The National tribune., 1894-01-18
A DESERVING CLASS.
Championing the Cause OF the Contract
Surgeons.

ChampiOning the Cause OF the CONTRACT
Surgeons.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: I wonld Xix.
to call your attention TO an act OF Injustice to
ward a very deserving class of men in the army
during the war.
As is well known to all who were in the army
the medical officers of the Regular Army and
of the volunteer regiments were not 81 tficient in
number to give the necessary care to the sick
and wounded. scattered as they were from the
field hospitals at the front to the general hos.
pitfalls in the cities in the North.
To remedy this lack of medical officers ply.
scians from civil life were employed under
contract. They were known in the service as
contract Surgeons, or as Acting Assistant Sur
geons. They were generally assigned to duty
at hospitals in the rear. but many of them were
with the troops in the field.
When the war had Como on into the third
year, medical officers who had served two years
in any regiment and had for various reasons
left The service, were employed under contract
and assigned to duty in the field as Medical
Directors of Divisions on the stats of the divs-
ion commanders
The pay of these contract Surgeons was at
hospitals, 300 a month; when in the field
$ll3S3. This was considerably less than was
received by Assistant Surgeons Of regiments for
performing the same duties and suffering the
same hardships They were subject to the same
rules Obeyed the same orders, they had to fur
nish their own instruments, and were respon-
sible for property that came into their hands,
the same as commissioned officers, and they
had no hope or chance of promotion. If the
Medical Director under whom he was serving
thought his services could be dispensed with
without injury to the service, be could have
his contract annuiled at the end of three
months. If not. he was retained in service. If
at any time the Medical Director saw fl to do
he could terminate the contract, and the
officer had to submit. Thus the contract Sur
geon was subject to all the responsibilities and
laws governing the commissioned Surgeons,
without many of their rights.
In March and April. 1865, there were a large
number of these contract Surgeons on duty in
the field. whose three months had expired.
AT the same time the terms of enlistment of
very many commissioned officers were ending.
To keep them in service a law was passed by
Congress on the Sd OF March, 1867 that all
commissioned officers who remained in service
until the close OF the war; Or until their services
were no longer required, should receive three
months extra pay.
Applications from contract Surgeons for the
three months extra pay have been rejected by
the Second Auditor because "they were not
officers under the meaning of the law"
This, l think, is entirely wrong and very
unjust to those contract Surgeons who were
in the field during the last months Of the war,
the same hardships, privatiOns and
responsibilities as the commissioned officers
For number OF years they had no rights
under the pension laws. That has been cor
rected. and they now have the same standing
as commissioned Assistant Surgeons. Why are
they not nitled TO the same rights and bene-
fits under the law of March g. 1862 How
can it be corrected? Is the law interpreted by
the Secretary of the Treasury, by the Attorney
General, or wbof
Will the contract Surgeons who were in the
field during the last months of the war unite
in petition to the proper officer, or to Con-
gress, to have the ruling of the law changed.
or the law amended, so that they may receive
from it the same benefits as other officers who
performed the same service?
Hoping you will give this place In your
paper, and that it will cause some action to be
taken by those who are interested. am yours
ID. H., Tacoma WASH