Times-promoter., 1898-11-12
TIE VAR INVESTIGATION.
Interesting Testimony by DR.. Lewis
Schooler, of Des Moiues, Ia, as
Regards Camp Thomas
SANITARY CONDITIONS NOT VERY GOOD.
acquisitions Made for Supplies Frequently
Disapproyed at Headquarters-0us
masters Department to Blame for Lack
of Tentage for the Division Hospitals
Other Difficulties.

of Tentags for the Division Hospitals
Other Difficulties.
Chicago, Nov. 7.-Gen. Dodge, Col.
Sexton and DR.. Connor, of the war in
vestigating commission, arrived in
Chicago, and Immediately began the
examination of witnesses at the Audi
torium hotel. A large number of wit
nesses are on the list, and it is not
likely that the three members of the
commission will be able to leave Chi
cago before Wednesday. They will
then leave for Detroit, where the in
yestigation will be continued. From
Detroit the commissioners will go di-
rect to Washington.
An Intere.Iing Witness.
DR.. Lewis Schooler, of Des Moines,
Ia, was the first witness to testify.
From June 7 to July II DR.. Schooler
was stationed at Camp Thomas as
chief surgeon of the second DIVISION
Third corps. Questioned by DR.. Con
nor, he said that during the time he
was there the sanitary conditions in
the hospitals were not very good; that
the sinks in the whole division We're
bad, owing principally to the charac-
ter of the ground, and that discipline
was rather lax.
Conditions ac Camp Thomas.
AT the opening" said DR.. Schooier,
there were practically no facilities
bp M hn in1. Ch ont
OF medicines and had no apparatus by
which the stewards could prepare the
medicines that we had. The regi
mental hospitals, all but one or two,
were as poorly supplied with medi-
cines as the division hospitals. Issquisi
tions We're made for more, but they
were generally disapproved at the
Headquarters. The supply department
had certain hours for issuing supplies,
and at other times nothing could be
obtained. There was a scarcity of
beds in the hospitals. At one time
practically half our nursing force
were sick or in the guard house for
insubordinatiGn."
Locating the Blame.
DR.. Connor-Why was not de-
mand made by somebody that better
or more nurses should be sent to that
place?
Dr. Schooler-I don't. l wrote the
surgeon general once protesting
against the difficulty of securing sup
plies. Part of the blame rested upon
the quartermaster's department.
Asked to give, in as few words as
possible, his opinion about the gener-
al conditions at Camp Thomas, dur
ing the time he was stationed there,
DR.. Schooler said:
0uartermaster and, Surgeons Couldn't
Agree.
SIN the first place, the quartermast-
er and surgeons could not agree as to
have. Col. Lee contended that we
were limited to a certain number of
tents, II | think it was in the begin
ming. We afterwards prevailed upon
him to give us 21. His contention
was that he could not issue tents be-
yond the prescribed number. | think
he based the number of tents upon $50
patients, and when that number of
patients became greater we could not
make him understand that we had to
have more tents.
Cause of the Overcrowding.
''It was his refusal to increase that
number of tents that made the over
crowding. The lack of medicines. the
lack of trained nurses. and the lack
of a sufficient number of surgeons was
a material difficulty. One cause of the
prevalence of sickness in the campwas
that we had three regiments who came
there with a great deal of sickness,
the First Mississippi, and the First
and Second Arkansas. There was
much typhoid and dysentery in those
regiments. | think the quartermast-
er's department was largely response
bic for the great sickness the med
ical department (that Is, the supply
department), was also responsible for
some things. Then we lacked facili-
ties to make reports on-did not even
have stationery. We We're told all the
time that reports must be made"
No wilful Neglect on the Part of Medical
Officers.
DR.. Connor--So far as you know,
was there, on the part of any medical
officer or surgeon, any wilfull neglect
in the care of the sick?
DR.. Schooler-No, Sir. The great
difficulty was in obtaining supplies,
and | think the hitch came between
Col. TIartsutf and the medical supply
For the successful care
of the sick DR.. Schooler considered the
division hospital far superior to regi-
mental hospitals.
An Innocent Man was Hanged.