The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-07-29
STERNBERG AND RED CROSS.
He Explains His Opposition to Women
Nurses at the Front.

He Explains His Opposition to Womer
Nurses at the Front.
Not Fit Place for Women, He Says, and
He will Continue to Oppose Their Being
Sent There.
IN. Y. SUM-
Or. George W. Sternberg, Surgeon Gen
eral of the United States Army. made @
flying trip from Washington yesterday
returning to Washington last night. Ar.
irving here on an early morning train, he
went to the Albemarle Hotel long enough
to register and get breakfast, then hurried
down to the Army building, where sort
Of medico- military conference was held.
There were present Health Officer Doty,
Lieut.. Col. j. Morris Brown, chief OF
the medical staff at the Army Building;
Major Rafferty, of Fort Hamilton, Major
Torney of the Relief, Major William II.
Arthur, who will command the new
hospital ship Missouri, and DIR. Hicks,
one of the surgeons of the Seneca.
1t was largely in reference to the Seneca
matter that the meeting was held. The
| charges made by Miss Janet Jennings,
the Red Cross nurse who made the trip
from Cuba on the transport. that the
ship was shamefully lacking in hospital
supplies and appliances, and that the
sufferings of the wounded were much
;r,n IF &c
at some length. After the conference
DR.. Sternberg told the reporters that
when the responsibility for the misman-
agement if mismanagement there was,
should be placed he would take action.
He implied, however, that the medical
was careful to bring out the fact that the
two young surgeons of the Seneca were
contract doctors and not regular army
surgeons.
lowing to the limited number Of army
surgeons" he said, 1--WE have had to en-
The two Seneca surgeons, Drs Hicks
and Baird, are young and inexperienced.
| Yet they were not SO mex perienced as to
sail without any medical stores, as has
been stated in the newspapers. That
story is absurd and absolutely false. DR..
Hicks has just made to me formal re-
port, in which he says that he had COM
pound cathartic pills. antiseptic bendages,
quinine, garze beef tea, matted milk,
and other necessary medical supplies 1t
| may be that they had not enough Of
these stores. So far their lack of ex-
perience may have betrayed them. 1t is
my purpose still further to investigate
the matter, and if I find that the two
young surgeons have shown lack of ordi-
nary good Judgment, as well as Of expert
| ence, 1 will secure their release from SER
| vice.
81 have some reason to think that they
failed, on leaving Santiago, to apply to
the right persons for supplies-that in
stead of going to the officer in charge of
the medical stores they applied merely to
steward.
"1here has been an outcry because any
sick and wounded were sent North on the
Seneca. which was never intended as
simply is that Gen. Shafter ordered it.
He expected hourly a resumption of the
assault upon the final defepoes of Santi-
ago, and anticipated that our losses would
be heavy. Hence he wanted the Relief
reserved for the use of the Soldiers who
would be wounded in the engagement to
follow. Accordingly he directed that
as were slightly wounded or sick, and
| who, in the opinion of the surgeons,
| could bear journey to the north on an
ordinary ship, should be transferred to
| the Seneca and sent home. All the seri-
GUS cases were retained aboard the Relief.
and all VINO were sent to the Seneca were
at the time able to walk.
s'The Seneca was then detained two
| days in order to unload the commissary
stores which she bad brought. Meanwhile
| DR.. Torney, in charge of the Relief, had
| further orders to put on board the Seneca
all the cases of mild injury or sickness
that he possibly could, and he oheyed.
Still, all those transferred, except two,
could get about. AS said, If there was
any lack of proper provision for the siok
and wounded it was the fault Of the
young surgeons, whose duty it was to at
| tend to that. A sufficient supply of ice
perhaps it was Impossible to get, for the
reason that nearly all that had been
brought by the Relief had been sent to
| CD6 I6N6f llOSplUolS Ou ollOIc, WhSIO ~ Voo
desperately needed. Another fact to be
told is that the passengers on board the
Seneca on the way to this port had the
| best of everything, when the sick and
| wounded should have been preferred In
| every respect For that neither the two
| young surgeons nor the medical depart
ment can be blamed.
| According to the statements Eof miss
| Jennings and the Seneca's passengers
there was no I'hest of everything" as re-
CARDS food. The rations were coarse but
plentiful and the passengers got along
with them, but they were not suitable for
the sick and wounded. There had been
no denial of the statement that the pas
sengers, including the foreign military
attaches, gave up their staterooms to the
suffering soldiers.
| "What is your view of the Red Cross
work at the 'front.'" vas asked OF Gen.
| St ernberg.
1T have opposed it from the first and
oppose it now,' was the emphatic reply:
1.-The Red Cross was never wanted AT
| the front We 6CN't mead tho purS6S there.