The Ebensburg Alleghanian. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1865-1871, 1866-01-04

business of the day was disposed of. then.
when the room was comparatively quiet.
re-examine and dispose Of them.
would here suggest the proprioty of
ordering the Provost MarshaIs of Districts.
should another draft ever be REQUIRED, to
purchase cheap quality of CARPET or
mating to lay on the Office floor, to pre-
vent the noise occasioned by tramping
about which is unavoidable when num-
ber of men are In the same apartment
The cost would be nothing compared with
the great advantage resulting from tho
expenditure.
The number of men a surgeon can ex-
amino per day with accuracy varies much
under different circumstances. a surgeon
accustomed TO the WORK can examine twice
as many day as one who is not familiar
with the routine, and he will decide too
with more accuracy, When there is a
run OF good sound men, either volunteers
or conscripts, examinations can be ma6e
with more facility than when the reverse
occurs One who has become familiar
with the duties Of the office can without
an assistant examine eighty men per day,
and not feel that he is imposed upon.
did myself the whole duty required
of Surgeons of the Board until the last
| draft was ordered, when DIR. Crawford
Irvine, of Hollidaysburg, was appointed
| assistant, from whom derived much val
liable aid.
The frauds resortcd to by drafted and
enrolled men to escape service are, in our
experience, very numerous. Every species
OF falseho9d and misrepresentation is in
dulged in to feign disease, when none
| exists. rheumatism, weak back, stitch in
the side, hemorrhoides, soreness from old
! fractures, old sprains, loss OF sight, in one
or both eyes, disease of heart, consump-
! ton, hemorrhage from lungs, disease from
kidneys, anchylosed joints, and deafness
do not form even the tythe of disease
! teigned by those who wish to escape SER
vice. Loss of sight of right eye is very
often claimed without cause During the
first draft conscripts frequently came with
the pupil so dilated that the eye presented
the appearance of organic change After
! examining several, who first came with
this disability, [ suspected fraud We
arrested two from one sub-9istrict, lad
| them brought before the Board, and re-ex-
amined them and found the eyes both
sound, held them both to service, received
| commutation and dismissed them With
! in one year afterwards one of these men
enlisted for bounty, and entered tho
service with pair Of sound eyes.
1 had reason often afterwards to suspect
! the application Of belladonna to the eve.
| Under these circumstances, we examined
the pockets of The man, and placed him
rapidly under guard until the nature of
the case was clearly revealed.
Irritating substances, such as sand or
DIRT, are thrown into the eyes by con-
scripts, for the purpose of producing con-
! junitivitis, preparatory to examination
When man claims exemption for total
loss of-sight of right eye, if can see no
! evidence o: disease, before [ decide his
case 1 close the left eye perfectly, quietly
| stand little to one SIDE, and order him
in peremptory manner and sharp tone to
| look at me. IF the sight is totally gone,
the right eye is motionless, but if any
| sight remains, before he is aware, the eye
involuutarily turns with its axis towards
me, which satisfies me that he attempts
deception.
Men frequently purge themselves, pre-
raratory to examination, with drastic ar
| ticles of the aloetic class, 20 bring on hem
orrhoids. These cases can generally be
detected by an erythematous discoloration
of the skin, radiating from the anus one,
| two or three inches, connected with al
ternate contraction and relaxation of the
sphinater ami.
A great many men otherwise healthy
and sound have had all their teeth cxtrac-
ted from the upper jaw. A considerable
proportion of these, have no doubt, re-
Some came with gums lacerated and
swollen from having had their teeth re-
moved within few DAYS of the examina-
ton, while others had them extracted
perhaps several months previous.
When we had reason to suspect that
drafted men had their teeth extracted to
defraud the Government, We invariably
held them to service, if they were other
wise sound, and assigned reasons for SO
doing to accompany them to the rendez-
vous.
Drafted men frequently came in for
examination with one or more fingers, or
as great toe cut square of, and bone pro-
truding, with a very sore stump. These
men were also held to service, and reasons
sent forward why they were held.
When farmer, mechanic or laboring
man claimed exemption, and could not
, fud sufficient cause to dismiss him, the
appearance of his hands sometimes indi-
Gated whether he was truthful in his
declaration of disability. If his hands
were covered with thick, hardened skin,
we'll sun5urned, the presumption was
clear that he could at least make a good
hand at home and vice versa.
? In examination of enrolled men, VI