The times., 1898-10-10
The Medical Defects.

The surgeon general, al least, has not
been misled into thinking the Alger Re-
lief Commission wanted evidence
against anybody - except perhaps,
against the suffering soldiers them
selves ami their immediate officers In
his statement he proved that he knew
just what was desired. Instead of Civ
ing specific information as to the de-
fective medical service in Cuba, he re-
cites the general, standing and un-
avoidable deficiency in the medical de-
partment of the army and the necessity
OF employing contract surgeons of un-
known qualifications, and all the facts
that viii form a link in the Alger chain
of defense. There are certain things
about the medical department in the
movement on Santiago that would
bring the responsibility for utter in
competency or neglect or both directly
home to somebody. They would show
that the officials at Washington. plead
ing limited authority, took no pains to
see whether the army was protected
from needless Affections and death. OF
these he makes no distinct mention.
He does pay a tribute TO the surgeons
in the field. whose devotion and
thoroughness have never been Qus stion-
ed by anybody. All along an attempt
has been made to show that complaints
against the operating surgeons were un-
founded, when, in fact nobody has ever
made charges against them.
The surgeon general has in his office
the report of Surgeon Godfrey, of the
First Division. That would serve any
real investigating body IS basis of in
quiry. 1t proves. what everybody has
conceded, that the surgeons in the field
were brave and devoted to duty; that
they performed wonders under the
most eXasperating and ineXcusable diff
fculties. 1t shows that not until two
days before the corps left Tampa were
any enlisted men detailed for hospital
service, and then only eighteen were
selected They had but one short drill
in their work, which is of great i'm
portance, since the lives of many
wounded must depend on their ef-
ficiency. When tie battle was begun.
these eighteen men were exhausted
from carrying hospital supplies on thes
backs from the landing place and be-
sides. theY were needed at the hospital
and could not be spared to bring in the
wounded. There is no mention. any
where Of the Red Cross litter bearers
For the entire army there were but
three ambulances. The few over
worked surgeons and their eighteen
men drove reckiessly near to the fight
to need. One surgeon was killed by a
Spanish bullet.
The wounded were forced to crawl or
limp their own way to the rear. Those
who were but slightly hurt were able
to do with the dressing from their
emergency packet; but the seriously
wounded were left to bleed to death if
they could not find the surgeons. Gen
eraI Wheeler. in his official report says
he had to take men from the fighting
line to carry back the wounded ''on
improvised litters." Now, the surgeon
general SAYS it was not his business
TO see that an adequate number of en-
listed men were detailed for hospital
duty and thoroughly drilled that he
was not required to see that the alleged
Red Cross litter bearers were in fact
attached to the army, were properly
drilled and officered and equipped with
all needed appliances: it was not his
business 10 inquire whether the hospital
system was properly organized
DR. Victor c. Vaughan, of this Dis
trict, was attached to what he con-
siders a model field hospital. and he is
not disposed to complain; but even he
admits there were no arrangements for
bringing in the wounded. Another
surgeon, DR.. James S. Kennedy, whose
report is probably on file in the surgeon
generals office. says that four days
after he reached the hospital the sup
ply of medicine was exhausted and he
could do nothing for the many severe
cases of dysentery and diarrhea, while
for the fever patients he had only qui-
nine. On the steamer Olivette he saw
Red Cross supplies; he saw officers
helping themselves to champagne, ice
cream and other delicacies, mot one
particle of which ever reached a hos
pital." That there was general and
atal looseness about the medical ser
VIE pibNtS Dt9OHu uOuDl. Gil
sick men were abandoned when their
regiment came North. The officers sup
posed the doctors would care for them.
but the day after the regiment left
they were found in camp without at
tention of any kind and with nothing
left for them. except starvation or
suicide"
The transport scandals were another
logical result of the absence Of a medi-
cal system, as well as the lack of sani-
tary precautions The refugees. infect
ed with the germs of yellow fever. were
allowed to wash their clothes in the
water used by the soldiers and were
permitted to mingle freely with the
troops Back of all the suffering was
this superiative crime of the failure to
institute medical system A real in
vestigating board will require the sur
geon general to locate the RESPONSE
bility for this. DR.. Sem has frankly |
charged ii all to General Shaf.?r 1t
provefsthe nerve and courage of the
surgeon general that while writing
about the medical service he omits all |
reference to the appointment of a horse |
doctor as the superior of the experienc- |