, 1864-12-30

1orce, Tile permanent and regfmentaI hospitals to-
sand sick and woandcd and the ratio Of this sick-
nessrate was tapidly increasing In the army Of the
Potomac, having been more than doubled In two
I To make careful inspection OF, and discover all
camp OF hospital life unfavotablc to the health OF
ths soldier; to teach both the men and their off,
how to protect themselvcs as far Is possible,
against such results to urge and force upon their
attention the laws OF health; to warn them oGI9he
| danger rum and that even during period ofac-
from Casualties; to suggest and secure such saui-
tary reforms as would guard against sickness and
death, the commission organized and Kept in the
Clans, to aid and assist The army surgeons ii some
cases to instruct them The fact has been, we
might almost say the re;nt has been, that tie rate
| forces during the Mexican war, Or Of my Euro
@ p@esn army q modern times OF which We have pub
The annual dea.h-ratc Of the United states mil.
itary forces In tine Of peace has been 26 per 1000
| nn5ing the %aI with Mexico, the average annual
dents, was 104 per 1000. During active operations
IN the Spanish peninsnla In the years 1slf.14 the
disease, was lis per 1000 and in tie campaign Of
the allies against xussla in 1s54-'6e tho rate er.
pcrieaeed III hospital alone By the British forces,
The mortality of onr army during he t nSssent
been per 1oo Of Which 70 dlsd from as; Woands nis
IT thus appears that the rate OF mortality from
disease with the United States forces in The Mex
lean WIZ WIS double, With the British forces In the
forces in the Crimea nearly four times the average
Eate experienced tn tho existing for the period
Of which We have statistical tables. Our Inspectors
have shown, thai two regiments. separated By
quarter OF mile only, contained 10 one camp not
dozen M sick men and in the other, 80 men, moro
OF @ iesz Ill ~ YIN dysentsfs diahea md all because
and the other In wood, with a wrctehed pudjlle
g nlack at d'tch water a. The only resource for
reports ofthe Commission Of The camps in-
spected five per cent were in admirable order forty
nye PEI cent fail1y clean, twcntysix per cent neg
cfded1y bad, dlthy and dangerous. e' 1 ~~1' 49,
M Gommleaion knoKa from data In It's possess
SION that attention to sanitary laws has each year
the duty Of military officer, and that thls has
fort 6elef asiah aha as ads rssat
7 Of IL Wosk + !. n msn1 9es,eca the
most important the Commission has undertaken
It Is far better to keep men we'll than to let them
0GSo@e sif4 i tSs ana Wsats1 tRs1 them
5eara a. ana g. ten months, has been {si,069.15, or
about q, 800 rear. In all human probability it
eeh op R,s ont Of ~ hospital
more than that number ont Of their graves.
PUBLICATIONS..
Ihts Is the only extended medium OF communi-
cation between the public and the Commission, By
Information furnIshea. But il has, II possible "a
larger and more important field.
been taken from civil pract1ce and for yery inne
time no books or eyen circulars OF instruction il
@ reSafd to their noEel responsibilities were sup
ment, medical monogrnms prepared By the abiest
1oa, G1 tme county m upon al the special topics
6een aaS S Be-
compact form, to almost all the medical men in
These works hare been email, modest and print.
ed with as lfttlo expense as possible: they firm
poriable professional library, and the Commission
oeISse H. et1. them to h hays been q great value
Western Department for two years and tenmonths,
a11 nas ~ 9een orles* than 81 700 year nearly
nation TO be distributed gratutously, |
EXPENSES. |
Ihese, according to the last financial report Of
The United States Commission, embrace all out |!
lays not exclusively belonging to any one Of the /
incurred in the general administration Of lie al.
Mrs Or the Commisston. 1t must be at once mani.
wise administration Of these various divisions rs.
9utre one OF more ceEral heads or depots, or
t5ese one is At Washington. and one at Louisville,
Commission. It IL impossible to- do he Work
without them, and they are managed with the Ut
an% T eon11nt q =,
volunteer agency can carry On tho details OF tho
%nfk o. nc Commission, mnst ariae from their
1ction. It IS comparatively easy to carry on the
supply Department In snch way, aa Is evident
from The s Pr ssn!ags Of COS. II 1at depart
pattc educated, continued 1abos, and necessarily,
therefore, paid labor. The Commission we'll
MOVE that important as the work Of the Supply
enn Denarment Is Its other departments are quite a.
The members Of the Commission and fts ynrIons
5sganshes y sheelful'y Eiye their e aod attention
fssss & t. s f#Rs #ssSIa pepf e.
nspt sine: tts orr" nization, exclusive Of tho sew
alled arc not really expenses, but money paid for
fork h'r dGns has been Ices than year and
esf rent aaa o Pss
expenses, kilograms and soma freight. Tie telc-
INNS alone, # paid for, would con a large 'I per
a5Gesa has 9s aIs 1ssg OF
to tie Se1thTes r. ETe1y aS osr ai tne
ecretsry, has been furnished hin by The Central
commission, and has come from o.her. sources a
aan ourselves mostly from California Our coz
liss. md the Hospital Directory, The Departmeat
Publication, the Department of Medical Insnec- 4
on, Hospital, Transports and Hospital Gars: . .
cen supported and maintained in the West for
:, M1thout cost 10 ns, onr only return being auch
lpg''sa as We have furnished and forwarded. Il +
eed the expense Of handling these supplies after
icy left our doors, has been met, and cheerfnllY
e, from the same eource.
e repofts md !, ~ ths made
On from time to time Published, SO that tho facts = q
haze hay becn cpen to Tie public
1a G. S,sng even synopsis Of the vast
1T nshod sna aad,a3 and Of "nospta Steam
mas Its claim Agency to secure tina snljlerai !