Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-06-09
HOSPITAL SHIP EXPERIMENT
Its Success Gratifying the Navy De-
partment.
Great Advance Made in the Care of
Sick and Wounded SaiIOrs-Likely
to he Initiated.

Surgeon General Van Reypen of the navy
is back from a trip to New York, where he
Inspected the naval ambulance ship the
So'ace and the sick and wounded
brought up from Admiral SIMPSONS feet,
ffty-four in all. The wounded include those
who participated in the engagements at
Cardenas, Cienfuegos and Matanzas. The
men doing well, and there will BE- no
fatalities resulting. One of the men will
lose arm, that member was so man
gled by a shell that amputation above the
elbow was necessary. All the other pa
tents will be more fortunate. Surgical sci
ence has made such great advances since
the civil that there will be such
great losses of limbs and other permanent
disfisurements occurred thirty years ago.
One of the men brought up on the Solace
had his thigh hcne shattered by piece of
Spanish she'll Tne she'll went into the f1eshy
part Of the thigh, crushing the bone to
splinters and emerging on the other side of
the leg. 1t made u gaping wound complete
ly through the leg, with the thigh bon.
cred. During the civil war such wound
would have necassitated amputation of the
leg near the hip. But under the present
methods of antiSe ptic treatment amputa-
ton not necessary in this case. The
treatment already has shown that the limb
will be saved, although it may be a trfie
shorter than before.
present methods of trea tment do away with
much of the intense suffering the soldier of
the civil war had to pass through. The
other wounds under treatment are not of a
serious character and call for special
surgical skill. The sick men, about forty
four in number, have nc signs of conta gious
disease, their ailments being chronic, such
as consumption, heart disease, etc. They
were taken away from the fighting ships, as
the northern latitude will aid in their re-
coVery, and also because sickless on board
skip has a depressing influence on the fight
Ing crews.
The lee Cream Ship.
The sufferers. both sick and wounded,
showed their delight when taken aboard the
Solace. 1t is appointed like modern hos
pital, with cheerful wards and every ia
cility toward restoring health. Some of the
old tars speedily named the Solace the lice
cream ship" the ice-making machine
aboard permitted the nurses to give the
sick and wounded ice cream as one of their
delicacies. When chicken was served to
some Of the patients they declared that
they were now living in hotel. The SUBJ
stdntias are furnished by the navy but
| many delicacies, such as lemons, oranges,
Jellles, chickens. etc, have been furnished
by private contribution, and are looked
| upon in the care of the sick as almost as es,
sential solid foods.
DIR. Van Reypen is gratified with the sue
cess OF the Solace. 1t is distinct depart
ure in the care of sick and wounded and
at the outset was looked upon as rather
experimental. During the civil war our
sick and wounded were kept in hospitals
at the mouth of the Mississippi river, at
Key West and at other points near the
scene of action. The intense heat of the
south added to the distress of the wounded,
largely increasing the death rate.
A Policy That VIII BE Initiated.
DR.. Van Reypen determined upon a new
policy in the present war. He intends to
remove all the sick and wounded to the
north. the Solace making trips back and
| forth, between the feet and northern
ports He feels that the experimental stage
| Is now past and that the plan of an ambu-
| lance ship. continually moving the sick and
wounded from the scene of action, is an es-
Ia blished improvement the old methods.
| The British naval observer visited the