The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1898-12-09
THE WAR INVESTIGATION
Surgeon General Sternbere Lays Part Of
the Blame on Secretary Alger.
4 DEFICIENCY IN SUPPLIES IS ADMITTED
Female Nurses Arc Chased ss Ex'
pensivc Luxurics-Sursc9ns
Preferred Others.

! washington, December s.--Thc conduct OF
| tho medical service OF the army was taken
I'm today by the war investigation commits
J sion, and Surgeon General Sternbcrg was
rigidiy questioned about his administration.
| The medical department., he said, was equip
! ned only fol IN army Of - 00G men when the
| war broke out and front year TO year TIE
estimates he lad submitted had been matt
i rally reduced by congress In policy OF
J ccouomy of appropriations. AS soon rs there
( wes d prospect OF war he had begun prepa-
1 rations, though rot making amy expense. re
1 he'd models OF chests made. he said' una
equipment developed, but when he suggest
cd TO Secretary Alger the psopriety OF max
ing purchases Tor this service, the policy
was to watt He said that at one time there
were as many us G50 contract surgeons en-
ployed, The appointees were mostly from ~
to 40 years old, with hospital or actual pro-
fessonal experience. but when permanent
camps were established In TINS country ne
did not know they were to be permanent lie
conceded II was a mistake not TO have ap-
pointed contract surgeons from those VINO
had experience In the civil war, for their ex-
perience would have been invaluable. but ne
was ignorant at the outset Of the permanencs
{ OF the camps. ..t .izs.,
II had been impossible fer him even to read
the great volumes OF reports submitted, ow-
ing to being overwhelmed with matters re-
/ curing personal attention. The regimentai
surgeons. he said, were good, bad aud tndif-
ferent, but he recolleCted no instance OF dis
inisSal for incompetency.
Threshing over the controversy between
regimentnl and division hospitals he credited
the establishment of the latter TO their sue
cess In two years experience in the civil war.
At the outset tho maximum capacity OF the
division hospital WAS $50 beds, but this ca
pacity was quickly found far inadequate. He
could not recollect whether tho chief sur
geon of Camp Thomas had reported that the
sanitation there was bad. The department
now, he said, has ample evidence that ty-
phold cases during the war we're largely mis-
taken Tor malarial fever until the cases
reached the divisional hospitals, and that ma
lara also had peen diagnosed as typhoid.
General Sternbergs recollection was tn3t
prior to the Inspection tour which was made
master General Ludington and himself, the
information In his hands Of unsanitary condi-
tiols at Camp Thomas was unofficial. lie
SAID that at the time 1t was practicable to
secure fairly large number OF nurses. but
their training took time and he admitted in
TENTS. The acknowledged the services of vol
nnteer aid associations and said the trained
female nurses were unsatisfactory, though he
mao received some reports to the contrary.
Witness admitted real deficiency in med
zeal supplies ut times. At Santiago the land
Ing was delayed ewing, to eexigencies OF the
through in time at othe. points. He contend
cd. however, that there had been very litto
lack Of medical supplies during the war. the
great difficulty being tina. surgeons frequent
~ preferred othec than the field supply aid
an unanticipated typhoid fever outbreak had
also A.. eonside:aply taxed the field resources
Purchases, however, had been made largely
from hand to mouth, due to lack OF Storage
facilities and lack of time for calling ror
this.
There was animated discussion over q
delay in outfitting the John English, which
" vas purchased May Is; as a hospital ship.
General Sternberg said after her purchase
which time no work had been DONE She sailed
or the date OF the battle of Santiago and had
plies at the battle-ground would have been
ample am the witness refused to say the de-
Jay W sa;,, unnecessary or on whom the re-
surgeon General Sterpberg, concerning the
f Re merits ssd Of division and resmenta
taught a good deal the theories of the de.
paitEent as to the medical ADMINISTRATION
were born In May.
movement General Sternberg explained that
There had be an abundance of medical |
oiEeers and Supplies sent TO Santiago and
SAID the trouble SO far he could Judge arose
In their landing and distribution He said
emphatically that he could do no more In his
t otiice than send supplies where he thought
tEey We're needed and respond promptly tic
requisitions. All this, he declared most nosi. ]
lively. had been done
General Beaver--Were you a; any time
hampered in the discharge of any of Your ,ii.
ment? W. "sp"t. =
General stcrnberg hesltated considerably |
and said No, certainly net to any appreci |
There was pause and General Sternberp
nastened to add: You will understand that |
s,'t. man can not do everything at once, and
there We're occasional delays In getting thS
this D"e hothihg beyond
Ihen, said General Beaver. 1--WE are m
"mueistand you bad at all times the hearty
sp1poit and good will of those over yn,, IN |
loir"3roing the work of your Department? v
edIy." ""@ 'ne repiy' most undoubt-
= AZ to the general condition of troops on
NY, o ,.,.ie camps, he said the trouble could
u.ssaily always be summed in the two phrases
t,Nestecl OF sanitary measures" aud Let |
''ns inc troops remain too long In one Damn ),
You have to do one OF two things . s,ia
ne. You must maintain ono permaneni
ann. a, under the rules of civilized life ar
YOU must Follow the Indian method and sbift |
'our camp when you foul your ground
'uh make rules which, If followed will sec,,r
.tasohabio Immunity from typhoia hmt
, ain NOT insure their being followed nv tha
!, As 70 new ration for the tropics General
,' rcrnpeIs SAID ne had made no speciiic rec
49,. nuution yer, but had n competent NJ
- - now investigating the metht,fs NJ tha
,ritsh army In Jamaica and honeJ soa tse
70 Hpie 10 make a report. Touchinf, III sur
~ VI ieilaie nurses. General Steriibert- aaJd
'ensive luaures." '"Sg aie en-
He said the war department was ,at,,,
questions now for bureaus roaLiry ehairSs
~ ~ otner things which were unknown nndar
ne male nurse regime. uAue'