The age-herald., 1898-09-01
'BO7NTON'S REPORT
 ON CAMP THOMAS Total Death List Of One Hundred and Ninety-Eight Up to August 22. SEWERAGE IS EXCELLENT SternberS Hospital One Oi the Most Com
 plete Eyer Known. THERE HAS BEEN LACK OF NURSES At Times When the Sick List Was High-Diseases Are Mostly of a
 Typho-Malaria Character
 Filthy Canteens.
SEWERAGE IS EXCELLENT
THERE HAS BEEN LACK OF NURSES

Washington, August 31-Secretary Alger today received the report of Gen. H. V. Boynton upon the state of affairs in hos pitfalls at Camp Thomas. The general says that his instructions were to report the number of sick, character of illness, num- Der of tents, floor space per patient, the adequacy and suitability of attendants and whether the medical officers have dis charged their duties faithfully, and to make any recommendation in the interest of all concerned. Says General Boynton;
 Believing the death list of this camp to afford an excellent standard by. which to measure it's conditions as to health and hospital service full report was obtained of all deaths in the camp and in its hos- pitals since its establishment the middle of April last. The result shows total death list of 1sS up to the 22d Of this month, when the breaking up of this camp began. Began these dates, incIuu- ing regulars and volunteers, funy ioo'o troops have been in camp in the Chlcka- mauga park. record of bur.ais in the national cemetery at Chickamauga shows a total of 120 volunteers and two regular soldiers. Of the latter one of these was killed by falling from a railroad train
 The report takes up in detail, first, the two permanent uOSpitdiSS ASANSA oAAN Sternberg. The first is at Crawfish Springs, under Major Carter, and received the worst typhoid cases from the camp. Each patient has abundant room, woven wire and hair mattresses and abundant bed clothing Ventilation is rc ,.-e,. py,rnbfrg entlrrly rew and bathing facilities ample. The nfimber of attendants are on the way to take the places of those who are prokeh down.
 Major Carter has secured a herd of cows. He has sufficient money from the hospital fund to buy whatever is wanted ln the way of milk, ice and other deltcacies. There has been at this hospital full sup plies of ice, milk, commissary stores ana delicacies and the funds have enabled him to buy all that has been needed In the way of canned and potted goods, soups, clam juice, sage, matted milk eggs. koumyss, jellies, preserves, relishes, ginger, oil and claret The entire hospital is furnished with distilled water and the Ice used IS made from distilled water.
 Excellent Sewerage.
 The sewerage of the hospital is excellent and contrary to persistent representations, none of the sewerage has never drained in the Chickamauga river or approached 1t at any point.
 Major Carter has corps of doctors which he regards as amply sufficient to care for all the patients in the hospital
 Taking up the Sternberg hospital in charge of Major Griffin, General Boynton, shows that it is one of the most complete field hospitals ever seen.
 The report says:
 "The whole place Is most carefully po- Heed daily, and the whole establishment within and without it's permanent buildings and its tents is in most perfect order.
 'Since the establishment of this hospital everything in the way of supplies has been promptly furnished. Sixteen to twenty four barrels of distilled water are pur- chased daily and patients get nothing but distilled water to drink. Three hundred gallons of milk are purchased daily.
 "All money necessary for the purchase of delicacies of all kinds suitable to the sick has been furnished by order of General Sternberg.
 .The diseases are more of a typho-ma- lara character than typhoid fever strictly, the death rate being very low only about per cent. of the worst cases
 The First division hospital, in charge of Major Drake, is fioored with planed lumber and 1t is as clean as possible being scrubbed with carbolic acid and treated with bi-chloride of mercury every other day: All the patients are on cots and never have been on the ground for any length of time."
 The report says of this hospital:
 "There have been in this hospital at va rious times 161 patients from the Eighth New York volunteers. The reports show that in a great many cases it was difficult to tell that anything was the matter with them. Only 10 per cent. of the cases of sickness from this regiment were reported as in any way serious and when 1t was ru- mored that the regiment was to be sent home, several of these in the hospital asked not to be sent, but to be allowed to remain throughout their convalescence."
 Hospitals Were Crowded.
 The report states that in times when the hospital was crowded there was a lack of nurses, the deficiency being supplied by de- tails from the regiments, which were not as satisfactory as trained nurses.
 General Boynton shows that is full refrigerator capacity for this hospital, porcelaine lined baths, sterilized and iced water and every convenience. In the ma lignant typhoid ward there have been but two deaths out of thirty cases in three weeks. He says that both the medical off, ficers and the hospital attendants at this hospital have undoubtedly performed their duty with energy and efficiency. Many of them have continued to work after they have been pronounced sick by their assist ants
 The next hospital inspected was the Third division hospital, First corps, in charge of Maj. Thomas Clark. Here the the earlier days there were not enough surgeons or attendants. The grounds were in excellent condition, the tents clean, most of the tents fioored, and all fioored between the cots and the aisles.
 For time the hospital was week be-