National Republican., 1883-11-16
MARINE nosp1rAL SERVICE.
Annual Report OF Surgeon General HAM
iIton-sick ana Wounded scamen Cared


iIton-sicIt ana Wounded scamcn Cared
for.
The annual report Of Surgeon General Ham
ilton, of the marine hospital service, shows
that 40,105 sick and disabled seamen wero
cared for, at an expense of $l3i,525. This
includes subsistence, medical supplies, in
strumonts and appliances salaries, Of officers
and employees, travelling expenses, &c.
The examination of pilots for color blind
moss no longer meets with opposition, but the
surgeon general is of tho opinion that tho
examination should extend to acuteness Of
vision and hearing as well. Ho ronews his
recommendations relative TO the physical
examination of all seamon preliminary to
shipment, and the establishment of sailors
snug harbor for seamen permanently injured
or disabled in line of duty.
In November, 1892 the ship Anna Camp,
of Bath, Me-, arrived in San Diego CAL, with
twelve cases of scurvy on board, but as there
were oxtenuating circumstances there was
no prosecution. The report shows that no
deaths from contagious diseases occurred on
passenger vessels On route for this country
few cases of smallpox appeared along tho
coast and on western rivers, but not so many
us in former years, owing to vaccination OF
crews by officers of the service.
United States marine hospitals at Boston,
Chicago, Detroit, Key West, Louisville, Mo-
bile, New York, Portland, Me-; San Francisco,
st. Louis, Vineyard Haven, aud Wilmington,
N. c., have been repaired ut n cost Of 1854
New hospitals are TO be erected, or are in pro-
gress of erection, at Memphis, Cairo, Balti-
more, New Orleans, and Cincinnati, and u
hospital building was purchased at Port
Townsend, Wash. At ports where no United
States marine hospital buildings have yet
been erected, special arrangements for tho
care of sick and disabled soamen are made
with the local hospitals of the towns.
DIR. Hamilton says that experience has
shown national quarantine system to be q
necessity. The precautions must vary at
different ports, but must be greatest Mt the
great commercial ports. He says that great
aid was rendered by the Louisiana state
board of health, and by the revenue cutter
service. Ship island quarantine he considers
a dangerous location, and says it has only
been used because there was not time to es-
tablish another station. He refers to the
opinions of prominent mon in tho profession
favoring a national maritime quarantine.
He docs not favor government interference
with municipal sanitation, but say that If the
epidemic fund" is continued, inexpensive
yellow fever hospitals should be established
at the principal gulf points. He summarizes
his plan for preventing yellow fever epidem-
les In six words municipal cleanliness, iso-
lation, hospitals, national quarantine"
The following estimates are submitted by
Surgeon General Hamilton for the proper
buildings and running expenses Of the pro-
posed United States quarantine stations:
Gulf neutrality-suspicious. of site and
erection of hospital, $4,000; warehouse,
$4,000; wharf, $4,000. South Atlantic quar-
antine-Sepelo station blackboard Island),
S25000. Cape Charles quarantine--Site,
building and wharf, $4,000. Running ex-
penses--Ship Island, $4,000; South Atlantic,
$4,000; Cape Charles $4,000. Total, S32, 900.
DIR. Hamilton gives an account of his visit
to Pensacola and of tho precautions taken
there against the spread of the fever.