The Van Buren press., 1898-09-24

the case OF Gately. Il was detailed 70
look after the body Of Gate1y. found
it fy blown and in very filthy condi-
ton. II had not been washed. His
face was badly blown. l cleaned
him best I could with diluted earbolic
acid. .
Private T. J. Stack, of the Second
Arkansas. says that there were not
enough nurses. and that the few there
were incompetent and did not do
their duty. Some of them sold
cigarettes to patients and stood on guard
while they smoked them.
Private NJ S. Hill testified as fol-
lows: - have heard patients call for
half an hour for a nurse and fail to re-
ceiYe a reply. have seen nurses
asleep on duty and have repeatedly
heard sick men call for water and ice
and no attention was paid to their
calls.
Private A. c. Prunin. of the Second
Arkansas. lay sick on the ground with
other patients because there was no
room in the tents In five days ne re-
ceiyed two doses Of medicine The
nurses did not understand their in
structions and sometimes gave medi-
cine in oyerdoses.
The report is signed by Major and
Brigade Surgeon Milo B. Ward, Ma
jor James J. Johnson, Second Arkan-
sas Volunteers, and Major Emil S.
Helburn, Second Kentucky Volunteers.
Major Ward was chairman of the
board and Major Helburn recorder.
Their report is summed up as follows:
THE testimony herewith covers the
ground relative to the care of the sick
so completely that we do not consider
it essential to comment extensively on
it. There are, however. some features
regarding the management Of the hos
pital that we think demand especial at
tention. There was great deal of un-
necessary suffering and many deaths
resulting from lack of proper attention
TO the sick.
1T is our unanimous opinion the
basic cause for this unnecessary suffer
ing may be found in the principles gov
erning the management of hospital of
this kind 1t is not conceivable that
men taken from the ranks promiscu-
ously and with no previous preparation
and put in charge of helpless sick men
could do justice to them, and especially
so when forced to do so against their
wills
The next cause for i'll treatment of
the sick in this hospital came from lack
of supplies of every nature. We can
find no reasonable excuse for the lack
of supplies which could have been easily
obtained and were not, by those re-
sponsible, and they should be held
strictly responsible. So far as the of
ficers directly in charge of the hospitals
are concerned the evidence proves con
elusiyely that in most instances they
did the best they could under the cir
cumstances.
That there was decentralization OF
the medical corps. there is no doubt.
This caused feeling of indifference,
which led to actual neglect. The off
GERS in charge of the hospital convinced
the board that they had not failed to
make the necessary acquisitions for
supplies, but could not get them. 1t is
not possible for this board to say wheth
er they did all that was possible to be
done to get the supplies, but that they
did not succeed is apparent.
lit certainly appears that those high
er in authority, those who were in
positions to insist upon the proper
equipment of this hospital, should have
employed some means, whether in keep
ing with the strictest military routine
or not, to have furnished the common
comforts for every sick man sent to the
hospital. That they do not is appar
ent in the evidence.
1.-The location of the hospital was in
very unsanitary part of the park. II
was on the lowest point of the slope OF
hill and in close proximity to the
very lowest ground that could be found
in the entire park. All that has been
stated by witnesses regarding the un-
sanitary condition of the hospital wards
and sinks is true during the early
history of the hospital, but there was
much improvement of late, although
there was much to be desired under the
most favorable state of the institu
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