The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-11-04
DIR. HARTsUFF EXAMINED.
Conduct of Camp Thomas from a Med
icaI Point of View.

Conduct Of Camp Thomas from a Med
icaI Point of View.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 3-Dr. Hartsuff
who was chief surgeon of the army at Camp
Thomas, Chickamauga Park. from the 21st
Of April to the 9th of July last, was exam
ined to-day by Colonel DENLY. of the war
investigating commission, concerning the
conduct of the camp from a medical point
of view. He criticised various features in
the management of the camp, beginning
with the location of some of the regiments.
He said the park was upon general princi-
pies a good camp ground, but that some of
the regiments were located in swampy sec
tons and others on rocky ground, where it
was impossible to get the sinks of sufficient
depth. In other cases the camp was poorly
drained, and in most instances the tents
were too close together. He said the sites
were selected by General Brooke, and that,
Notwithstanding his own position as chief
medical officer, he had not been consulted
in regard to the location. He had made
formal protest at the time, but the protest
was not needed.
DR.. Hartsuff took positive ground against
the establishment of division hospitals at
the expense of the regiments. He said the
law for the organization of volunteer forces
did not provide for the enlistment of a hos
pltal corps, and that as a consequence there
was no force for the hospital work and the
only way to get one was to transfer men
from the volunteer force to the regular
force, and oftentmes these men were not
the most efficient. He thought a division or
field hospital was necessity, but he did not
think it should be built up as at present by
taking surgeons, stewards and ambulances
from the regiments, but rather as an indie
pendent institution. He had found that
reglmental surgeons and nurses transferred
to division hospital We're not so capable
OF rendering good service; many were quite
useless. Others were almost paralyzed
Furthermore, there was an immense con-
fusion in transferring the regimentaI effects
10 the hospital and in sending them back
when the regiments were ordered away. 1t
was, he said, case of confusion worse than
confOunded.
DO YOU, asked Colonel DENLY. 'think
the establishment of division hospitals bad
policy?'
Very bad as done,' responded the wit
ness.
Couldn't you, as chief medical officer.
asked.
No, sir: it was an order from the secre-
tary OF war, and under his order no regi-
mental hospital could be maintained"
He thought this order Unfortunate. that i'm
carrying II into effect the work of caring
WI lLiS SICK WAS greatly lnterefred with
ana that no one was benefited by it. DR..
Hartstun also expressed the opinion that
me water supply of the camp was not
good. He said that when the troops began
70 pour in the discovery was made with
alarm that the supply was insufficient and
mat ne, General Brooke and others had set
about to increase it, The decision to take
water from Chickamauga river had been ar
rived at under the necessity of great haste
put, Notwithstanding the intake pipe was
located above the mouth of the creek drain
ing the camp he did not consider the water
OF the river wholesome, and he had recon-
mSnded, even after the pipe line was estab-
lished to meet the emergency that ar
rangements should be made to extend the
system SO as to secure water from Crawfish
spring. He also said the men often insisted
upon using surface water which was moth
ing more than drainage from the camps. An
otner feature Of the camp system which DR..
Hartsun criticised was that of allowing
each regiment to have a refuse dump of its
own. This had rendered the camp very OBJ
Jectionable from hygenc point of view He
had recommended to General Brooke the
cremation of garbage.
DIR. Hartsuf1 stated that the recommends
ton had not been acted upon and in re-
Spouse to a question from Colonel DENLY
said medical officer could not execute, but
could could only recommend. He attributed the
failure to adopt his recommendations to the
CONFUSION incident to preparing a great
army for the field.
Asked if the volunteer army surgeons
under him were competent, DR.. Hartsuff re-
piled that some were while others were not
The great difficulty had been to secure men
pitfalls. He thought there had been suffer-
ing because of this ignorance and in
stanced one case in which he had found
big hospital practically out of food because
none of the surgeons connected with it
knew how to make ration return.
Summing up, Dr. Hartsuff said: I'm my
opinion, the sickness a Camp Thomas was
due largely to the inexperience and in many
cases the inefficiency of the medical officers
who did not furnish the support they should
have furnished to the medical department.
The execution of any plan of operation rests
largely with the line officers, the duties of
the surgeons being limited to recommends
tions They are therefore unable to correct
abuses themselves and must depend upon
others to do that. This applies to the Off
GERS of regiments as well as to general of
ficers.'s
DR.. Hartsuff holds the rank of colonel in
the regular army and is 2ow chief surgeon
quarters at Chicago.
Colonel M. II. McCord, of the First Ter
ritorial Infantry, to-day went before the
investigating commission and made the fol-
lowing statement: II see by newspaper re-
ports that Lieutenant Colonel ID. d. Mitch
ell, of my regiment, the First Territorial
United States Volunteer Infantry, who be-
fore joining the regiment was captain in
the Fifteenth Infantry. gave some testl-
terday at Lexington, KY to the effect that
acquisitions made by the commanding officer
of that regiment lmyself) had not been
promptly responded to. / wish to contradict
that statement if IL was made. Every requ1-
sition that have made in behalf OF the regl-
meQL. OIL Whatever IldtuTS, udS USSH pIOApt-
ly complied with. One requistion that |
made on the quartermaster at San Fran
Arizona for shoes, clothing, hats and blan-
kets, and which must have weighed several
thousand pounds was shipped to me by eX-
press, thus causing the supplies to reach
me four days sooner than they would If
shipped by freight. The medical officers of
the regiment have never complained or
lack of medicine supplies, nor has the quar-
termaster or the commissary ever made
complaints that they could not get their
we'll equipped in every way. This fact will
be patent when say that in the early part
of july the regiment was mustered into the
service and contained thirteen hundred and
eight men and officers. Up to the present
date it has lost but three men by death
and has now over 1900 officers and men
ready for duty"
AT CAMP MEADE.