Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-10-08

zen. s,crnberE SENDS n Letter to the Com
mission.

Washington. Oct 5.-Gon. sicrnborg
has sent to the commission invOfu-
eating the conduct Of the war, the fol-
lowing memorandum relating to The
medical department
"Th, number OF medical officers al.
lowed by war Il inadequate In times 81
peace. The total number allowed Is
49, There are al prCacnt ihlrgctn va
cancieA The administration % the
surgeon. ONCE AMI The army
medical museum requires ak. Eleven
are on duty az medical supply depots
and us chief surgeons ~ military Dc
paftmunts. one IL at the soldiers
Home. nfty-Hlx arc at general hnspl-
tails on hoEptnl ships and nt Ehrti.
Honod posts -Four have bccn Disabled
since the commencement Of the war by
sickness. Five are on duty a. chief
surgeons OF army corps.
This leaves nincty-sovcn medical Of
ficcrA available for duty with troops In
the Held. or these. thlrty-fve have
been appointed brigade surgeons Of
volunteers and are distributed among
the various army corps
Since the declaration of war the loss
by death has been two. and twenty
three are now absent from duty on sick
leave. This deficiency IN regular med
teal officers has made u necessary TO
employ more that $50 contract sur
Eeons. Most OF these doctors from clvll
life are doing good service. and many
Of them are Thoroughly well equipped
physicians and surgeons, with ample
hoaplral experience. but Il has been linz
possible 10 make a careful selection.
owing To the great pressure cf buslnsal
10 the surgeon Elncrnla office. and
the urgency has b'gn - great that u
has not been practicable 10 have cx-
aiming boards TO PASS upon their
4 huMA tanHNl NnTUI -
far az possible. 10 ordrr satisfactory
professional Inducements before max
lng a contract whit an applicant. The
number ~ applications has been 10
great and the personal visits OF appll-
Giants and their frlcnda no numerous a.
to constitute serious embarrassment
In conducting tho business q my
once.
In addition to this. there have been
appointed by the President eight corps
surgeons, with the rank 81 lieutenant
colonel. twcnty-f1ur division surgeons.
with the rank % major. and clghty-slN
brigade surgeons also three medical
officers, for each Of the reEimcnu Of
United Slater infantry. cavalry and
engineers. All volunteer regiments
have three medical officers, appointed
by governors o. states,
'The very small proportion u cr-
pcrienced medical officers has ncriounly
cmbarnssed the efficiency ~ the mcdl-
cal department. but many OF the d.
vision and brigade surgeons from civil
life have shown great aptitude for the
service, and have already become val-
liable medical officers, The same II
true Of many Of the doctors employed
under contract
"RrferrinF to the allcRed deficiency
OF medical officers with the Fifth army
corps az Santiago, ! would say that
this s,1rps upon leaving Tampa had
with IL thlrty-siN regular medical Of
ncera. nfteen commissioned volunteer
medical officers and twenty contract
doetorH. a total of Hcventy-one. or over
four per thousand ~ the strength Of
the command. which. ! was Informed,
was about iG6e1o. Additional medical
assistance was sent hy the hospital
shin Relief. which arrived at Slb1ncy
luiy 5th, with twenty doctors on board
There was also some volunteer assist
nnce by Or. Lesser 1f the Red Cross
roeiety. pr. l.udbcrE Of the Swedish
navy, and several surgeons of the navy
from ships IN the vicinity.
III has not been the expectation of
tho medical department that every
wounded man would Immediately re-
oclyc the attention N surgeon. No
modern army makes provision for such
u large numhDf OF N'AlNhl nUlttfh az
this would require.
"But attached a. our army there 10
a corps of n0n.combainntE known as
| the hospital corps. which is the organ
ICED and authorised lied crosa Of the
army. Al the outbreak of the war We
mad 500 hospital corps men In service.
| Al present there are more than 5000.
These men wear hrasard upon the
| lon arm, bearing the Red Cross of tho
| Geneva convention. We have done our
| best 10 Instruct the men giving FIRST aid
! ~ The wounded, and In n majority Of
! eases "A INST aid dressing properly APP
piied by one OF these mon IN all that is
| reoulrod. An 90 the surgeons who have
come from the front have testified 20
tho remarkable results attained from
tho prompt application or dressing By
our hospital corps men, and by the sol
dlcrs thomsolyrs, or their comrades,
Tho proper application ~ the dressings
contained In tho nrtt aid pocket, which
Ia carried hy every soldier. IN, under
existing regulations, a matter IN which
every enlisted man has special lnstruo-
ZION. For some time past this lnstruo-
ton has been given iirnt by our medi-
eni officers 10 the camp officers, and
by them 10 the enlisted men,
DIR. wALKEH REPORTS.