The Topeka state journal., 1898-10-07
NOT ENOUGH DOCTORS.
Surgeon General Sternberg Makes a
Statement to the Investigation
Com m iSsjop


Statement to the Investigation
Commission.
Washington. Oct. 7-surgeon General
Sternberg has sent to the commission
investigating the conduct of the war
the following memorandum relating to
the medical department of the army:
The number of medical officers al
lowed by law is Inadequate in times of
peace. The total number allowed is
1872. There are at present thirteen va
cancieS. The administration of the sur
geOn generals Office and the army med
ical museum require six. Eleven are on
duty at medical supply depots and as
chief surgeons Of the military depart
mentS. One is at the Soldiers Home,
f1fty-six are at general hospitals, on
hospital ships and at garriSoned posts.
Four have been disa bled since the COM
mencement of the war by sickness. Five
are on duty as chief surgeons of army
corps This leaves ninety-seven medi-
cal officers available for duty with
troops in the field. OF these thirty-hVe
have been appointed brigade surgeons
of volunteers and are distributed among
the various army corps. Since the dec
laration of war the loss by death has
been two, and twenty-three are now
absent from duty on sick leave.
This deficiency in regular medical ofh-
GERS has made it necessary to employ
more than siXty-ftve contract surgeons
Most of these doctors from civil life are
doing good service and many OF tneIn
are thoroughly well equipped physicians
and surgeons with ample hospital eX-
perience; but it has been impossible TO
make a careful selection, owing to the
great pressure of business in the sur
geOn generals office, and the urgency
has been so great that it has not been
practicable to have examining boards
to pass upon their quaHhcatlons. l
have endeavored, so far as possible, to
obtain satisfactory professional endorse
a
applicant. The number of applications
has been so great and the personal V1s-
its of applicants and their Ir!ehos 50
numerous as to constitute serious en-
Ilarra assment in conducting the business
In addition to this there have been
appointed by the president elght corps
of surgeons with the rank or lieutenant
colonel tWenty-four division surgeons,
with the rank of major, ana elghty-sl4
brigade surgeons; also three neuIcas
officers for each of the regiments o.
Tinted States infantry, cavalry ana en-
erineers All volunteer regiments nave
three medical officers appointed py gov
ernors of states.
The very small proportion oL 49, 49,
rienced medical officers has seriously
embarrassed the efficiency OF the med1-
cal department but many OF the dlVlslon
and brigade surgeons from civil .llIe
have shown great aptitude Tor the ser
vice and have already become valuable
medical officers. The same IS true u u
MANY of the doctors employed under
contract. e..-- -
medical officers with the Fifth army
corps at Santiago, I would say tnat
this corps upon leaving Tampa hau Win
it 35 regular medical oTnceFsS, 10 cotll5
mission volunteer medical officers ana
20 contract doctors; total OF II, or
over four per thousand OF the strength
of the command, which was informed,
was about 5000. Additional medlcaI
assistance was sent by the hospital ship
Relief which arrived at Siboney July Z,
with 20 doctors on board Ihere was
also some volunteer assistance by Dr.
Lesser and the Red Cross soclety' 1T
Tudberer of the Swedish navy and sew
eraI surgeons of the navy from shlps IN
the vicinity.
1t has not been the expectation OF the
medical department that every wound
ed man would Immediately receive the
attention of a surgeon. NO modern
army makes provision for so large a
number of medical officers as TINS Woulu
REQUIRE. But attached to our army
there is a corps of non-comba atants
known as the hospital corps, WHICH is
the organized and authorized Red cross
of the army.
At the outbreak of the war we had 800
hospital corps men in service. At
present there are more than 5000 These
men wear a brazard upon the left arm,
hearing the red cross of the Geneva
convention We have done our best to
instruct them in giving first aid to the
wounded and in a majority of cases
a first aid dressing properly applied by
one of these men, is all that is required.
All of the surgeons who have come from
the front have testified to the remark
able results attained from the prompt
appIicatfOn of antiSeptIc dressings by
our hospital corpsmen and by the sold
iers themselves, or their comrades. The
proper application of the dressings
contained in the first aid packet which
is carried by every soldier, is under ex-
listing regulations matter in which ev-
erv enlisted man has special instruc-
tion. For some time past this instruc-
ton has been given first by our medi-
cal officers to the company officers and
by them to the enlisted men.