Evening star., 1898-07-23
Work of Binding Up the Wounds Of
Battle.
RESULT OF GENEVA CONVENTION OF '64
The Red Cross and Kindred Or.
CARNATIONS.
RELIEF FOR THE SUFFERING

ton was to consider an international
treaty which should guarantee protection
during a war 10 the wounded and those
caring for them as well as to the buildings
used as hospitals and all ambulances, sup
plies, ETC.. used by the hospital attendants
Such a treaty was drawn up and signed
at the Geneva convention, and the flag of
Switzerland, with the colors reversed, was
adopted as the badge of neutrality and pro-
lection among the nations. This badge is
the Greek cross of red upon white ground,
and the flag of these colors is flown by all
nations in this treaty, under the flag of the
country itself, to indicate the location of
the hospitals. The red cross worn upon the
left sleeve is the badge of neutrality borne
by the medical departments of the gov
ernm@nts, and according to the treaty reg
ulatfons every building flying this cross
of the government medical departments
and all physicians, surgeons and attend
ants belonging to these departments are
protected, so far possible, from being
fired upon or otherwise injured during the
war.
In 1882 the United States signed this in
ternatiohai treaty, which has now been
adopted by all civilized nations. Under its
provisions the army of the United States
has, as one of its constituent parts, the
hospital corps, which at the outbreak of
the present war numbered 800 men, all
IltDltudlly wearing the req cross upon their
sleeves. These men are thoroughly trained
under the army surgeons in the duties of
army nurses, including aid to the injured
stretcher and ambulance work, and hospi-
tai duty. They answered all the needs of
our standing army, and these men are now
in Cuba rendering efficient aid to the army
surgeons, who themselves, of course, also
wear the red cross badge. 1t is these
nurses, surgeons, and ambulances who
have, according to reports from the front,
been at times, fired upon by Spanish sharp
shooters. The volunteer army also has its
hospital corps, the surgeons and nurses
of which are, like those of the regular
army, under the orders of the surgeon gen
eral of the army and wear the badge of his
department. So far possible trained
male nurses have been enlisted for this
work, but, as the supply of these is ex-
tremely limited, the army has been COM
have been given and are being given
much instruction in their duties as has been
possible The corps has in this way now
been increased to $500 men, and enlist
ments are still going on.
American National Red Cross.
Much confusion has arisen In the public
mind from the fact that Miss Clara Bar
ton. whose name is a synonym for charita
BILE deeds. is the president of a civil organi-
za tion whose badge Is identical with the
red cross of the army and navy medical
departments. No laws have been passed
governing the of this red cross, and
many organizations have adopted 1t, though
&C mmonly in conjunction with other de-
Wees. Any society now can call itself
red cress society" but the American Ma
tcnal Red Cross, of which Miss Barton is
the president, is the only one that is a
branch of the international society called
the Red Cross. In most of the countries
which have adopted the international
treaty there exists a civil society of the
Red Cross, whose purpose is to render aid
fn mil CfafT fryr ic
fortunate. in spite of a long period of
peace, as to have exceptionally well Or
ganized medical departments of both army
and navy. and the Red Cross Society has,
up to the time of the present war, had no
occasion to aid the surgeon general Its
work has been the relief of suffering at
times Of great calamity.
In foreign countries the Red Cross Society
il Immediately under the control of the
military authority and auxiliary to it. In
Norway the surgeon general of the army
is also president of the Red Cross Associa-
ton. In Japan it is thoroughly organized
army. In the United States it is an indie
pendeot society.
This society has received permission from
the P. asident of the United States to estab-
At the present time Miss Barton, president
of the society, is helping the government
in Its efforts to feed the starving Cubans
She has six nurses with her, but unforty-
nately all are now i'll with yellow fever
and the Cubans are therefore deprived of
their services.
ID. A. r. Hospital Corps.
At the outbreak Of the war the National
Society Of the Daughters of the American
Revolution offered to investigate the quail
fcations of the thousands Of women who
APPLIED for hospital positions under the
government. and their offer was gladly ac-
cepted by the SUI geons general Of both the
army and the navy. Consequently the
Daughters of the American Revolution or
&c snized hospital corps, with DR.. Anita
Newcomb McGee as it's director. Between
5000 and 1900 applications have already
been referred to its organization by the
Navy Department, or received by 1t
directly.
A majority CT the applicants have not
had hospital experience but offer them
selves from purely patriotic motives. Many
are ladies of wealth and refinement, and
others are the old type of country and
ne;shborhood nurses. But indeed, every
SORT and variety Of woman is represented,
TIE one bond OF union being the desire TO
serve their country. Several hundred are
from trained nurses In every case the
qualifications and recommendations of the
applicants have been carefully examined,
and it has been ascertained whether or not
they were immune to yellow fever, SO as
to be able to nurse patients affected with
that disease.
On the recommendation of the d. A. r.
hes pital corps the surgeon general has
employed over 100 trained women nurses.
They are at the general army hos
pitai at Key West, at Fort McPher
son, at Chickamauga Park, at Fort Myer
(rear Camp Alger), and at the newly es-
tablisheG hospital at Fort Monroe, Va. In
addition six are serving on the United
States hospital ship Relief, and twenty
immune women nurses are en- route to
Santiago. All these nurses are paid by
the government are under the orders of
the surgeon general and are the only
women regularly enrolled in the army of
the United States
In addition to the army nurses. the hos
pital corps has supplied the naval hospital
at Norfolk with volunteer female nurses.
In addition to the hospital corps, the d.
A. r. has n committee. of which Mrs.
Daniel Manning. president of the society,
is chairman, and Mrs. Russell A. Alger,
wife of the Secretary of War, is vice chair
man, and which numbers among It's MEM
bers the wives OF many of the principal
al my and navy officers, including Mrs.
George NJ Sternberg. This committee has
fund at it's disposal from which it has
already drawn to furnish comforts for the
hospital train which Is now transporting
the wounded from the coast to northern
hospitals, aud it has just voted to present
i launch for the hospital ship now fitting
out for the Porto Rlcan expedition.