Evening star., 1898-08-29
RED CROSS RELIEF
Surgeon Gen. sternberg's Attitude
Toward the Society.
SAYS IT HAS been misunderstood
Organization Must Share Blame for
lnefficiency.
DIRECTIONS TO SURGEONS

Surgeon General Sternberg of the army
made the following statement today regard
ing the relations between the medical de-
partment and the American National Red
Cross: f'- s1
Owing to the pressure of my official du-
ties. L have not heretofore felt justified in
taking the time to make an explanation
with reference to my attitude toward the
American National Red Cross.
1t has been repeatedly charged in the
newspapers that L am hostile: to this Or
ganization and have refused to accept it's
assistance in the! care of our sick and
wounded soldiers, and that as result of
this refusal there has been unnecessary
suffering. ..,, . =
ihese charges are without foundation,
except in so far as l have objected to the
sendlng OF female nurses with troops in the
iield engaged in active operations. We
nave a Red Cross Hospital Corps in the
army, OF enlisted men,. whose duty it is to
render first aid to the wounded upon the
held of battle and to care for the sick in
our division field hospitals, and have been
OF tne opinion that female nurses would be
an lncombrance to troops during active OPP
eratlons; but so soon as serious sickness
developed IN our camps and it became
nee neeessary i, to treat typhoid fever cases in
cd egr the Held saroinds hospitals gladly accept
nurses for the division field hospi-
tals, andr1n our general hospitals We have
employed them from the first. The general
tesumony from the surgeons in charge of
theSe hospitals has been that their services
nave been of great values. Very many cf
these trained nurses have been obtained
through the kind assistance of the Red
Cross Society for Maintenance of Trained
Nurses Auxiliary No. 3, and I desire TO
express my high appreciation OF the vaiu-
able services rendered to the medical de,
partment of the army by this organization.
Attitude Shown in May.
My attitude towards relief organizations
is shown by an Endorsement daied May 3
upon letter addressed by Rev. Henry c.
McCook of Philadelphia to the President
ana referred to me for remark:
May ., 1898. Respectfully returned TO
the ddJutant general of the army.
The plan proposed for the organization
or relief association appears to have been
well considered and the object in view will
commend itself to every patrIouc citizen.
But 1t is question whether the President
should give special privileges to any par
ticular organization, Other prominent in
dividualS in different parts of the country
may be organizing for the same purpo Sc.
One such proposition has come to me from
Chicago. While. I approve in Il general
way of organization for the relief work
proposed, it appearsI to me that it will he
best not to give, sin advance, exclusive priv
ilegeS to any particular Organization. In
case of need, assistance should be accepted
from any organization prepared to give 1t
Relief Inadequate.
This has been my guiding principle
throughout, that relief when needed should
be promptly accepted without reference to
the source from which it comes. The relief
afforded by the National Red Cross at ST.
boney was promptly accepted by the sur
gecns on the spot. but: it is evident that it
was entirely Inadequate to meet the emer-
gency -ira 5J1~ 80 - e. 80
"A committed of the American National
Red Cross Association called upon me in
my office in Washington some time in ad-
vance OF the landing of our troops in San
tiago. making an offer of assistance
Il received them most courteously, and
advised them to use their resources in fit
ting up hospital ship, telling them that a
hospital ship was now being fitted up for
the use of the medical department, but that
1t was not at all improbable that an emer-
gency would arise which would overtax our
resources, and that in such an event hos
pital ship properly equipped having on
board corps of doctors and nurses, would
be most valuable auxiliary.
Must Share Blame.
Furthermore, the American National
Red Cross Association has had full author
ity to send agents and supplies to all our
camps since June 8, 1898, and If there has
been suffering for want of needed supplies
they must share the responsibility with the
medical department of the army for such
suffering.
Directions to Surgeons.
''The following letter was sent by me to
every chief surgeon of a department or in
dependent army in the field on June 8. 1898:
The Secretary Of War has approved of
the following proposition made by the
a a
and the chief surgeons of army corps and
divisions will cooperate with the authoriz-
ed agents of this association for the pur-
poses indicated.
I'VE can put any desired amount of hos
pital supplies-ice, matted milk, condensed
milk, Meilin's focd, etc.-into any of the
volunteer camps in few hours.
'Wl1i you be kind enough to bring this
letter to the attention of Secretary Alger
and ask him If there is any objection to
our appointing a Red Cross representative
to report to the commanding officer and
the chief surgeons in every camp confer
with them as to their immediate needs, and
If anything of any kind is wanting, open
there Red Cross station and send in the
supplies? We can do this, not in a few
weeks or few days, but in a few hours
and can furnish any quantity of any de-
sired luxury or de.icacy for hospital use.
We hereby tender our aid and put our or
ganization at the War DEPARTMENTS serv-
ice for cooperation in this field
ITO show my cordial relations with the
National Red Cross relief committee [ ven
tEre to quote from a letter of August II.
received by me from Mr. Cleveland II
Dodge, chairman of the supply committee.
Mr.. Dodge says:
Il want again to assure you personally.
and on behalf of our committee. of our
earnest desire to assist you in every pos
sible way and to thank you for calling
upon US SO frankly"
In a recent letter from Mrs Winthron
Cowdin, vice president of the Red Cross
Society for maintenance of trained nurses.
she says: J Iiszl
I'VE greatly appreciate your courtesy to
us and feel most grateful to have been per-
mitted to serve, you in any way"
WHITE HOUSE ALMOST DESERTED.