The San Francisco call., 1898-11-21

transfer to the general hospital was ad- l yisable under the care of the most eXperl- enced physicians and able surgeons on on
 duty With each division. Medical oHlceI ;
 left on duty with their regiments were 10 | exercise sanitary supervision over the | well men and to determine whether SOL
 dier reporting himself sick should be, sent | 10 the hospital or remain as trlHIal
 case under treatment in quarters The consolidation of the medical force py ,o o-
 visions, implying, as it did, the breaking l up Of the regimental hospitals, met with | a strong opposition from regimental med
 1cal officers, particularly from those who | were not detailed for special service at | the division hospitals.
 THE FIFTH ARMY CORPS.
 | Long before this corps embarked for | Cuba its field hospitals were in condition for efficient service. Subsequent events nt tions of the medical department. When the command embarked on the transport
 were left behind. The ambulance trains of all the divisions with large part of the outfit of each of the hospitals were also left behind. Three ambulance wagons were taken apart and stored on one of the vessels. These did excellent service at San Juan and Fl Caney. Ten of the ambulances of the third or reserve dtVi- sion hospital were subsequently, shipped to Cuba, where they arrived July ana
 were of value in moving he sick ana
 wounded to the hospital at Stboney ana 10 the hospital ships and transports. Ot the property and supplies carried to Cuba, portion was not available for service at
 the time 1t was needed-to wit, on July
 l, and 8, when the wounded from El
 Caney and San Juan were coming from
 the front for care and treatment. rms in!'
 was because, in general, no opportunity
 was afforded to land the medical prop erty. Earnest efforts were made by med icai officers to have supplies at the front
 with the troops. During and after the battles at Fl Caney and San Juan there
 was an insufflciency of tents, cots, ped
 ding and medicines, due to the causes
 stated, but all the hospitals were well equipped for surgical work:
 After the equalization of Santiago the troops at the front broke down rapidly under the fatigues they had undergone and the malarial influences to which they were exposed; but by this time an aInple ing and medical stores had reacned SiDoI1 ney totgether with @ corps or tralheu nurses and force or surgeons. Wno o,i4eIs WeLe sent to duty at the yellow fever hospitais' being immune to the disease. MeanWhle' to relieve the pressure In the neId hosRIi5 RI5 tals, such convalescents ana slch a1 ITnitad bear the journey were sent to the Onlteu States on transport vessels Inls was ai aii emergency measure to relieve the no9kRl k fo them of the men who were sick in regi- mental camps. The transfer or tLo0po 1 from Santiago to Montauk Polnt ast was slreo re an emergency measure and the greaI i1 sponsibility of excluding yellow IsVeI !ino ttio fection from every transport rested oh tie tte medical officers W46 f6en nag faied in this duty the effect would have been disastrous dur ing the voyage to the men on sn1poGig pe into this country would have been greatIy IT. creased. It is needless to reIeI at binb .if.5 time to the complaints or starNatiudI ,J. s appeared almost daily in the ne"SR1daIPefefS R1aIPpf sff during the occupation of Camp WlkSi, , for 1t is now generally understo9o tlaS ,ed the weakness, prostrat1qq1+ aq +ba ars iranns were the results of malarial, typhoid ane yer low fever from which the army sun ttd as a consequence of its exposure 10 the ciirnatic influences and to infections or Santiago and it's neighborhood pendlng and subsequent to the surrender oI the city.
 TROOPS IN THE HOME CAMPS.
 The method of hospital organization in these camps was practically the, same, and there was much similarity in the con ditions affecting them 2 ana e@orresponoI44g55 core r45 but in few instances with the material ana supplies for their medical care; but they brought sick men with them and these re- qulred immediate care. Provision had to be made for division hospitals In view or future field service and for reg1mental hospitals in view of the immediate neces- sity Chief surgeons, officers and divisions began the organization and equipment Of their field division hospitals and ambu- lance companies, but they were met at the outset by the apparent impossibility of se- curing men for service as cooks, nurses, litter bearers, ambulance drivers, team sters etc. AS a result the hospitals were kept in campaigning conditions; that is, the tents were neither framed nor foored until the increased prevalence of typhoid fever attracted attention to their crowded condition, when the object of their exist ence became suddenly changed from a school for field service to a hospital for the treatment of a local outbreak of dis ease. Special diet kitchens, under the management of capable individuals. were opened at most of the hospitals. Money for this purpose was sent to them by me from funds contributed and placed at my disposal Money was also sent directly by individuals and representatives of aid so- cieties and the Red Cross committees supplied quantities of ice and milk, chick ems, eggs, lemons, etc., paJamaS, nlght shirts and other articles of hospital cloth other aid societies. Subsequently the or der placing the communication of the sick soldiers rations at 50 cents rendered these hospitals independent of outside assist ance About July 20 the troops for the invasion of Porto Rico embarked and with this expeditionary force was ample and the supplies abundant
 TROOPS ON THE PACIFIC COAST.
 The precautions taken to secure a good sanitary condition on the vessels prior to l embarkation and the sanitary supervi- 1 sion exercised over the men during their | long voyage must be credited to the eX- cellent condition of the troops at Manila. ! The want of hospital corps men was the | main cause of the failure of chief sur | reons 10 establish their division hospitals | service their time being occupied and their | energies spent in endeavoring to procure | the necessary men by enlistment or trans | fer After a time, when sickness invaded | the camps and the division hospitals be-