The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1898-11-10
NEGLECT IN HOSPITALS.
As Testified To Before the War In
vestigating Commission.
DIR. WARDS STRONG EVIDENCE.


oGive His Pet Dog'-Sick Men laid
on the Ground All Day-Denouncinu
Gen. Boynton and Hospital Surgeons.
Chicago, Nov. S.-General Dodge.
Colonel Sexton and Dr. Conner, Of the
war investigating commission. arrived
In Chicago yesterday and Immediately
began the examination of witnesses at
the Auditorium hotel. A large number
OF witnesses are on the list. and 1t Is
not likely that the three members Of
the commission will leave Chicago be-
fore Wednesday. They will then leave
Tor Detroit, where the investigation
will be continued. From Detroit the
commissioners will go direct to Wash
ington.
DR.. Lewis Schooler. of Des Meines,
Ia, was the first witness to testify yes
terday. From June to July II DIR.
Schooler was stationed ut Camp
Thomas as chief surgeon OF the Sec
ond division, Third corps. Questioned
by DR.. Conner he said that during the
time he was there the sanitary condi-
tions in the hospitals was not very
good, the sinks In the whole division
were bad, owing principally to the
character OF the ground. and the dis
cipline was rather lax There was also
scarcity of medicines. The doctor
thought both the nurses and officers
were overworked.
Another witness was Mrs. Virginia
r.. Betz. OF Chicago. She entered COM
plant in regard to the death OF her son,
Frank T., who enlisted with Company
l.. First Illinois volunteers. He was
takn sick at Santiago, and was taken
to Montauk on the transport Berlin
From here he was allowed to go home
on furlough, when he should have been
sent to the hospital. He was sent home
entirely unattended, and was compelled
to ride I'm day coach instead Of being
provided with a berth in a sleeping
car. ii . arrived home on Sept. and
or Sept 10 he died. 1t was the opinion
of Mrs. Betz that the medical officers
should nave sent him to the hospita al,
or If he muTI be sent home she claim
ed that he should have had an at
tendant
DR.. Mino II. Ward, Of Kansas City,
who wa, a brigade surgeon at Camp
Thomas from July IL to Sept. 10. asked
as to the condition of the hospitals
said tina there was a great lack of
medicine s, only some Of the simplest
OF medi' lines being on hand. THE
food whi Oh was furnished the raen,"
said he, '''I would not want to give to
my pet dog" He said that the food
would ha We been all right had II been
properly cooked. but in the shape in
which 1t WAS brought to the men 1t
was enou Gh to make anybody sick
The doctc r was then questioned as to
the lack 0f attention shown patients
just comb TX down with disease The
doctor sta ted that he knew of several
cases whe re the patient was allowed
to lie out The ground the whole day
and also d Iring the night, before taken
to the no 'pitGlo Sometimes some of
the men W, re put on the bare ground
but within few hours they were al
ways put n cots or stretchers"
DR.. Conn sr-"What was the reason
that the Sec ond division hospital of the
Third army corps had. as 1t certainly
did have. Il ie worst reputation of any
hospital dui ing the war;"
Dr. Ward -""rhe First reason, IN my
judgment is that the hospital had for
its corps 81 tTgeon man who never
paid any att ention to II whatever. His
name was !off. The next reason Ia
that the man In charge OF he hospital,
the division surgeon. very seldom Wis
tied the hosp ltal or paid any attention
to it, His ma me was Jenny. The next
reason IL the Il there were not enough
doctors at nv time to take care Of
the patients without overworkng the
doctors and making them too i'll to get
out OF bed. T he next reason Is that the
nurses We're never competent in any
sense OF the word. but they did the
best they coull when you consider their
ignorance. Some Of them could not
even road. They were forced To do the
work under protest. and of course did
only what they We're obliged to-"
In reply to further questions DR.
Ward said:
THE necessities were not available
from the army supplies, and had 1t not
been for the Red Cross some of the
soldiers would have starved. Requisl-
tion after rcquisition was forwarded.
and yet no relief came"
When asked as to his opinion for the
responsibility OF the conditions at
Camp Thomas DR.. Ward said:
For the condition of the camp first
the man who insisted that the camp
was perfect and that the hospital was
well run. That man was General Boyn-
ton"
DR.. Nicholas Sem gave testimony
before the commission at the evening
session. He was at Chckamauga three
weeks in June. Forty thousand
troops were there at the time" he
said "and the sick accumulated very
rapidly. When l was there good
many of the sick were on the ground.
Medical supplies were on hand to lin
tied extent"
DIR. Sem said he thought the men
In charge of the hospitals did very well
considering that they were new in the
service.
When asked as to the conditions pre-
vailing at the front at Santiago DR.. |
Sem said there were very few cots |
for the sick ones, and most of the men /
slept on the ground. In Porto Rico |
DR., Sem said he found the hospitals |
In good condition.