The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-11-05

space between the cots 30 narrow that
| witness had to walk sideways IN go
! ing through The nurses were detained
| men.
In an adjoining tent he heard groan-
ing, and, looking In. he saw man WITH
quantity of maggots on his BODY he
| reported this immediately to the at
| tendants, who said they aid not know II
had happened. They carried the man
! out, washed him on and took him pack.
The next day he died.
The witness detailed BoedeckeF
case, how he took cold from marching
through the rain and was taken sick
the day he reached Chickamauga. He
was al first refused Ambulance TO the
hospital, but finally the captain got
him in, He lay there twelve days on a
blanket on the ground, with one blan-
ket over him. 1hen he was sent to his
quarters for full duty, and next day at
inspection he stood in line three hours,
when he again broke down. He reached
home August 2 and died August S.
AT the afternoon session Major Crit
nth testified regarding the camp condi-
lions at Chtckamauga and the hospt-
tails. He had difficulty in getting enough
tents, and when he secured the proper
number he found the last ones were of
poor quality. From private and State
sources the regiments were supplied
with hospital tents. AS rule the men
detailed as nurses were unfit. Witness
asked Or. Hon for female nurses. This
relieved the situation. The staff of the
dlVlSlon hospital was inadequate when
the increase of sickness occurred. Sick
ness among the surgeons reduced the
working force. He said there would
nave been no difficulty in getting hun
oreds or competent surgeons at Chicka-
manga within week. He said he knew
many applications were refused. He
a I al he fail f1Y.a
Thomas hospitals to red tape" and
peace fer thirty years." which inca
pacltated the department. for expansion
for emergency.
If Congress had established a hos
pItal corps the trouble might have been
avoided. One great difficulty in get
ting supplies of drugs arose from pass
ing acquisitions from the division sur
geon TO the corps surgeon and the sur
geon-in- chief. This required a week |
He asked the corps commander on
j une 20 to have the typhoid patients
isolated. The epidemic could thus
have been avoided but no attention
was given the request. He regarded |
flies and water as the causes of the in
lection. The beer drinking and the
food assisted in develop |
ing typhoid germs The mortality |
from typhoid fever in this hospital was
sixty out of 1857 cases.
Captain Springer of the Seventeenth
Infantry was next examined. He CO.
operated with the surgeons at and af-
ter the battle and knew the wounded
were we'll cared for.
rather Valman, post chaplain was
examined. He served at Tampa, Camp
Thomas, Fort Sheridan and Fort
Thomas The witness heard no com
plant at Fort Thomas from either
friends or patients. At first at Fort
Thomas there was trouble for lack of
good nurses, but that was soon RENE
lied. In certain cases he regarded
nen better than women for nurses but
rs the work is now divided so that
men do the work proper for men and
women can do better than men, he
bought the perfection of nursing had
)een reached.
The witness devoted his time to look
ng after the patients. He wrote to
he friends of each patient giving them
as to his condition This
ourse was one of great satisfaction to
he patients as well as to their friends.
He repeated that the soldiers had
spoken in the highest terms of their
reatment at the hospital Being
-sked what complaints, If any, he had ;
heard from patients about their treat
nent at other places. he said that he
lad heard nothing whatever from SOL
liers of the regular army, but that
lumber of the volunteer soldiers had
old him of disagreeable experiences, |
which We're often answered by a sol
iier on the next cot by the question,
Did you think you were going to
1icnic?" He said none of these COM
1laints were of such a nature as to
.ause him to make any investigation.