Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-01-12
THE STATE SOLDIERS HOME.
First annual Report of h SuPerin-
fendenf Of the state SOLDIER Home.


GentIentera Of the Board Of Trustees Of the
State Soldiers Home:
Fhe organization of a Home for the &C
eemmodation of q large number of disabled
msn, coming together under conditions SO
new, and dispositions SO various, we find
requires time, and no small amount of
practical experience and wisdom.
During the two and half months that
have elapsed since our opening, we have
been so fully employed in receiving sick,
wounded and dying soldiers, and provid-
ing for their comfort, that we have found
little time to digest and apply rules, or
prepare so full and minute a report as may
be desired.
Unlike the other institutions of the
State, we have no examples or precedents
to guide us; but are compelled to act each
day from the experience of the day before,
and the events of the hour,
The very liberal and humane policy of
the Board of Trustees has brought together
for our care and sympathy a large class of
men who are subjects for medical and
| dietical treatment.
With serious maladies that sooner or
later must carrythem to their graves, with
| lingering diseases, irritsting wounds, and
constitutions shattered by the exposure
and h~ardships of army life, or imprison-
j ment in Southern pens" they require
skillful medical counsel, tender, patient
and faithful nursing, and food of the most
nourishing character, adapted in variety
and preparation to suit the many different
! cases. The number of this class admitted
was ninety-eight, or about ffty-eight per
cent of the whole. Fourteen were afiict-
cd with serious naladies, Of whom FIVE
have died.
| Through the blessing of a kind Provi-
| dence attending the assiduous lsbors and
skillful practice of Surgeon J.. @. Denise,
thirty of the ninety-eight have been cured,
twelve of whom have been discharged at
their own request, to enable them to ac-
cept Of situations Of usefulness. A portion
Of the remaining eighteen are disabled by
wounds, and are proper subjects to enjoy
the privileges Of the Home; while a few
are prepared to earn their livelihood as
soon as employment can be procured for
them. If this class of men shall continue
to be received under any future organiza-
| ton thct may be effected. it will be a mat
ter Of serious consideration whether or not
some compensated labor system should be
adopted with full corps of able bodied
attendants, as being more economical,
more reliable, more effective and more
humane, than the volunteer system.
All United States officers who have had
any experience in conducting General
Hospitals have realized the unreliableness
Of aconvalescent" labor; the embarrass-
ment will be still greater where there is
such 8 large proportion of very sick and
permanently disabled. Of the whole
number admitted, seventy-one, or AZ per
| cent, have been disabled for life on ac-
count of wounds, and thirty-fve or 20
per cent, from other causes-making a
total Of one hundred and six, or 60 per
cent who are disabled for life. This num-
Der, added toTthose who are admitted for
treatment and the casualties that are con-
stantly occurring among the more able
leaves but q small number from which to
obtain competent and permanent attend
ants.
The following table shows the number
who have lost limbs: