The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1865-03-15
Letter srsn the Kepkuk Hsspsial
U. s. HosrIrAL, KEoKuK, Iowa. ]
February 9Th. 1865.

1
U. S. Hosr1rAL, Kroxux, Iowa. ]
/ February 9Th, 1866.
i EpIroR TInEs: Being dat.;nad b.r
during tedious conva!escence. l eladl
employ some Of my time and rsturnini
strength in giving yoo few notes res
pscting the General Hospital in this city
Many people have sort of dread Of Il,
very idea of hospital; and it is ! dre.t
OF the idea. for they usually know yer,
little OF the thing itself. This feeling O
dread. arising merely because suoh pl..
ces are the scenes Of 90 much suiferiup
soon passes into sense of rspuenance
and finally, without any definite reason,
INTO positive prejudice. am sure il
needs but limited acquaintance. on the
part Of an intelligent person. viii An,
veil conducted hospital, 70 dispel ancb
absurd whims. and to produce. inetead. !,
sense Of surprise snd admiration that a.
VAST ana complicated system Of opera.
tons, involving the comfort, health. and
life Of 90 many sick and wounded men. i
conducted with admirable system and sue.
cess.
True, at the beginning OF the war. v hen
all we're novlces In military duty, there
was doubtless some bIunhering in the
management of hospitals, as we'll as of ar.
mics and battles. But war is q great ed.
ucator, and am confident that today NO
nation surpasses US in the efficiency and
success OF It's vast system Of military hos
pilals.
In this city, three huge brick build
'ngs, originally built for hotels, and the
Medical College building, are occupied by
the Government for hospital purposes.
lnese lou. establishments comprise one
general hospital, and are under the
con,ro. .. =. -..a .-s chief Surgeon. There are
now about fifteen hundred patients here,
mostly Iowa soldiers, but many from ILL.,
nois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Missouri,
Iodiana and Michigan, with few from
other States. These patients arc under
the daily care of ten medical officers, who
give careful and thorough attention to
the sick aud wounded soldiers In their
charge. There is this advantage in hos.
pitals. that the medical attendance is
always more frequent and constant, and
often more skillful than can be furnished
in private life. while in any urgent or
dangerous case, ample consultation of the
best medical and surgical skill can be
called st any moment Surgeon Taylor,
wl1o has the eotirs charge Of the hospital,
Is an excellent officer, who happily com.
bines superior surgical skill with admira-
Bile disciplinary and administrative quail
lilies.
Qf course, the example Of supporting
the hospital here Is quite dgule. The
cost of the food alone OF the patients here
Is four bundred dollars daE. The cost
of the wood used as fuel id only one of
the hospital buildings, to kes , up hun
dred and forty Gres, amounted in good
cold weather to one hundred dollars a dag.
The total expenses of the hospital, In
rent, fuel, rations. medicines de-, is fully
one thousand dollars per day, exclusive Of
the pay 10 the soldiers. Include that aud
the amount is all of City tho psand dollars
4 month, or nearly tFo thousand dollars
per diy, and yet this Is but . small and
inexpensive hospital, in the long list of
military hospitals scattered oil over the
United States. The paymaster was here
lately, and after three days visit depart
cd, having paid out in the hospital, nearly
one hundred dollars of very acceptsble
funds.
| said that a large portion Of the sick
and wounded here are of course Iowa
boys. Here follow some figures, relating
exclusively to Iowa soldiers: On the lst
Of January, 1864, there we're in this hos.
pital. Of sick and wounded soldiers, Sla;
we're admitted, during 1864 Of sick and
Wounded Iowa soldiers, 1896, making an
aggregate, during the year, Of 2 1903. OIL
this number, were returned 10 their -epi-
ments, cured, (including a few mustered
out during the samc year, 100. dis
charged, being broken down, and unfit for
duty, lie; died. II, leaving sick in hos.
pital January lst, 1865, 9l0l
Competent medical men tell me that
that figure of only seventy one died, on,
of over twenty three hundred sick and
wounded, Is something to be proud of, be-
ing mortality of only trife over three
per cest.; hardly more than the ordinary
mortality Of civil life. It is result highly
creditable to the official management OF
the hospital. The hospital was establish
ed here in April, 1869. just after the bat.
tie Of Shiloh. and since that time there
have been admitted nine thousand eight
hundred and thirty sick and wounded SOL
diers. As rapidly as soldiers recover they
are promptly sent back TO the Geld for
duty. About two hundred have been
sent forward from here within the last two
weeks.
! must not close without noticing fact,
perhaps unknown to many of your read.
ers. that the State Of Iowa. in the kind.
ness Of lis great corporate heart, employs
a military agent, giving him the rank Of
Colonel, whose express and sole duty il is
to be a Father to the sick and wounded
soldiers of the State. Col. j g. Todd.
tha vnvv A{fscienk srd ha.l..l>.. c..l