New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-03-20
CARING FOR THE WOUNDED.
,,onrrN HOSPITAL SERVICE ON THE
RATTLE FIELD.
,rr,xGEnENTS THAT MIGHT HAVE SAVED MANY
LIVES IN THE CIVIL WAR -OFFiCERs AND
rRIvN1.:s TAUGHT FIRST AID
TO TIE INJURED
TO THE INJURED.

he
-....,,,s,,s cor the comfort and treatment Of its
.o,,ded soldiers and the medical department
', ,,o Army has made sc many improvements
. no, direction in the course Of the last ten or
s,,ecr wears tina, some Of the surgeons who
o. soryi., in the Civil War would find new
toto . affairs II they were called into the ser
-. ~. present time During the Civil War
-. MEDICAL corps WAS much smaller than it is
" ,..ssu, and aside from the regular rcdi-
al officers and hospital stewards. there were
Tow men To- the regiments who could De utilized
o. sold hospital work in time Of need.
.hout ten years ago the hospital corps was
,-garjzed in the United States Army. and the
svs,ern has been followed ty nearly all the
National Guard 0rgauizati ms. with the result
,,,,a great hospital corps. working under iden-
.,al rules and regulations. exists in the regular
s,d citizen armies. and IS 50 we'll equipped ana
trained that the battlefield risks have been re-
snced In the United states Army there are
NOW 70 every company Of sixty men loui
Who are detailed as litter-hearcrs When IN"
,onDanies are larger there are more litter
hearers. and full company OF 100 men would
to entitled 20 eight men. Ia addition TO these
,sere are stewards and acting stewards ana PHI
ro,es who are detailed for hospital corps ser
vice and these men receive regular instructions
IN ar,, AID 10 the injured
r.. r..,,lations prescribe that there shall be
me hospital ste" ard al every post anu TWO
hospital stewards If the garrison has SIX COM
NAMES ana one for every addiuonai SIN COM
NAMES At every pest f two companies therc
is an additional acting steward and three pri-
Yates are detailed for hospital corps duty al
every post and this number Is increased Wheh
the post consists Of more than two companies
The stewards and acting stewards are men
who have some knowledge Of pharmacy; many
o. th,n have been licensed to practise as drug
gis,s ana IN, privates who are selected TO act
with them are always chosen because Oh ther
general Intelligence. and even in time Of peace
,hesr men. ~ constant practice. attain hish
degree Of proficiency in first aid TO the injured
FIRST AID TO THE INJURED.
"But ne Government has gone still further IN
the matter" said Colonel Burns, the officer IN
charge 4 the medical department at Governor
Island and has PACED the way for a more en-
tended and complete medical field service Inc
War Department recently issued an order Ill
r4c;in- that all first and second lieutenants shah
receive instruction in first aid TO the injured
fro,. he regular medical officers and that the
ioutenants IN turn. shah devote certain num-
b,r # hours every month TO instrucing the non
10 The injured BY this means every man be-
rores an assistant to the surgeons. and
source # comfort 20 his wounded comradc."
Surgeons VINO took their first degree III the
Civil War say hat thousands Of men might
nave been saved in the course If that conflict if
lie lresen, system had been in vogue.
1T was not only the private" said al Army
surgeon ~ no failed TO receive proper attention
because Of inadequate preparations and INSULT
Gent help General officers shared th- same
;aie and lied on the battle-feids from wounds
which under the present ARRANGEMENTS would
not be- necessarily fatal notable example
vas General Albert sidney Johnston. Of the
Confederate Army. who was shot in the thigh
e, tho battle of Pttshurg Landing. His sur
eeon .as about 90 attend to him when ne heard
that another officer Of whom he thought much.
had b~eu wounded He asked the surgeon To
minister 20 the other officer. ard before the
medical man returned to the place where John
si0n was resting surrounded by his staff Off
GERS IN, General had blcd 10 death There were
similar cases on every battlefield and we should
see the same distressing scenes in case We had
another war II the medical service had not been
improved
L. h National Guard commanding officers
NAY cause % be enlisted N their hospital corps
or transferred 70 II from companies men sulta-
BE fJr such service 10 the number Of twelve
for regiment eight for a battalion or squad
ron and two FOR each signal corps. company
Of infantry " battery.
These men form a separate and distinct com
mand. They wear a badge on the sleeve above
The -lboN - each arm. which is described as
lo2 rse - white cloth. containing in the centre
Geneva cross u RI cloth The hospital corps
Of M state. according 20 The report made by
General % Tory consists IF Us trained and
fully instructed men.
SERVICE N THE FIELD