
alogue of casualties ordinarily thought of
when we speak of the dangers of soldier
life. When we add to these the risks to life
and limb from the "eaden rain, and iron hail."
of the battle field, it will not be doubted that
the volunteer, in consenting to enter his coun-
try's service, stakes his life in his handr in
something more than q mere figurative sense.
But in doing this the Government virtually
contracts to see that, In case of sickness or ac-
cident, he shall have the best surgical and med
ical attention the circumstances will admit of,
and it also practically stipuates that his mental
and spiritual wants shall not be neglected;
and " this end chaplains are appointed to ev-
cry regiment, and liberal allowance is made
for the payment of both chaplains and sur
geons, to encourage them to labor in this par
ticular department of well-doing The SOL
der has right to expect, nay, to demand,
that in sickness, and when suffering from
wounds, he shall be properly attended to with
rs much promptness as circumstances will ad-
init, and that science, skill, good judgment and
high SENSE of moral obligation, shall be CON-
I bined ia those to whom are committed such
nigh interests, and that he shall not be left to
perish through the inefiiciency or ignorance
Of physician, or be unnecessarily dismem-
bered through the stupidity, the haste or the
professional pride of a surgeon.
he has right to expect and demand, also,
the most assiduous attentions of the spiritual
advisers provided by the Government, and
that he shall shrink from no duty the perform
ance Of which will tend to cheer the despond-
ing, to encourage good resolutions, to comfort
the sufferer or to soften the pillow ON which
reposes the head of the dying.
These remarks are general, and we expect
no one 10 take exceptions to them. We are
prompted to make them by the frequent re-
ceipt Of letters from the camp, complaining of
deficiencies in the departments of duty refer
red to, which seem TO us worthy OF severe ami
madyersion. A letter before us dated Wash
ington, January 18th, written by soldier from
this city, after speaking in the highest terms
of the officers Of the 25th Maine Regiment, and
particularly of Its popular commander, makeo
so me very unpleasant revelations concerning
"a other regiment which seems to be much less
favored. The Colonel OF the regiment referred
to-a man not unknown to this community
informed our correspondent that "the surgeon
of the Msine - is practising objectionable
imposition in his treatment of the sick. In
temperate himself. and consequently indiffer-
ent to the welfare Of patients, he prescribes
nothing except quinine and whisky, for
nearly every disease or injury, and the SOL
diers are compelled to pay one dollar per
quart for an article not worth over seventy-fve
cents per gallon" The same correspondent
says, numerous instances of horrible suffer
ing, from the neglect and quackery of drunk
en- surgeons, have come 70 my knowledge"
We give another extract:
/ saw in one hospital two soldiers over whose
heads q cross had been made on the clustering
with pencil, BY the surgeon, indicating that
amputation would be performed. The rugged
boys, not liking to loose leg apiece rubbed out
the mark before. the knife came along next day,
and SO escaped the operation. When the time
again came round, few days after. for exami-
nation of subjects, the board came to the de-
cision that both of their limbs could be saved
They are now doing well
saw another who had lost both arms He
said he knew that both of them could have been
saved. rs only one of the bones was broken in
the fore right arm, and bullet went through
the elbow joint of the left. He mplored the sur
geon to spare then, awhile, but it was easier to
chop them off,
Now we are aware that patients are often
mistaken in relation to the treatment best for
them, and we are also aware that the best of
surgeons are liable to be unjustly accused of
inhumanity, Of ignorence, and of criminal
neglect of duty; and for this reason we have
not felt disposed to publish in full the commu-
nication from which the above extract is made.
But while we do justice to the Medical profess
sion, we are aware, as every other man must
be, that like all other professions it has its un-
worthy members; and it would not be strange
II some OF these had found their way into the
uniform of the medical and surgical depart
ment of the army, and for their grossness the
worthy surgeon Is too often held RESPONSE
bic. We know that the good surgeon has
severe duty oft. Though less exposed to the
enemy's fire than the common soldier, and
though not treated as a prisoner of war.if TAX
en- BY the enemy, still he has his full share of
dangers, very large share of hardships, and
perhaps, next to the commanding officer, the
largest burden Responsibility, and God for
bid that we should say one word to add to his
burdens or to detract from the mode of praise
which Is justly his due. But the unworthy
surgeon, the incompetent one, aud above all