The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-11-21
Others Disregarded Sanitary Precau-
tiOns by Dissipation in fhe cities
Near Which They Were Located.
CAMP SITES NOT UNHEALTHY
MANNER OF THEIR OCCUPATION
BRED AND SPREAD DISEASE.
Care of Sick and Wounded in Cubas
in Home Camps and in the General
HOspitaIs--VOIunteer Relief.

WASHINGTON. Nov. 2O.-Surgeon Gen-
eral George M. Sternberg has made his re-
port to Secretary Alger. 1t relates mainly
to the work of the medical corps during the
war. Following are the more important
features OF the report:
1.-THE number of medical officers. 1872, al
lowed by law to the army is inadequate in
time of peace. The insufficiency in time OF
war was met by the assignment ol over $50
contract surgeons The very small propor-
ton of medical officers having experience
of a military character impaired the efilci-
ency of the department at the outset, but
many of the staff surgeons from civil life
showed great aptitude for the service and
speedily became of value as administrative
and sanitary officers.
mo provision was made for hospital corps
men for the volunteer troops, except that
which empowered the secretary of war to
enlist as many privates of the hospital corps
as the service may require The number OF
men enlisted and transferred during the war
was approximately 5000. The want Of
sufficient body of trained hospital corps men
necessitated the detail of enlisted men from
the regiments for hospital duty in several
OF the camps anu the eIuplOyuleIll VI tshthS4
nurses at the general hospitals. Over LOO
female nurses have been employed, at first
at the general hospitals and later at the
| field division hospitals, when it became evil
dent that the field service purRnses.. for
which the latter had heen organized would
have given place to the imperative need OF
| caring for the many sick men coming from
the regimentai camps.
Immediately upon the declaration of war,
April "a, steps were taken to obtain medical
supplies for the new volunteer army. The
manufacture was expedited with the utmost
despatch. On May 8, foreseeing that It
would be impossible to have ready for issue
to the volunteer regiments as soon as they
were mustered in the necessary articles or
field equipment, telegraphed the Governors
of the several States for authority to use tha
medical equipment of the National Guard
in the service of the State until our army
medical supplies were ready for issue.
Most of the Governors who had field equip
ment responded promptly and satisfactorily,
but, unfortunately, many of the State med
ical departments had no such equipment.
Meanwhile the officers in charge OF the
medical supply depots were directed to makaV
arrangements so that supplies could De I'M
mediately obtained for 100000 men for six
from the adjutant generals Office that COM
mands were to be moved or camps formed
endeavored to anticipate the wants of the
troops by telegraphing to the officer IN
charge of the nearest supply depot to for-
ward supplies for the stated number OF men.
SOLDIERS TOO YOUNG.
"Tn my opinion, the reduction Of the age
limit from twenty-one to eighteen years and
the haste with which the volunteer regi-
ments were organized and mustered into the
service were responsible for much of the
sickness which was reported in the early
days of their camp life. All military ex-
periance shows that young men under twen-
ty-one years break down readily under
strain of war service, ana every regiment
had many of these youths in its pks.
Medical examiners were appointed tcN kes-
tify to the physical qualifications OF e1ea
man before acceptance, but, notwithstand-
ing this. so many men were afterwards
found on the sick lists of the camps, unnt
for service, from causes existing prior to
enlistment, that special arrangements had
to be made for their discharge. Soon after
the newly raised leves were aggregated In
large camps sickness began to increase pro-
gressively from causes that were so gem
eral in their operation that scarcely a reg
frnent escaped from their harmful influence.
These causes may largely be referred 70
ignorance on the part Of officers of the prin-
ciples of camp sanitation and of their duties
and responsibilities as regards the welfare
of the enlisted men in their commands.
1.-THE sites of certain of the camps have
been instanced in the newspapers as the
cause of the sickness which was developed
In them, but a review of the whole situation
shows that it was not the site, but the man-
ner of its occupation, which must be held
responsible for the general spread of dis
ease among the troops. April 20, 1898, fore
seeing the likelihood Of unsanitary condi-
tions in the camps, i issued circular No. !.
impressing on medical officers their respon-
sibility in sanitary matters, and the neces-
sity for a strict sanitary police, particu-
larly in the care OF the sinks and In the
preservation of the camp area from contain
nation But the density OF the military
population on the area Of these contracted
camps prevented the possibility Of good sam
itary conditions. Camps of this character
may be occupied for week or two at q
time without serious results, as in the case
of National Guardsmen out for ten days
field practice during the summer, but their
continued occupation will inevitably result
in the breaking down of the command by
diarrhoea. dysentery and typhoid fever
Practically nothing was done to make
the men comfortable or TO remedy the un-
sanitary conditions until these were brought
to the attention OF the secretary OF war by
inspectors sent out from the War Depart
ment. Then the camps held for so long were
abandoned, but not before the manifesta-
tions of typhoid infection were rife IN them.
New sites were carefully selected, regl-
mental camps were expanded company tent
age increased and board flooring provided