The Portland daily press., 1863-11-07

head of the bed except when attendant No.
takes them, five or six at a time, to the dis
pensary. Their plain directions guide the
nurse in administering the medicines entrust-
ed to her. From them she makes up her re-
QUESTIONS for special dict for the day. Han
not had for breakfast on the 10th October, tea
soft boiled eggs. and milk; for dinner, milk
toast, milk, baked apples, and boiled rice; for
supper tea, milk, aud oat meal Cruel The
special diet is of course for patients in bed
When the bugle sounds for breakfast, dinner
OF supper, all who can walk repair TO their
beds. When the table is quite ready, the
wardmaster appears at the dining-room door.
Fall in for dinner, men, marclm and in mill
tary order they move to their places. During
their absence the nurse with her assistant, No.
6, serves the men remaining in the wards.
The dining rooms, il has been mentioned
are in the rear of the several wards. COW
cred passage, six feet wide, with tramwav
for the transportation of food, runs the whole
length OF the hospital. The kitchen i. ii the
rear Of Ward +, under the same roof with the
storc-room, which is Immediately in the rear
OF the central office. The bakery extends
eastward, at right angles to the line Of the
kitchen and store room. Allstores are imme-
dlately weighed or measured, and inyoced
upon receipt IL the slightest error is detect
notified at once, and the matter is set right
Requisitions from the kitchen or bakery are
carefully weighed out, and an account ofstock
is taken every month. The balance sheet rare
ly betrays any error. As an illustration of
the waste it prevents however, il may be men
toned that on the 1st September last, the ac-
count showed deficit OF twenty pounds of
sugar. evidently stolen. The leak, which
would never have been discovered by any less
vigorous test, was stopped by new lock.
When II is remembered that the Government
only allows twenty cents per diem for susie
nance and furnishes only candles for light, and
that all the expense for extra food aud for gas
and gas fixtures must be betrayed by the post
fund, the necessity for such strict mana cement
becomes only too obvious.
On the prolongation of the line of the store
room and kitchen, nOrthward, are the laundry
and the kitchen for special diet, and more re-
mote, on the northern boundary of the square,
the dead house and knapsack house. In most
hospitals there is great accumulation of
knapsacks and other effects of deceased SOL
diers. During the first few months of his ad-
miuistration, DIR. Bliss found an enormous col
lection of personal effects, watches. rings, and
other trinkets, clothing and small sums of
money, increasing upon his hands To get
rid OF this annoyance, lie caused TO be added
to the regulation description, which gives only
the name, company, regiment and rank of
each patient, the name and post-oiiice address
OF his nearest friend. All the effects of the
patient are invoiced. The clothing is sent to
the knapsack house; the smaller valuables are
put up in neat package, for which the owner
takes receipt. The package is numbered,
registered, and deposited in safe in the of
flee of the surgeon in charge. If the patient
dies, his friend is Immediately advised and in
structed to apply for his effects, a list of which
is given IN the letter. Many a keepsake, more
precious than words could tell, has thus been
restored TO those whose right it was to claim
such consideration. 1t is a small matter, and
yet it has often been gratefully mentioned by
those who have given sons and brothers, and
husbands, to the country, never TO receive
them again under the sun aud stars of this
mortal word, that the letters aud envelopes
which brought the sad tidings were darkened
with lines of mourning, as il this were not
considered in Armory-Square a mere business
transaction, but solemn duty, to be dscharg-
ed with due decorum.
In this spirit the hospital is conducted.
There would be much more TO tell but these
arc its general features, and have thought it
worth while to put them on record with the
many memorials of the great rebellion.
Enough. H.WR.