The times., 1898-09-11

Bradbury, whom relieved because of his
illness, and TO allow him to leave the
pestilential place, had worked to great
disadvantage.
when ! took charge sick men were
in tents. without floors. some on cots
and some ON the ground. The sick null
tiplied. The medicines on hand were en-
tirely inadequate. There was no mortar
no pestle nor spatula, no graduates nor
powder papers, no boxes nor bottles
Druggists put powders up In pieces of old
wrapping paper.
This has somewhat improved. and in
spite of the greatest endeavor to obtain
supplies the only part of pharmaceuti-
cal outfit so far provided Is n mortar and
pestle. When the Government has failed
to honor acquisitions for drugs the Red
Cross Society has given those most seri-
ously needed.
1.-THE conditions / have just enumerated
were serious enough. but nothing In COM
parison with the lack OF ice. water and
proper nourishment. After my arrival no
drinking water was TO be had save tina.
piped from Chickamauga Creek, IL was
so filled with organic matter that the III
ters clogged. and nothing could be OBJ
tanned TO boil II in Even up to now no
facilities have been given us to boil
enough water even for drinking purposes.
'RealiZing that death was in Chicka-
mauga Creek water. before Major Brad
bury went home sick, the hauling of
water from Blue Springs was begun. But
We could not get barrels enough to haul IL
in. 1t took from August to August i3
to get requisition for 120 600 barrels hon
ored.
The Neglect of the Sick.
prsr x,alt faa
nurse, of the First Mississippi Regiment,
testified: Il volunteered to come over
here to nurse members of my company.
While in the typhoid fever ward l saw
helpless patients lying covered with flies
with no one TO help them. / remember
man from the Ninth New York, in ward
c. He was covered with insects. l had
four tents To look after. in which were
hfty-two patients.
Il have seen patients go from the eve
ming of one day until the noon of the
next without ice or medical attention.
The water used was drawn from a hy-
drant and was from Chickamauga Creek.
1t was warm"
Private NJ A. Hill testified: Il have
heard patients call for half hour for a
nurse and fail to receive a reply. / have
seen nurses asleep on duty, and have re-
peatedly heard sick men call for water
and ice, and no attention was paid to
their calls.
Several nurses testified that patients
were filthy because there We're not enough
nurses to keep them clean and no orders
were given to wash them, and there were
no means whereby they might be washe !.
They testify that the bodies of men were
fly blown and disgustingly dirty.
Major and Surgeon Hubbard. against
whom many charges were made. admitted
that the patients were neglected, but he
said il was because the requisitions FIR
medicines, nurses. tents, etc. were not
honored He said: 1T took from July
4 until July % to get some drugs thar
were urgently needed TO treat cases OF
pneumonia in the hospital" Think of Il
patient being eighteen days with pneu-
monia, in a hospital, and without med,-
cine!
Findings of the Beard.
In submitting it's report, with the ties l.
mony. to Gen. Breckenridge, the board
unanimously says:
THE testimony herewith covers the
ground relative to the care of the sick so
completely that we do not consider it
essential to comment extensively upon it.
There are however, some features re-
garding the management of the hospitals
that we think demand especial attention.
There was a great deal OF unnecessary
suffering and many deaths resulting from
lack of proper attention to the sick.
1T is our unanimous opinion that the
basic causes for this unnecessary suffer-
ing may be found in the principles gov
erning the management of a hospital of
this kind. 1t is not conceivable that men
taken from the ranks promiseuously and
with no previous preparation and put in
charge OF helpless sick men could do JUS
tice to them, and especially so when
forced TO do so against their wills.
1.-The next cause for i'll treatment of the
sick in this hospital came from lack of
supplies of every nature. We can find
no reasonable excuse for the lack of sup
plies, which could have been easily OBJ
tanned, and were not. by those response
BILE, and they should be held strictly re-
sponsible.
so far as the officers directly in charge
of the hospital are concerned, the evil
dence proves conclusively that in most in
stances they did the best they could un-
der the circumstances.
THAT there was 2 Generalization ol
the medical corps there Is no doubt. Thi:
caused a feeling of indifference, which
led to actual neglect. The officers il
! charge of the hospital convinced tn,
board that they had not failed to max,
]
but could not get them
1T is not possible for this board TO sa,
/ whether they did all that was possible t,
/ be done 10 get the supplies, but that the!
/ did not succeed is apparent.
1T certainly appears that those highe
| in authority-those who were in position
1 to insist upon the proper equipment 0
this hospital-shOuld have employed i'm
mediate measures, whether in keepini
/ +ta r;c will
TO have furnished the common comfort
! for every sick man sent to the hospital
| That they did not is apparent in the evi
| dence
| 1.-The location of the hospital was in
very unsanitary part of the park. 1t wa
! on the lowest part of slope of a hill an
in close proximity to the very loves
ground that could be found in the entir
park. All that has been stated by wit
nesses regarding the unsanitary condition
| of the hospital wards and sinks is tru
during the early history of the hospital
! but there was much Improvement of late
! although there was much TO be desires
| under the most favorable state of the in
stitution"
Chaplain's DooIey's Statements.
Father James A Dooiey, the chaplain
of the Ninth New York, who recently re
1 turned nome, makes the following state
ment:
Life in Camp Thomas was for tim,
grand experience for the boys. Blu
suddenly the conditions changed and th
camp became veritable hell upon earth
| Too strong terms cannot be used in de
scribing its horrors. Naturally / have
! formed my own opinion as to those VIII,
| are responsible, but at this time / cai
| only say that the entire departmental
! system is at fault.