The National tribune., 1884-05-29
Dying According to Rule.

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some reasons connected with the revenue,
and detained there several weeks. In the
meanwhile the yellow fever broke out
among the immigrants, and they began
dying of quite rapidly. Much sympathy
was excited, but the matter of the detention
was under consideration by the Supreme
Cour. 1t was not easy to see how any thing
could be done very speedily to release the
ship. "Prince John Van Buren,, the bril-
liant, witty son of the former President, took
the matter up, however, and approaching
one of the august Supreme Court Judges,
whom he met at some social gathering, said,
with that bland, courtly air for which he
was SO famous:
Il do wish, Mr. Justice that you could
give me some inkIing as to the action you
gentlemen propose to take in the matter of
that vessel"
Mr.. Van Buren," answered the justice,
with a frown that would have annihilated
anybody but Prince john" you must
know that your question is exceedingly I'M
professional, to say the least"
You mistake my motives, wholly, my
dear Justice" said the prince, blander than
ever; am merely little impatient to
know whether those poor devils up there
are dying of in a strictly constitutional
manner!"
The House Committee onsnval;d Pensions
has been having stern wrestle with the
problem as to whether man who was
wrecked bodily by exposure during his ser
vice was really disabled in exact accordance
with the plans and specifications laid down
/ by the scientists. The case is that of Hiram
G. Henderson, who, ii appears, was strong,
healthy man when he enlisted in September,
1862, this fact being supported by abundant
and conclusive testimony. Subsequently he
contracted ailments by which he was ply
sically disabled from weakness in heart,
lungs, left shoulder and side and right side;
left arm and shoulder shrunk."
His discharge was ordered, but owing to
the blunders or ignorance Of the surgeon the
-cause was stated to be chronic hepatitis !"
OF affection of the liver. He has been re-
fused pension because this record does not
accord with that of his present condition.
The Committee on Pensions say:
He has been twice examined by the authorized
medical boards who report him from fiye-eighfhs to
totally disabled. The difficulty in this case at the
Pension Office seems 70 be that he was discharged
for chronic disease Of the liver and claims pension
on account Of disease of the lungs and heart We
think it is clearly shown that he was rugged
hearty man when be enlisted; that he had an at
tack Of typhoid pneumonia, for which he was frs:
discharged from the service; that during the last
year OF his record service he sick all the time
and has been ever since disabled with both lung
and liver trouble.
Your committee are forced to The conclusion that
the claimant lost his health in the military service
Of the United States and fail TO see that it makes
aw material difference TO the unfortunate soldier
whether his disease is called "hepatitis or bron
! chial" affection, and therefore recommend til,
passage Of the bill.
According to the ideas which seem to pre-
vail in the Pension Bureau the men wht
fought and won the battles OF the Unio,
were sadly unprepared for their soldierly
: duties. They actually went into the army
supposing that what was most wanted 0
them was discipline, patriotism and courage
They let their minds become engrossed b,
such triyialities as charging lines of battles
storming batteries, and making flank move
ments when they should have been think
ing whether the maiarious air of the swamps
in which they frequently camped, was mos
likely to engender tertian or quotidian ague
or whether the twinges they felt were tn
premonitions of double lobular pneumoni
or recurrent sciatic rheumatism
If they had only bestowed the prope
e attention on these highly-important sui
/ jects-if they had only gone into the feel
: with fair amount of education in the al
: Of diagnosis, and made careful notation
from day TO day of their symptoms, with
thermometric record of the temperature
n the axilla and the appearance of the tongu
n and the condition of the bowels-they Nigh
d not have won so many victories, and th
: war might still be going on, but the fastid
d Gus gentlemen Of the Pension Bureau woul
n have set Of papers that would excite th
e interest, if not the admiration, of the world
a The army that the Pension Burea
i would set in the field would be only terribl
IN to the quinine bottle and the Epson sal
y keg 1t ought to be commanded by hosp
q, tai stewards, and have for ITS battie-hag IL
green sash Of the Medical Department.
Possibly, however, when the Commute
on Pensions shall have let in, through I'll
of riffs in the cloud of prejudice that hang
= over the Pension Office, little more of ii
Id sunlight Of common sense, il viii be held
ae more importance to know that an applicai
to was really broken down in the service of b