The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-12-09
Medical Sup
plies Short.
STERNBERG TALKS.
The Surgeon-General Be
fore the War Board.

Washington, Dec. S.-The conduct OF
the medical service of the army was
taken up today by the war investigat-
ing commission and Surgeon Gen
Sternberg was rigidly questioned about
his administration.
The medical department., he said, was
equipped only for an army of 25,00l
when the war broke out and from
year to year the estimates he haG sub
mitted had been materially reduced by
congress. AS soon as there was pros
pect of war he had begun preparations
although not making any expense. He
mad models of chests made, he said
and equipments developed but when he
suggested to Secretary Alger the pro-
prlety of making purchases for his ser
wee the policy was to wai;."
AT one time there We're as many as
65O contract surgeons employed. The
appointees were mostly from 80 TO 81
years old, with hospital or active pro-
fessional experience, bnt when perma-
nent camps were established in this
country, he did not know they We're IL
be permanent
He conceded that it was mistake
not to have appointed more contract
surgeons from those who had expert
ence IN the civil war; for their expt-
Ilence would have been invaluable bet
he was ignorant at the outset cf the
permanency of the CAMPS.
The regimental surgeons. he said
were good, bad and indifferent. but he
recciiected no instance Of dismissal for
incnnpetency
Tn cshing over the controversy be-
tween regimental and division hospi-
taIs, ne credited the establishment of
the latter to their success in two years
experience in the civil war. He could
not reeollect whether the chief surgeon
at Camp Thomas had reported rhaf the
sanitation there was bad.
me department now. he sail. has
ample evidence that typhoid cases dur
ing the war We're largely mistaken 70,
alarial fever, until the division hos
pltaIs received the cases. and that ma
larla also had been diagnosed as w.
phoid. 90 =
General sternberg's recolIections was
tnat prior to the inspection tour which
was made of the camps bv Secreta,.,,
Alger, Quartermaster Iudington and
himseH, the information in his hands
OF unsanltary conditions at Camr
1nomas was unofficial. He said that
with time, it was practicable to secure
a fairly large number of nurses hui
their training took time. and. he adj
mltted, in war time, might be at the
expense of the patients.
he acknowledged the services of vol
uhIeef ala associations, and said the
trained women nurses were satisfac.
tory, though he had received some re-
ports to the contrary. Witness al.
united a real deficiency IN medical sun
plies at times. AT Santiago their
landing was deiayed owing to exigency
OF the times, and railroads failed 10 eet
them through in time at other points
he contended, however, that there
had been very little lack of medical
supplies during the war, the great diff
1culty being that surgeons freouentIv
preferred other than the field supply. .
and an unanticipated typhoid feye,
outbreak had also considerably taxed
the field resources. Purchases, howev-
er. had been made largely from hand
to mouth, due to lack of storage facili-
ties and lack of time for calling for
bids
All the principal drugs had beer
available for purchase in large GUAM
titles on demand. Delays frequently
had been caused through want of de-
livery to the proper officer. There was
an animated discussion over a DELAY in
Quitting the John English which was
purchased May 49, as a hospital ship
General Sternberg said that after her
purchase there was a lapse of three
weeks during which no work had been
done; that she sailed for Cuba on the
date of the battle of Santiago, and that
had she sailed five days sooner the
medical supplies at the battle ground
would have been ample. The witness
refused to say that the delay was un-
necessary, or to state on whom the re-
sponsibility should rest. Asked if il
had been officially reported to him that
there We're surgeons at Montauk I'M
fitted for duty because of bad habits
he said there had been one who drank
who came from Fortress Monroe, and
who was now on duty at Jefferson bar
racks