Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1898-11-21

TRACT SURGEONS WE'RE EN-
PLOYED AND ASSIGNED-T1iE
HOSPITAL CORPS RENDERED IN
EFFICIENT BY THE LAW-UN-
TRAINED MEN ENLISTED FOR
THE SERVICES SEVENTEEN HUN
DRIED FEMALE NURSES EN-
PLCYED.
Washington, November 20.-Surgeon
General George M. Sternberg has made
his report to the Secretary of War. 1t
relates mainly to the work of the med
ical corps during the war. The follow
ing are the more important features
of the report:
The number of medical officers, 1872,
allowed by law to the army is made
quate in tine of peace. The INSULT
cheney in time of war was met by the
assignment of over $50 contract sur
geons. The very small proportion of
medical officers having experience OF
a military character impaired the ELL
cheney of the department at the out
set, but many of the staff surgeons
from civil life showed great aptitude
for the service and speedily became of
value as administrative and sanitary
officers.
No provision was made for hospital
corps men for the volunteer troops, ex-
cept that which. empowered the Secre-
tary of War to enlist as many privates
OF the hospital corps as the service
may require.
The number of men enlisted and
transferred during the war was approx
imately 5000
The want of a sufficient body of
trained hospital corps men necessitated
the detail of enlisted men from the
regiments for hospital duty in several
of the camps and the employment OF
trained nurses at the general hospitals.
Over LOO female nurses have been
employed, at first at the general hospi-
tails and later at the field division hos
pitfalls, when it became evident that
the field service purposes for which the
latter have been organized would have
to give place to the imperative need
of caring for the many sick men COM
ing from the regimental camps.
Immediately upon the declaration OF
war, April q, steps were taken to
OBTAIN MEDICAL SUPPLIES
for the new volunteer army. Their
manufacture was expedited with the
utmost dispatch. On May Sd, fore
seeing that it would be impossible to
have ready for issue to the volunteer
regiments as soon as they were mus
tered in, the necessary articles of field
equipment, l telegraphed the Cover
nors of the several States for authority
to use the medical equipment of the
National Guard in the service OF the
State until our army medical supplies
were ready for issue. Most Of the
Governors who had field equipment
responded promptly and satisfactorily,
but, unfortunately, many of the State
medical departments had no such
equipment. Meanwhile the officers in
charge of the medical supply depots
were directed to make arrangements
so that supplies could be Immediately
obtained for one hundred thousand
men for six months.
Whenever notice was received from
the adjutant generals office that COM
manGs were to be moved or camps
formed, | endeavored to anticipate the
wants of the troops by telegraphing to
the officer in charge Of the nearest sup
ply depot to forward supplies for the
stated number of men.
In my opinion, the reduction of the
age limit from Ii TO IS years and the
haste with which the volunteer regi-
ments were organized into the service
were responsible for much of the sick
ness which was reported in the early
days of their camp life. All military
experience shows that young men
under q years break down readily
under the strain of war service; and
every regiment had many of these
youths in its ranks. Medical examin-
ers were appointed to testify to the
physical qualifications of each man be-
fore acceptance, but Notwithstanding
this. so many men were afterwards
found on the sick lists of the camps
unfit for service from causes existing
prior to enlistment that special ar
rangements had to be made for their
discharge.
Soon after the newly raised levies
were aggregated in large camps, sick
ness began to
INCREASE PROGRESSIVELY
from causes that are so general in
their operation that scarcely regi-
ment escaped from their harmful in
fuence. These causes may largely be
referred to ignorance on the part of
officers of the principles Of camp sani-
tation and OF their duties and RESPONSE
bilities as regards the welfare of the
enlisted men in their commands.
The sites of certain of the camps