The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-10-21
HOSPITALS AND SUPPLIES.
Two Subjects ON Which the Commis-
sion Examined Witnesses

SlOn EAuuhlneu WltMeSScS
JACKSONVILLE, Fla, Oct. 2O.-The war
investigating commission heard several of
the professional female nurses at the fore
noon session to-day, including Miss Cope
land chief nurse at the Third Division
hospitali Miss Robbins, head nurse at the
First Division hospital Miss Hubbard, head
nurse at the Second Division hospital. and
Misses Walker and Waters. ward nurses.
Miss Copeland spoke in commendation OF
the conduct of the hospitals, and she said
that the nurses were we'll treated and ap-
parently much respected. She said the
nurses had their own tent quarters, where
there was the privacy demanded by their
sex. They had in the beginning of their
stay here boarded at hotel but now they
had their own mess and preferred 1t. Miss
Copeland said that when the nurses first
came to the camp there was only one nurse
to each forty sixty patients, but this
condition had been steadily improved. There
was also in the beginning some scarcity of
appliances for the sick, such as hot water
bottles, which while not necessity. were
often a comfort She spoke of some nurses
who had made complaints but they were
of the kind of persons who are never satis-
fed with any situation. One Philadelphia
nurse had made severe criticism, but she
was of the kind of women who would leave
a patient to whom she had just given
bath to attend to some other errand before
drying him.
Maj James T.. Pitcher, of the regular
army, depot surgeon for the Seventh Army
Corps, said that since the early days of the
camp there had been no difficulty in secur-
ing an abundance Of medical supplies. and
that they were much more plentiful and Of
greater variety than was usual in the reg-
ular army. In the first history of the camp
supplies were ordered from Tampa and it
was difficult. sometimes impossible. to Sc
cure supplies He thought the medical
staff here was efficient as physicians. but
they were without administrative ability.
Many of them knew nothing of formulating
requisitions and were not disposed to learn.
To this DR.. Pitcher attributes the fact that
so much of relief society supplies were
asked in preference to those furnished by
the government He thought that If the
physicians had understood this line of their
business they need not have called on the
relief associations TO such an extent. Still,
the relief associations had ready money and
could supply all articles required imme-
diately. Furthermore there was no re-
sponsibility on the part of the surgeons for
the articles secured from outside sources az
there was for government supplies
DIR. Connor pressed DR.. Pitcher closely on
this point. saying TO him that the country
was full OF the report that the medical de-
partment of the government was not capa-
BILE Of meeting the demands made upon it.
and that but for the aid of such relief so
cieties as the Red Cross there would have
been actual suffering. To this Dr. Pitcher
replied that such was not the case, and he
maintained the sufiiciency Of the govern
ment to take good care of its own sick. He
said that It would have been ungraclous not
to accept the aid offered by the relief So
cieties
Capt. John W. swateka. of Company L,
Second Illinois. complained that on two or
three occasions the fresh meat furnished his
men had been poor but said that on all
other occasions the food had been good and
ample.
General Dodge told the captain that there