The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1896-05-14

| ii, and were obliged to carry off those
wounded in battle. On this account
! they had on the left side of the saddle
| two stirrups, in order that they might
more easily take up the wounded be-
| hind them, and for every soldier thus
saved they received a certain reward.
| They were required also to carry with
them bottle containing water, for the
| purpose of reViving those who might
| have tainted through loss of blood,
| The works of Paracelsus, Thurneyser,
and other ancient writer's upon surgery
show incidentally that they were pres
ent at battles and sieges, but certainly
only as combatants and not as appoint
| ed surgeons. The field surgeons who
accompanied armies in the beginning
of the fifteenth century We're rather for
the use of the commanders and princi-
pal officers than for the service of the
troops at large. Their numbers were
too small, and as they were authorized
| by their commissions to receive booty
and prisoners, and, like the knights,
were obliged to bring with them arch
| ers they were doubtless primarily COM
batants.
The appointment of regimental sur
geons in the English army was, 1t is
probable, coeval with their corps; but
at what precise period it became custo-
mary to provide places for the recep-
ton of the sick or wounded is uncer-
tain. The first authentic information
on the subject is to be found in the VIII
tings of Drs. Monro and Brocklesby,
both of whom flourished about the
middle of the last century. The for
mer, who seems to have examined the
! ancient writer's with great care for in
formation on the subject of military
hospitals and the accommodation of
the wounded, observes that no ancient
author that he had met with makes
mention of military hospitals.
From the writings of Livy, Tacitus
and others, it appears that it was the
custom in ancient times to intrust the
wounded after great battles to the hos
pitality of the neighboring gentry,
which was often exercised to very in
furious effect. DR.. Monro, however,
though he makes no reference to the
first establishment of regimental sur
gerry in the English army, speaks of
military hospitals as well known in his
time. I'm times of war" says he,
when the regiment is ordered on actu-
al service, the surgeon and his mate
always go with it, and their duty is to
take care of the sick and hurt in their
own regimental hospital" DR.. Brock
lesby, writing at about the same peri
cd, gives a lamentable picture of the
treatment of sick and wounded SOL
diers, and concludes by observing that
ito the important subject of military
hospitals, neither Montecuculli, Folard,
Fequieres, the great Condo, Marshal
4 SAKE. General Bland, nor any other
writer with whom he was acquainted,
had paid much attention, for officers in
this respect conceived that they had
little more to do than to consign the
sick to the best of those accommoda-
tons which chance, necessity or a base
! parsimony had assigned to them.
The establishment of properly organ
lied surgical attendance for the army
in the field in Germany appears to have
been prior to the middle of the six
teenth century, for Frosberger. who
wrote about that period, refers to this
as then existing. According to his
| statement Inere Sn0utQ De with the
commander n-chief field surgeon-in-
chief, q Doctor who had the inspection
of the department and "the BARRIERS
and their servants, whose duty it was
to drag the wounded from the heaps Of
slain and to convey them to their mas
ters" He also remarks that there
ought to be with the artillery general
field surgeon, and a surgeon to each
company. who should be mot a paltry
beard scraper (bartscherer), but a reg
ularly instructed, experienced and
-practised man" The curious al
lance between shaving and surgery
which always obtained during the mid
die ages appears to have been fostered
and even insisted upon by some gov
ernments, even up to the beginning of
the present century So late as 1901
| certain Englishmen who had entered
the Swedish navy as assistant surgeons
were dismissed the service for refusing
to shave the crews of their respective
ships.--London Standard.