Evening star., 1898-08-12
DR.. Donaldson Tells About the Hos
pitfalls at Siboney.
CHARGES OF TEE RED CROSS SOCIETY
Treatment of Patients in the Yel-
low Fever Camp.
WORK OF THE SHIP RELIEF

DR.. Frank Donaldson, acting assistant
surgeon, U. s. v, attached to the medical
staff of Colonel Roosevelts rough riders, is
In the city. DIR. Donaldson had yellow fever
while in Cuba, and saw a great deal of
hospital work there during his service.
There have been so many misleading
statements about the condition of things in
and around Siboney and Santiago" said
DR.. Donaldson to Star reporter today,
so much outrageous and false criticism of
General Sternberg and the medical depart
ment of the army. so much said by ignor-
ant and self seeking people that L feel
called upon to plainly tell the truth in re-
gard to some of these matters In making
these statements l have in mind especially
the Red Cross Society and reports that
have been set !af1oat by officials connected
with it,
AS an instance of gross misstatement we
Will take the positive assertion of Miss
Clara Barton upon her arrival in New York
week or ten days ago that the fever
from which the troops were suffering in
Cuba was not yellow fever. When Clara
Barton made that statement she must have
known that the diagnosis, in practically
every case, had been made on the authority
of no less distinguished experts than DR..
John Guiteras, Dr.. Parker, DR.. LaGarde,
DR.. Echeverria, an extremely well known
Cuban physician and an expert in the treat
ment Of this disease, and DIR. Gorgas. who
is equally well known in this connection.
1T seems Incredible that Miss Barton
was also unaware of the fact that her chief
surgeon, DR.. Lesser, his wife and three out
of four nurses, were sick with yellow fever
at Siboney, at the very time to which she
referred. l had the misfortune to be in
the hospital with this section of the Red
Cross.
Work of the Red Cross.
I'VE have heard a great deal in the news
papers of the magnificent work done by
the handful of Red Cross nurses in and
about Siboney, and always placed in a
juXtaposition by Miss Barton to the 'misera-
kle work done by the army surgeons. DR..
Lesser did perform a number of opera
tions, but the most distinguished surgeon
today attached to the volunteer service,
said, on examining the operations which he
performed some Spaniards, that ne SIN
cerely hoped DR.. Lesser did not operate
on the American soldiers. The Red Cross
did have something they called hospital
at Siboney and, by way of emphasizing the
knowledge of yellow fever claimed by the
chief surgeon and his assistants, they
placed this hospital, as ] had occasion to
say in the Philadelphia Medical Journal in
a beautiful vine-clad Cuban home. l asked
the chief surgeon why he established nos
pital in any house at Siboney, Tor IL must
have been plain to the yerieSt tyro that tha
place, as well as lDe HOUSES, was d iSH.
of yellow fever infection. He replied that
he was told that the house was not in
fected The best answer to that was that
he and four cut of the Ave of his noble and
unselfish band spent ten days in the yellow
fever hospital.
THE Red Cross unquestionably did eX-
celient work in distributing food to the
soldiers sick and well, and l have person
ally to thank Miss Barton for liberal sup
plies given me when seriously needed for
our regiment. Had they but limited them
selves to the distribution of food all might
have been well. Their attacks on the sur
geon general and medical department are
as undeserved many of them are unture
so much for this disagreeabie part of
the subject.
S~mntomS Yellow Fever.