The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-10-20
ONE WITNESS SPEAKS FREELY
BEFORE THE WAR INQUIRY
BOARD
CONTRACT SURGEONS UNFIT
Were, as Rule, Medical College
Graduates, Absolutely Without
Practice, and lily Fitted to Care
for Many Typhoid Patients
Hospitals That Were Good Had
Bad Surroundings.

session in the city hall today, exam
lining a large number OF regimental and
| other officers. One Of the most out
spoken witnesSAs of the day was DR..
Frye, Of the Third division hospital.
hospitals, and said that in many cases
the contract physicians and members
Of the hospital corps were incompetent
The commission has decided that one
Of it's members should be in the COM
MISSIONS office, at Washington, and
Col DENLY has been selected for this
purpose. He was selected partly for
the reason that his health has not
been as robust as when In Washing
ten.
Lieut.. Moore, acting commissary OF
the Ninth Illinois, was questioned in
regard to the quality Of rations. He
said there had been no difficulty ex-
cept as to the fresh beef, and agreed
with Col. Campbell that there had
been no trouble on account of meat
since the arrangement had been made
to take cured hams instead Of beef
Lieut.. Tolliver, quartermaster of the
same regiment, also testified favorably
as to the quality and quantity of the
supplies reaching the command
through his Office. He thought the
tent material poor, but had made no
reQuisition for other tents.
Commissary Sergeant Lay, of Com
pany A, Of the Second regiment, sug-
gested that there should be a greater
supply and variations Of vegetables
than the present regulation provides,
FOUND GRAVE FAULTS.
Dr.. Frye, of the Third division hos
pttal, testified as to the management
of this hospital and also as to the
management of the Second division
hospital at Montauk Point, from which
place he was transferred to this camp.
and the military hospital at Fort Nc
Pherson, Ga, where he was also sta
toned for time. He said that the
Montauk patients had lacked for moth
ing and were exceIlently taken care
Of by both physicians and nurses. At
Fort Mcpherson there were at one time
925 patients. There was no material
shortage in drugs at this point, but
occasionally there was a slight de-
f1ciency which was quickly overcome.
Speaking Of the hospital in which he
ton was as good as could be secured
in this vicinity, but that the general
surroundings were not suitable to hos
pital service. At times the hospital
had been slightly oVercrowded, as
many as seven or eight men being oc-
casionally stored in one tent. This
was due to emergency. The patients.
however, had been well cared for by
both physicians and nurses, and the
hospital supplies were abundant and
good. Many Of the nurses were fe-
males. They are generally very COM
petent. There was always one nurse
on duty for every three patients, on
the average. Up to date, 1.700 patients
had been treated at the hospitals.
There had been only seventeen deaths.
About 30 per cent of the cases were
from typhoid fever. This was a small
er percentage than the average NOR
tally in civilian hospitals.
WHAT CAUSED TYPHOID.
Resuming his testimony, DR.. Frye
spoke Of the causes for the prevalence
Of typhoid In the Jacksonville camp.
He attributed 1t largely to the age of
the men, young people being more sus-
ceptible to this disease than those more
advanced IN age. He also thought
much was due to the careIessness of
the men themselves. Dr. Frye said
that in all the corps with which he had
been connected there had been a. de-
hciency of bed linen. This had been
particularly true Of Fort Mcpherson.
There had been orders to prepare beds
for 1000 patients there, but this de-
mand had been by no means met. The
hospital here had also been short of
like facilities. DR.. Frye expressed the
opinion that in several instances con-
valescents had been sent away from
the hospitals with which he was con-
nected before they were sufficiently ad-
vanced to permit them to go In safe
ty. He had no personal knowledge of
any individual case Of this kind. but
was satisfied that such cases had oc-
| CURED. He thought the instances were
| due to insufficient supervision. to ig-
norance of precautions and to a desire
to clear the wards for new patients.
WE'RE A BAD LOT.
Dr. Frye spoke In very uncompli-
mentary terms of the men engaged in
| the hospital corps, saying they had
been picked up at random over the
| country and were generally "a scabby-
| looking lot" not fit to adorn that walk
IN life. He also expressed himself
against the contract surgeons, saying
that he would not be willing to trust
his family or friends to 80 per cent of
| them.
Many Of them," he said "are re-
cent graduates from medical colleges,
| and do not consider the average med
ical graduate capable of taking charge
| Of from twenty-five to thirty typhoid
| fever patients"
There was, he said, no proper oppor-
tunfty of consultation with superior Of
ficers, as the latter were, as a rule. so
occupied with their administrative du-
ties as to prevent their giving closer
attention to professional matters for
which they were called upon. He con-
sidered there should be more superyi-
sion in serious cases in the hospital on
the part Of experienced men.