The record-union., 1898-10-09


two witnesses to-day. They were DIR.
Giffin, who was in charge of the Stern
berg Hospital at Camp Thomas, Chick
amauga Park, Ca, and Captain Bald
ridge, a brigade Commissary of Sub
sistence at Camp Cuba Libre at jack
sonville.
The Commission has practically de-
cided TO start on the night of the 10th
on its round OF the various camps.
They will go either to Camp Meade or
to Jacksonville first. All the camps
will be visited in succession, but the
understanding is that the trip to Camp
Wikoff will not be fade until some
time in November Next week will be
given largely to the inspection of offi-
cial reports and to other statements
that have been furnished in answer to
letters.
TESTIMONY BEFORE THE COM
MISSION.
WASHINGTON, Oct. S.-The War
Investigating Commission began its
proceedings with Major r. Emmet Gift
fen on the stand. He was Chief Sur
geon at Camp Thomas, and told of his
visit to the Second Division Hospital
in July last, when he said it was over
crowded. In each tent and under it's
flies there were eight or nine men,
when there should have been four to
six. There was a sufficiency Of physi-
clans, and Major Giffen was sure that
they were competent men The ma
jority of patients were suffering from
typhoid fever and venereal diseases,
about 20 per cent. being of the latter
class. He thought the croWding of the
hospital was from lack of sufficient
tentage, a fault due to the surgeon
in charge.
Dr. Giffen made his visit to the di-
vision hospital to see a man of his
brigade who had been shot in the leg.
He found him in a tent with typhoid
fever patients, and consequently had
him removed.
Dr. Giffen advocated regimental rath-
er than divisional hospitals He said
there would be the advantage. Of classi-
1ication in the larger hospitals, If the
classification was made, which it was
not as rule, as the men were brigaded
then. The division hospital surgeons
We're competent in their profession,
some Of them being the most competent
1n the United States. The sinks were
poorly located. They were too near the
kitchen and were too shallow. Many
of them wore only seventy-dve feet
from the company kitchen, and were
open when he arrived He then had
them moved further back, and gave di-
Tections for daily disinfection and COW
ering By this time, however, the regi-
ments were all infected, as he thought
by the flies going from the sinks to
the mess tables.
Dr. Giffen was given charge of the
construction of the Sternberg Hospital
on August 1st, and after the hospital
was constructed was the Chief Sur
geon there. He said the tents COM
prising this hospital were 14x15,
floored and supplied with four beds
each. There We're 100 tents and a
number of wooden buildings. Five hun
dred and thirty-three was the largest
number of men at the hospital at one
time, and all told 1,127 men had been
healed there up to the 9th inst. OF
these, So per cent. were typhoid, the
next most prolific case being venereal
troubles. There had been sixty-seven
deaths at the institution The cases
sent to him We're generally the most
dangerous He had twenty-five con-
tract surgeons and two regulars, aud
167 female nurses and 159 members of
the Hospital Corps acting as nurses.
He had received no complaints, and
ne was sure the attendants were eff
cient. His acquisitions were sent di-
rect to the Surgeon General at Wash
ington, often by wire. and there was
never any delay, often being directed
TO purchase at Chattanooga Many ar
ffcles were sent TO the men from the
North, but as a rule they spoiled be-
fore they arrived. and could not be
used. When patients began to con-
valesce they We're put on a special diet
for a week, and then furloughed and
sent home He was particular not to
allow any OF the patients to leave for
home until they were sufficiently re-
covered TO render 1t safe for them to
do so.
He related how Governor Bradley Of
Kentucky came to the hospital, saying
he had come 10 take the Kentucky men
home DR.. Giffen refused at first, bat
afterward consented to leave the mat
ter tor the patients themselves. Out of
sixteen only one said he wanted to
go. and he was insane.
DIR. Giffen had no complaint Of neg
lect TO make against any Of the Off
cials of the War Department, and he
had heard of only one complaint. There
were no matches for twenty-four hours
He thought that the contract surgeons
should havel been examined before they
were appointed. They were not so ex-
amined, to his knowledge.
The doctor expressed the opinion that
fhe complaints of starvation had arisen
from the fact that it was necessary
to put convalescents from TYPHOID feNer
on a sparse diet. He thought many
deaths had been caused by overfeeding
after convalescents had returned TO
their homes Orders were given TO MS
knowledge for prompt measures look
ing to the suppression of the fever
when 1t broke out, but the orders had
not been obeyed. He knew OF more
cases in which the sinks We're TO the
last within twenty feet Of the kitchens,
and in the cases of the Fourteenth
Minnesota and Ninth Pennsylvania
Regiments the sinks We're crowded
near the kitchens, when there was
quarter Of a mile of open field back
of them. He thought that it had been
a mistake to locate so many men TO-
yether as were at Camp Thomas.
Reouisitions had been honored prompt
ly.
II got everything 1 asked for, from