The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-11-21
Typhoid Fever outbreals.

the strength of the commands general ly, the outbreak becoming distinctly manifest in July. Sporadic cases ap- peared in most of the regiments in May and June, these cases having been brought in many instances from the state camps. In fact some regiments, as the 18th Minnesota, suffered more from this disease at thefr state rendez vous than any of the regiments in the large camps.
 It is well known to the medical science that this typhoid is propagated by a contaminated water supply and it is now recognized that the great prevail ence of this disease in an aggravated form In the camps of the civil war was due to the use of surface and shallow waters infected by typhoid excreta. To prevent transmission by the water supply I recommend the use of boiled and filtered water when a pure spring supply could not be obtained and to enable an efficient filtratiRl of suspect ed waters to be made, field filters of approved construction were issued on my recommendation by the quartermas- ter's department. The seriously sick were to be treated in division field hos pitals under the care of the most eX- perienced physicians and ablc surgeons on duty with each division. Medical officers left on duty with their regi- ments were to exercise sanitary super vision over the well men and to deter
 mine whether a soldier representing himself sick should be sent to the hos
 pital or remain as trivial case under
 treatment in quarters. This consolida-
 tion of the medical force by divisions
 implying as it did the breaking up of the regimental hospitals met with a
 strong opposition from regimental off, cers, particularly from those who were
 nota detailed for special service at the
 division hospitals.
 shaft r's Army.
 The Fifth army corps.-Long before
 this corps embarked for Cuba it's hospi- tals were in condition for efficient ser vice. Subsequent events, however, rem
 dered valueless these preparations of
 the medical department. When the command embarked on the transport
 vessels the baggage wagons and mules
 were left behind. The ambulance trains of all the divisions with a large part of the outfit of each of the hospit-
 als were also left behind. Three ambu- lance wagons were taken apart and
 stored on one of the vessels. These did excellent service at San Juan and El Caney Ten of the ambulances of the third or reserve divisional hospital were shipped to Cuba where they arrived July and were of value in moving the sick and wounded to the hospital ships and transports. Of the property and
 supplies carried to Cuba a portion was not available for service at that time, to wit, on July 1, ? and B. when the
 wounded from Fl Caney and San Juan
 were coming from the front for care and treatment. This was because in
 general, no opportunity was afforded to land the medical property. Earnest ef-
 forts were made by medical officers to have supplies at the front with the troops. During and after the battle Of El Caney end San Juan there was an insuffioiency of tents, cots, bedding and
 medicines due to the causes stated, but all the hospitals were well equipped
 for surgical work.
 After >antingo's Capitulntion. After the equalization of Santiago the troops at the front broke down rapidly
 under the fatigues they had undergone
 and the malarial influences to which
 they were exposed, but by this time
 an ample supply of tents, furniture, 1 bedding, clothing and medical stores had reached Siboney together with q | corps of trained nurses and a force of
 surgeons, those sent to duty at the yell low fever hospital beinb immune to that l disease. Meanwhile to relieve the pres
 sure on the field hospitals such conva- | lescents and sick as could bear the | journey home were sent to the United States on transport vessels. This was an emergency measure to relieve the hospitals at Siboney and permit of the transportation of the men who were sick in regimental camps. The trans l fer of troops to Montauk Point was
 also an emergency measure.