The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1889-05-11
War Experiences.
Non Feigned Diseases.

Among the incidental advantages OF ar
my experiences was the educational Obl'
GERS and men were developed In practicali-
Ties as never before. While great care
NAV have been bestowed on the liberal
education" of many of the young, much of
1t often proves useless In its application to
practical life-the business of getting a
living,"-often sneeringly said boy goes
TO school and prepares for college, where
he spends four to six years, and much mon
ey, and comes out an educated fool, so far
as his studies have prepared him for max
ing his way into the world, independently.
q" In the war;" these made our most ger
viceable men In all particulars, and were
universally advanced, rounded up their
education. On the other hand, many Of
the enlisted men entered without even the
rudments of common school education,
who, by the assistance of comrades, not
only acquired, but became credltably ad-
vanced in them, and to detailed positions
of trust; and benefit TO themselves, men
who, In the beginning, unable to write their
names, learned TO write letters, highly
Creditably, and to enjoy many special ben
edts resulting from their improvement. II
was easier and pleasanter to have detail
to some Office work than remain In the
ranks and no less important to the service,
The medical officers, who desired Inn
provement, found much scope for 1t In this
new, unique advanced school. AS appears
all along my past recitals, they had very
much to learn In the application Of pro
fessional requirements to the eXigenCes
of army service. They learned very much
az 10 new forms of disease, developing
from new and extraordinary modes and
circumstances Of living, and special forms
OF morbid action ensuing, and of the effects
of certain mental conditions upon the of
fciency Of the men. The passions figured
importantly. The medical officer who did
not make this subject a specially came
short OF his duty. IIOmeslckness was
large factor Ia some anomalous ailments.
so was Love. We could not ignore them
In making up our judgments, any more
than we could the selfevident symptoms
OF disease The Passions are ms important
elements In the progress of human affairs
as are the reasoning faculties; In that they
are the very springs of action, We are
t0Fc9d TO consider them
Medical officers are required constantly
10 be alert to detect new forms OF diseased
action. "Old routinism"--" following
the books, In practice"-beyond having
constant regard for fixed principles, was a
bruised reed" That hoary-headed meth
cd would rapidly reduce the forces. The
duties of some medical officers seemed
exceeding simple and easily discharged,
recall one example. think it was After
Atlanta. Passing early one morning near
where a surgeon was holding sick call, !
paused few moments to observe his treat
ments. On one side of him stood some
bottles and cup. On the other recepta
Gle containing large heap of powders The
sick filed by him In line. Each one pre-.
sented his wrist, which the surgeon held a
moment, then rapid flip of his tongue, a
few brief words interchanged then pow
der on his tongue and drink Of whisky;
then an instalment Of powders (quininel,
to which was now and then added, as va,
riety, few pills, and" NextH thought
the duties of that surgeon, In some respects,
quite onerous!
The false and the true go together The
compensations are ever side by side. II Is
one Of the arts of human progress to dis
tinguish, to discriminate, between fact and
Its semblance, In all things If the Feign-
ers did sometimes mastery deceive us, II
was not without benefit TO all. We were
melted by TO renewed vigilance and effort
at discrimination, and TO discover the mi.
nutest facts as 10 all cases, and 10 extra at
tention 10 detect all anomalies, which nu.
merously appeared
new and remarkable condition obtain
ed In the health rate of the men after a
year or two In the field; more distinctly
pronounced lin our corps In 1864. In form
er days. not only on long sea voyages,
which the introduction OF steam naviga-
zion has essentially shortened, but In ar.
mics, the effect of long continued confne,
ment TO small range of articles of diet,
largely composed Of salted foods,-the re-
suits were not only serious impairment of
health, In some form, but universally the
prevalence Of scurvy,-a disease not seldom
iata when the cause was long continued