The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-11-21

msnfea upon By oa.y ~ few Of cur MEDICAL
Officers. These cite the prevalence Of
drunkenness and Of vensrssai disease. due
10 the facilities ard Temptations afforded
By the proximity Of cities 70 tire larger
caYnps They hold that & the systems o.
the men had not been weakened b. dizs!-
patton they would not have sGccuFnbe1 90
readily 20 the other Influences walsh at
fected them,
Typhoid the Dominant Factor.
II was typhc.d fever which broke dawn
the outbreak becoming distinctly manifest
the strength Of tie commands generally.
IN July.
Sporadic eases appeared n most Of the
cases having heen brought in msny In
stances from the state companies. IN fact.
some regiments. a. the Fifteenth Alnae-
sota. suffered more from this disease az
Their state rendezvous tSan any nf the
regiments in the large FEDERAL ear5ps- IL
appears from a general review y tas SAM
fary reports already hted That tse prevail
the urssaDsiary camp eosIditADns when
have referred 10. The probability of It's
through the agency o. fiieB was pointed
Out reason for Insisting on q sanitary
police OF the stFicEsst character.
II is welt known 20 the medical prafos-
sion that this fever II pfopaaateG by a
conram.nafea water supply. ard IL II now
recognized that tae great prevalence 81
this disease IN any aggravated form in the
camps Of llae civil war was Gse 70 the use
OF surface water. when a pure spring sup
ply could not be obtained and 10 enable a
sufncient filtration of such waters 70 be
made, field hiters OF approved construction
were Issued on my recommendation by
the quarfermasfer's department.
Care Of Sick and Wounded.
The very saek were 10 rs treate1 IN their
division hospital, unless their transfer II
general hospital Was advisable under the
care OF the mort experienced uaysicia
and Able surgeons on dnty with each diEis-
Ion. Medical officers left Oh duty with
fS4AIw
supervision over TIE well men and - de-
ternlne what sick should b. gent 10 the
general hospital. The consolidation II the
medical force by divisions. imply ng as IL
did the breaking up u the Tegimental
hospitals, met with sEroag opposition
from regsmentaI medical Officers, particu-
larS from th5se vino were not detailed for
special sefvee AZ the division hospitals.
The Fifth Army Corps.
Long before thls corps embarked for
Cuba its field hospitals BeTe in condition
for efficient service. subsequently, events
have rendered yaiuaess these preparations
Of the medical department Wien the COM
uana embarked on ihe transport vessels
the baggage wagons and mules were left
behind. The ambulance trains of all the
divisions with large paTt Of each of tle
outfit Of each Of the hcsu.talg were also
left behind. Three ambulance wagons were
taken apart and stored one of the ves-
SETS Thess did excellent service at S IN
Juan and FL Caney. Ten Of the ambulance
Is " the Third or reserve division hospital
were subsequently shiIis3 20 tUhA. NaSfc
they arrived July ?. and were Of no value ia
moving the Sick and wounded 10 the hos
pitai at Sisoney and TO the hospital ships
and transports OF the property and sup-
pies carried 10 Cuba a poftln was not
available 70: service at the time IL
needed to-wit, on July |. ard 3 when
the wounded from FL caney and San Juan
wcre coming from 1tne front for and
treatment This WAS because in general.
DO opportunity was afforded TO land the
medical property Earnest efforts were
IA cal 4fff - fanx .ftfa
at the front with the troops. Dur ng and
after the battles AT I'll Cauey and San Juan
thefe MAS an insnfficienoy OF tents. co $
and bedding, dne 10 the causes stated
After the equalization of Santiago the
troops at the from. broke down rapidly
under. the fatiRnes they had undergone
ard the malariai influences 10 which they
were exposed. but by this time ample
supply or tents furniture bedding. cloth
ing and medical stores had reached Sill
oney. together with corps of trained
nurses and force OF surgeons. WHO were
sent TO duty at the yellow fever hospital.
being immune 10 the disease Meanwhile
TO relieve the pressure In the field hospitals.
rueh convaiescents and sick as could bear
the journey were sent 30 the United States
on transport vessels. This was an emery
eney measure TO relieve the hospitals at
eiboney and permit Of the transfer 10 them
OF the men who were SICK In fegim ntai
camps. The transfer Of troops from SAN
fia<o 10 Montauk Point WAS also an ernerg-
ency measure and the great responsibility
OF excluding yellow fever Infection from
every uHitelDft rfHtei on the medical
neers who had charge % the emba rka ton
Had they failed in this duty the n c.
would have been DISASTROUS during the voy-
nse to the men on ahiphnard and the risk
OF importing the disease insn this country
Would have been greatly increased
II Is needless 10 refer at this time lie the
complaints of starvation which appeared
almost daily in the newspapers during the
occupation Of Camp Wikon for 4 is now
generally understood that tho weakness
rrcstrajon and smaciatIpa OF So many OF
the trprttS Msrs the xiIlf4 ~ ftgala nj ~
phoii and yellow fever from which the
army suffered as a consequence of It's ex-
posture 10 the climatic Influences ana 20 IN
fectlons Of Santiago and ia neirhnarhoo5
pending and subsequent 70 She surrender of
the city.
Troops I'm the Home Camps
The meshod Of hospital organization In
these camps was practically tha same. and
there was much similarity IN tn, consIi-
iiars affecting thsm ana correspond nslv IN
their history. Regiments reported ia balf
rev instances with the material and sup
pEes Tor their med Csi care but thry
brought sick men with them n,i,i these re-
CURED immediate care Provision had 10
ne made Tor division hospitals In view OF
me immediate Necessity.
Chief surgeons officers aaa dfvssfnrs he-
Gan the organisation and equipment Of TIE, r
neiI aiV,sian hospitals ana ambulance coni-
phniss, but they were met at the outside
py the apparent smppssitfiitF OF Se,.ltrsnc-
men Tor service As cooks. usfSScz ft.er-
bearers. ambulance drivers. teamstcss exc.
campaigning condition that IL TIA, tents
Were neither framed nor navrsa ana! Inc
!npTesset prevalence % typhoid fever a.
tfactod attention 10 taeir crowded ,sfa,it-
ton when the ohSee{ &c shClr existence fe-
came suddenly Chaosei frorn a school fol.
ifrid serve g. hosfital for tan trcstm n.
q local outbreak cf .iiss.sss sse.>ssl a.,
KITCHENS. under ths manage iaent af cana
BITE individuals. were rps nef at MOST ~ the
nosnltals money TT thls purpose Was sent
10 them 10y me froan f4ti1,is soutrih,s.q-{ a',S
placed az nay disposal Money was alsn
s+ht directly fy individuals and rc,sreSes,,..
tiNts of all societies aaG me Hes t>vns~
committees supplied quantities ~ l,e ~, !,
cn'Skens eggs, lemons. efr. utShs gh5rfs
aud Other articles ~ hospt5a! c,ash:nw Sgh.
seouentiy the order aut0orlz .ne the 2 EY,uti,-
tatfua 81 sick soldiers rat3ars a. 81 ..pts
f"natred these hospitals independent - out
sssis assistance
About dHsy p the troops TOR she iryaxi. p,
oZo>o>D> . q Q O Q q