The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-09-19
sTERNBERG's APOLOGY.
The Surgeon General Makes Answer to
Charges Against Him.

ua0A1IEUOAy SCPo0AAbSA 80 AfAS $500
geon generals office of the army today
gave out the following statement on the
Responsibility in the medical depart.
ment of the army"
Numerous letters from private indiVid-
uals and editorial articles have appeared
in the newspapers of the country since
the commencement of the war with Spain
which indicate that there is a widespread
Misrepresentation with reference to the re-
sponsibility of thessurgeon general of the
army.
His responsis ility is great, and to prop
erly perform the duties incumbent upon
him he must devote his entire time and
energies to the administration of affairs
pertaining to his office. But it is quite
impossible for him personally to admin
lister or even supervise the medical ad
ADMINISTRATION for armies in the field.
For this purpose there is a chief sur
geon for each military department, a
chief surgeon for each army corps, for
each division and for each brigade. These
chief surgeons are directly responsible tc
which they are serving.
The surgeon general has no direct au-
thority over them and it is the duty of the
commanding officers of tine regiment
brigades and corps to see to any abuses
existing in their several commands, and
t. bring to the attention of higher au-
thority any neglect of dnty or improper
conduct on the part of the medical officers
under their orders.
The regulations of the army and orders
from the war department give directions
| with reference to camp sanitation, the
care of the.siok, etc., and it is the duty
of commanding officers to see that these
regulations and orders are obeyed
10 hold the surgeon general of the
army responsible for the conduct of five
hundred or more regimental surgeons,
appointed by governors of States most of
them without any previous military
experience, is absurd.
The same is true as regards the six hun.
dred contract doctors who have been en-
ployed under the urgent need for medical
have boards for the examination for
these doctors; and it was necessary to
Judge of their fitness upon such endorse
ments as they were able to present.
If some of them have proved to be
incompetent or negligent OF Incorporate,
this was to have been expected among so
large number selected in this way, but
even if the corps, brigade or division sur.
geons, the regimental surgeons and the
contract doctors were we'll qualified In
every other respect large majority of
them were without previous experiences
with reference to the care of troops in
camp; they were unfamiliar with the
methods of obtaining supplies and they
could only become efficient medical off,
GERS after having gained experience and
methods.
In short the surgeon general of the
army is not personally responsible for the
neglect or incompetency of medical Off
GERS, whether regular or volunteer. What
then, are his responsibilities? AS chief
of the medical department. he recommends
the assignment of medical officers to duty
as chief surgeons of the army corps, and
of military departments, and these chief
surgeons are responsible for the proper
administration of medical affairs in the
commands to which they are attached.
The surgeons of divisions and brigades
upon the recommendation of the surgeon
ara n~do IN
manding generals of the army corps for