The National tribune., 1895-11-28
PENSION MEDICAL HEREsY.
Tbu Horace d. Durnnt. Philadelphia, Pa

tbg Horace ID. Durdnt. Philadelphia, Pal
The act of 1890 purports to be made for the
relief of a certain class of soldiers who cannot
procure original or service pensions. owing to a
technical inability to prove that their disability
was contracted in resulted from military
duty. Such medco.legal ruling establishes a
very unhappy difference, to say the least of it,
betwixt men who served faithfully together
and who did the very same kind of duty. That
one portion of these in case of resulting dsa-
blity after the lapse of years succeed in getting
service pensions, whilst the other portion fail
to sustain their title TO such pensions under
similar diseased conditions from similar serv
ice, by reason of a mere technicalty amount
ing TO q medical heresy. we shall clearly show.
Who are the latter-named men? Such
question need scarcely be asked. The whole
people of 30 odd years ago knew them, and they
are known to-day. The very fact that most of
them have hesitated to apply for pensions until
their dire necessities drive them to do so at the
very last moment indicates their character.
They are mostly those men who promptly re-
sponded to the first call for troops. They are
nearly TO a man those who from first 10 last
defended the Nations life and aided i'm win
ming its second freedom. They are largely
made mp Of those men who made it principle
never to attend "sick cali" unless the Orderly
could catch them, which was seldom done.
Such men made very blank record on the
sick lists for obtaining pensions more than
generation of years afterward.
With the positive evidence on record that
those included in tho act of 1890 were not in
feriOr 10 other soldiers. why should they ex-
perieDce more difficulty ia prosecuting service
pension" claims than all others7 No such inn
possible terms requirements have hedged
round and barred out the pension applications
of the survivors of all other wars. The answer
that they cannot prove their disabilities to be
OF service origin, admits at once that they were
enlisted as diseased men, and that would in
volve the entire pension subject in DON'T.
What rational theory of disease and its causes
would at the present day teach that any SOL
dicr, after passing through such four years of
service ordeal as was experienced in the war of
the rebellion, could come out of il unscathed
either by wounds or disease-with special
reference here 10 the latter2
Every intelligent medical man knows that
to assert that any soldier in the line of duty
could do that, would be contrary to all physical
human or animal lawn fact, all mechanical
law. 1t would be. rs we have already declared,
downright medical heresy.
That we are not alone in the opinions above
expressed, and as tending TO prove that all
soldiers who were in the line of duty are
equally entitled to "service pensions" as d.
rectly traceable to military duty we are glad
to quote the following from the admirable re-
port OF Surg.-Gen. Oliver w. Weeks. Of Marion,
o., submitted by him at the late National
GAR Encampment. Louisville, KY: Tho
reports received from the Department" he
said, "show that of the mortality in our ranks
during the past year. CO per cent. was of serv-
ice origin from disease and wounds, while 10 is
not unreasonable to assume that life in other
cases reported has been shortened by the serU-
ice. The life of the Union soldier or sailor, il
is evident, has been shortened from q to IA
gears or more. by his service during the war
of the rebellion" We have taken the liberty
Of itaicising portions Of the above in order TO
call attention to the fact thai Notwithstanding
Surg.-Gen. Weeks states medical or physio-
logical lar as to the shortening of life by
Of military service, or, in fact, Of any exhaust
ing pursuit, yet there is one class of soldiers
who are debarred service PENSIONS" because
they are unable to prove "service origin"
Such a ruling seems very obscure at least not
to call it contradictory Of all cause and effect.