The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-11-04

WASHINGTON, Nov. 3.-Before the
Waf inquiry board today, DR.. A. Hart
stuff testified that the medical manage
ment of Camp Thomas, Chickamauga,
was anything but what it should have
been. Sink holes and contaminated
water supply were but incidents of
what there was to complain Of Dr.
Hartsuff said that he considered the
establishment of divisional hospitals
bad policy, as was done under the d.
rection Of Secretary of War Alger, add
lng that there was no chance for inn
pl oVenent, as what was done was by
order of Gen. Alger, whose instructions
were explicit, and could not be disobey-
ed.
The afternoon session was occupied
in hearing three witnesses, mostly on
the condition Of tie division hospitals
at Chickamauga.
The first witness was Mai E. f. Hell
burn, of the Second Kentucky, now
mustered out. Much of his testimony
was based upon evidence given at
CEickanauga before a board, of which
ne was a member. The death list of
his regiment, he stated was twenty
SIX, most Of whom died at home on
furlough. The sickness in Chickamau-
ga increased very rapidly. He knew
that there was a shortage of cots in
the hospital as well as of TENTS One
cause of all the trouble was the in
competency of men detailed for nurses
In many regiments the most worthless
men were detailed for that duty The
detail was made according to regula-
ton. The fault was not of the medical
department. but Of the system. There
was unnecessary suffering because Of
lack Of tents and OF cots, so that the
patients were exposed to the rain and
compelled to lie on the ground. This
was the fault Of the quartermaster'S
department. acquisitions were not fill
ed for from two to TEN days, and in
some instances, were not filled at all.
COSTLY BLUNDERS.
When asked if there We're many
deaths resulting from these neglects.
Maj. HeIburn said there was an order
from DR.. Hoff to Maj. Smith to send
fifty of the worst patients to Sternberg
hospital. OF these two died a short
time after the removal. It was claim
ed by DR.. Hoff that the order was to
send fifty patients, and not fifty of the
worst patients. The original order was
not produced. The only complaint
against the medical corps was in the
case of one Maj Hubbard, who re-
quired the sick to stand attention while
attending sick calls.
AS all lILSIdtlCS VI N6-S16CL Tie WITNESS
said evidence was offered before the
board mentioned that patients were al
lowed to remain filthy in their beds
and were actually fly blown. This neg
lect was chargeable to the nurses di-
rectly. The nurses were frequently
changed, and the officers in charge were
also frequently changed. Some We're
asked to resign and others broke down.
The witness saw many patients on cots
on the ground. The wards We're not all
floored until August.
Capt. Price was examined He testi-
fed that on one occasion when he went
to the hospital to see one of his men,
who was ill with measles, he was in
formed that the patient had been de-
tailed to carry water. The measles
wards were packed, the men being
wedged in like sardines. The same
was true Of the typhoid and malarial
wards. The witness in describing the
action of Maj. Hubbard, said that he
choked a patient and forcibly pressed
him down on the cot. He then caught
the mans hands and wrenched them
until the poor fellow shrieked with
pain. At this point the witness said to
Hubbard: 'T do not know your name
or your rank, but this brutality must
stop.
Hubbard did not stop, but said
something about showing patient how
to refuse taking medicine.