Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1898-11-21

MT O. each or the hospitals, were also
left behind. Three ambulance wagons
were taken apart and stored on one of
the vessels. These did excellent SER
vice at San Juan and FL Caney. Ten
Of the ambulances of the Third or re-
serve divisional hospital were subse-
quently shipped to Cuba, where they
arrived July Z, and were Of value in
moving the sick and wounded to the
hospital at Slboney and to the hospital
ships and transports.
"Of the property and supplies carried
to Cuba portion was not available for
service at the time it was most needed,
to w.t., ON July /, 2 and 8, 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 battles at
FL Caney and San Juan there was an
insufficiency Of tents, COTS bedding and
medicines due TO the causes stated, but
all the hospitals were well equipped for
surgical work.
after the capitalization of Santiago
the troops as the front broke down rap
idly under the fatigue they had under
gone and the malarial influences to
which they were exposed, but by this
lime an ample supply of tents, furni-
ture, bedding, clothing and medical
stores had reached Siboney, together
with corps of trained nurses and
force of surgeons, those sent to duty at
the yellow feyey hospital beng immune
TO that disease. Meanwhile, to relieve
the pressure on the field hospitals, such
conValescents and sick as could bear the
journey home we're sent to the United
States ON transport vessels.
"Tha transfer of troops from San
tiago to Montauk Point, n. Y, was
also an emergency measure, and the
great responsibility of excluding yell
low fever infection from every trans
port rested on the medical officers who
had charge of the embarkation. Had
they failed in this duty the effect would
have been disastrous during the voyage
to the men confined on shipboard and
the risk of importing the disease into
this country would have been greatly
increased.
~ - needless TO refer at this time to
UlAC OOll plAiAG5 VI obetL AOAOI h1ASAi
peared almost daily in the newspapers
during the occupation of Camp Wikoff,
for it is now generally understood that
the weakness, prostratlon, anaemia and
emac1ation OF SO many of the troops
were the results of malarial, typhoid
and yellow fever, from which the army
suffered as IL consequence of its expos
ure to the climatic influences and local
infections of Santiago and its neighbor-
hood pending and subsequent to the
surrender OF the city"
From May to September out of
strength OF 167, l6S men, there were
Lilo deaths from sickness-640 OF
typhoid fever, 81 of malarlal fever and
1913 from diarrhUa and dysentery. he
further said at this point IN part:
1.-The death rates for May and June,
46 and 10, were not in excess of those
of the army III the time OF peace. In
July the rate became somewhat higher
than that of most well cared for cities,
215 for the month, OF the equivalent OF
an annual rate OF $3.50 per 1000 living
In August it became excessive LOS for
the month, equal to an annual rate Of
1896 per 1000. In September the in
f1uence of the energetic measure taken,
in July and August, to improve the
health of the army becomes manifest
in the falling of the death rate to 2.45,
or the equivalent of an annual rate OF
1910. The same progression to an
acme in August with a sudden fall III
September is seen.
"This is exceedingly gratifying and
must be credited, as stated, to the SAM
tary measures adopted, for our expert
ence in the Civil war demonstrates that
in the absence o { these measures the
high ratio of August would have been
continued for many months to come.
He praised very highly the work of
the Red Cross society, National Relief
commission. headquarters IN Philadel-
phia, and Massachusetts, Volunteer Aid
association, headquarters in Philadel-
phia.