The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-08-10
THE SICKNESS IN GEN. sHAFTER'S
ARMY.

General Skaters latest report regarding
the health of his army is intended to be
explanatory Of the round robin" letter
which has caused so much comment. That
letter simply represented the alarming con-
dition of the army and the imminent dam
ger of destructive epidemic of yellow few
er, without going much into the peculiar
conditions of the case. General Skaters
letter shows that the great amount of sick
ness in the army was not due so much to
permanent climatic and other conditions as
to the extreme exhaustion and exposure of
the men, by which their strength and vital
ity had been so reduced as to make them
easy subjects for an epidemic. 'At least
70 per cent. of the command" he says, had
been down with malarial fever, from which
they recover very slowly and are in no con-
dition to stand an attack of yellow fever
or dysentery." He thinks that troops COM
ing there now in good health and condition.
with plenty of tentage and not exposed to
the peculiar hardships that his army was
for three weeks after its arrival, will not
suffer much from sickness. The material
ing sickness in General Skaters army was
not due so much to the unhealthiness of the
climate and to natural yellow fever condi-
lions as it was to the exceptional circum-
stances in which the army was placed and
the extraordinary exposure to which it was
by the fact that there has been very little
sickness of any kind among the men in the
navy off Santiago, and not a single case of
yellow fever nor a death since the ships
went there. A telegram from Admiral
Sa npson on the 9th inst reported the
marine battalion 'in excellent health. Sick
list number 21a per cent. Fleet surgeon re-
ports that they are in better condition for
service in this climate than they were when
they first arrived south in June" He said
there was no sickness to speak of among
the men on shipboard, although many of
them had not been ashore for seven months,
and he added Il do not think it necessary
to send the marine battalion north" This
shows conclusively that the vicinity OF
Santiago is not at present impregnated with
yellow fever else it would have appeared
among the men on shipboard as we'll as
among those on land and it tends to sup
port the view that the sickness in the army
is mainly due to the extreme exposure and
exhaustion of the troops.
Another point should be taken into ac-
count Medical officials have stated that in
spite of the warnings and specific instruc-
tions given to the troops before they landed
at Santiago, regarding the Importance of
certain precautionary measures and hy-
gienic observances, they were recklessly dis
regar ded from the very hour of landing.
This was excusableNn men who found them
selves Immediately engaged with the enemy,
but there were many who were not so en-
gagged and from all accounts the hygienic
directions of the medical authorities were
equally disregarded by these. 1t is hard to
make strong and healthy men realize the
Importance of such observances. but disre-
gard Of them is apt to bring its punishment.
In view of all the circumstances 1t is easy
to account for the alarming amount of sick
ness in General Skaters army and it is not
likely that other troops going to Santiago
will have anything like a similar expert
ence