The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-11-21
IHB SURGEON GENERAL
Presents His Report to the Secro-
l.A,.A tary Of War. 4,,sse.,;a.a,s ,sl;
ZOO MANY BOYS WERE ENLISTED.
lhe Surgeon General Declares That
the Reduc tion of the Age Limit From
ITwenty-oue to Eighteen Years Was
the Cause of Much Sickness.

the Reduction of the Age Limit From
.Twenty.one to Eighteen Years Was
the Cause of Much sickness.
Washington. Nov. 2.--surgeon Gem
pral George NJ. Sternberg has made his
report to the secretary of war. 1t re-
lates mainly to the work Of the medical
corps during the war; The following
are the more important features Of The
report:
The number of medical officers. 1872.
allowed by law to the army is made
quate in time of peace. The insufti-
cheney in the time Of war mas met by
the assignment Of over $50 contract
surgeons. The very small proportion
Of medical officers having experience Of
a military character impaired the
efficiency of the department at the out.
set. but manv Of the staff surgeons
from civil life showed great aptitude
for the service and speedily became of
value as administrative and sanitary
officers.
No provision was made for hospital
sept that which empowered the sccrc-
barry Of war to enlist as many privates
pf 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 train
ed hospital corps men necessltated the
Detail OF enlisted men from the. regi-
ments for hospital duty In several of
. lhe camps and the employment of
trained nurses'at the general hospitals.
Over 1900 female nurses have been en-
DlOyed. at first at the general hospitals
bnd later at the field division hospitals.
Immediately upon the declaration of
war. April 81. steps were taken to OBJ
balm medical supplies for the new vol
Nnteer army. The manufacture was
Expedited with the utmost dispatch. On
Nay 8, foreseeing that 1t would be i'm
possible to have ready for issue to the
Volunteer regiments as soon as they
we're mustered In the necessary articles
bf field equipment telegraphed the
governors of the several states for au-
thority to use the medical equipment
Df the National Guard in the service
pf the state until our army medical
supplies we're ready for issue Most
Of the governors who had field equip
ment responded promptly and satisfac-
torily. but unfortunately many of the
state medical departments had no such
equipment.
In my opinion the reduction of the
lge limit from q to IS 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 report
I'd in the early days of their camp
life. All military experience shows
that young men under q years break
Gown readily under the strain of war
service. and every regiment had many
pf these youths In its ranks.
Soon after the newly raised levies
were aggregated In large camps sick
ness began to Increase progressively
From causes that were so general in
lheir operation that scarcely regiment
Escaped from their harmful influence.
These causes may largely be referred
10 ignorance on the part OF officers OF
The principles Of camp sanitation and
Df their duties and responsibilities as
regards the welfare of the enlisted men
In their commands.
The sites Of certain Of the camps
have been instanced in the newspapers
Is the cause Of the sickness which was
leveioped in them. but review of the
whole situation shows that it was not
The site. but the manner of Its occupa-
lion which must be held responsible for
the general spread Of disease among
the troops.
One prominent cause Of the increase
bf sickness in the early camps has been
eomniented upon by only a few of our
medical officers. These cite the preva-
lence of drunkenness and Of veneral
Nisease due to the facilities and the
temptations afforded by the proximity
Df cities to the larger camps. They
hold that il the systems Of the men
had not been weakened by dissipation
they would not have suCcumbed so
readily to the other influence which
Affected them.
It was typhoid fever which broke
down the strength Of the commands
generally the outbreak becoming dis
kinctly manifest in July. Sporadic cases
bpptdltu Ill IuOSt u tllc ~
May and June, these cases having been
brought In many instances from the
state camps. In fact. some regiments.
as the Fifteenth Minnesota. suffered
more from this disease at the state
rendezvous than any Of the regiments
In the large federal camps.
Long before the Fifth army corps
embarked for Cuba It's field hospitals
were IN condition for efficient service.
Subsequent events, however. rendered
valueless these preparations of the
medical department. When the COM
mand embarked on the transport ves-
sells the baggage wagons and mules
were left behind. The ambulance trains
Of all the divisions. with Il large part
of the outfit Of each OF the hospitals.
were also left behind. OF the prop
erly and supplies carried to Cuba
portion was not available for service
at the time 1t was most needed. when
the wounded from I'll Caney and San
Juan were coming from the front for
care and transport. This was because,
in general. no opportunity was afforded
10 land the medical property.
After the capitulatlon of Santiago
the troops at the front broke down rap
IDLY under the fatigues they had under
gone and the malaral influences to
which they were exposed; but by this
time an ample supply of tents. furni-
turs. bedding. clothing and medical
Btores had reached Siboney. together
with Il corps of trained nurses and n
Force Of surgeons those sent to duty at
the yellow fever hospital being i'm
mune to that disease. This was an
emergency measure to relieve the hos
pitals at Siboney.
The transfer Of troops from Santiago
70 Montauk Point, N. Y, was also an
emergency measure, and the great re.
sponsbilty Of excluding yellow fever
Infection from every transport rested
on the medical officers who had charge
Of the embarkation. Had they failed