The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1898-09-01

EaCh Pauent Has Abundant Room, woven
Wire and Hair Mattresses and Abundant
Bed Clothing The Nurses Attentive and
Kindly and the Food Well Cooked Only
Fever Patients Were Denied Harmful
FoOd-General Boynton Believes the AL
legged Interviews With chaplains, Regi-
mental Surgeons and Others To Be False.
His Reply to New York's Surgeon General.
Washington, Sept 1.-Secretary Alger
yesterday received the report of Cen
eral II. V. Boynton upon the state of
affairs in the hospitals at Camp
Thomas. The report is dated Aug. 20.
Says General Boynton:
Believing the death list of this camp
to afford an excellent standard by
which to measure It's conditions as to
health and hospital service, a full re-
port was obtained OF all deaths in the
camp and in its hospitals since its es-
lishment in the middle Of April last.
The result shows total death list of
1913 up to the 22d of this month. when
the breaking up of this camp began.
and volunteers, fully 1900 troops have
been in camp in Chickakmauga Park.
The record of burials In the National
cemetery at Chattanooga shows a total
of 120 volunteers and regulars. OF the
latter one of these was killed by falling
from a railway train"
The report takes up in detail first the
two permanent hospitals, Letter and
1fr.,.V H.
mnuteness the exact accommodation af-
forded by each. The first is at Crawfish
Springs, under charge OF Major Carter,
and was converted from a large sum
mer resort hotel into hospital, re-
ceiving the worst typhoid cases from
the camp. Each patient has abundant
room, woven wire and hair mattresses,
and abundant bed clothing. The ven
tilation is perfect, plumbing entirely
new and bathing facilities ample. The
number of attendants, when all are
well, is entirely satisfactory and at
tendants rae on the way to take the
places Of those who rre broken down.
Major Carter has secured a herd Of
COWS and has arrangements for pas
turing them without expense to the
government. He has sufficient money
from the hospital fund 20 buy what
ever is wanted in the way of milk, ice
and other dellcacies. There has been at
this hospital full supplies Of Ice, milk,
commissary stores and delicacies such
as the sick ought to have, and the
funds have enabled him to buy all that
has been needed in the way OF canned
and potted goods. soups clam juice.
sago, matted milk, eggs, koumiss, jel-
lies, preserves, relishes, ginger, oil. ap-
polinaris, champagne and claret. The
entire hospital is furnished with dis
titled water and the ice used is made
from distilled water. The sewerage of
the hospital Is excellent.
Taking up the Sternberg hospital, in
charge of Major Giffen, General Boyn-
ton shows that 1t is one of the most
complete field hospitals ever seen, ac-
cordng to veterans of the late war. All
the tents are closely noored, and they
are separate. At present only four mer
are in any tent, and in addition to the
tents there are nine large hoard pa
villons. Every tent and pavilion hai
woven wire mattresses, iron bedstead
and hair mattresses. There are es
pecial diet cooks, five cold storag,
rooms for delicacies, separate refriger
ators for each row of tents, and ever.
proper measure of sanitation is OBJ
served with respect to the sinks.
The First division hospital, in charg,
of Major Drake, Is floored with planeC
lumber and 1t is as clean as is possible
being scrubbed with carbolic acid and
treated with bicholrlde of mercury
every other day. All the patients are OF
cots and never have been on the grount
for any length of time. None of the g.
cents allowance per man for delicaciel
has been used, as 1t was not needed.
The next hospital inspected was tn
Third division hospital, Third corps, II
charge of Major Thomas Clark. Her
the attendants were found sufficient
though in the earlier days there wer
not enough surgeons or attendants
The grounds were in excellent condi
tion, the tents clean, most Of the tent
fioored and all fioored between the cot
and In the aisles. For a time the hos
pital was a week behind I'm obtainin
its medical supplies, but this was be
fore the government had collected II
medical stores in great quantities.
Taking up the last of the field hos
pitals, that Of the Third corps, Secon
division, under Major Smith, the re
port states that the SO tents are a
present not all occupied, though, dur
ing the epidemic of measles, they weI
crowded.
Leaving the details about the hospit
ais the report proceeds to treat tn
whole subject generally as follows:
''In two of the hospitals opportunitie
occurred for discovery of what un
doubtedly originated many Of the sen
sational stories which have been print
ed over the country to the effect tina
t patients in the hospitals lacked sui
} ficient food, and in many cases had bee
5 on the verge Of starvation. In tn
wards where the convalescent typhoi
f fever patients were found many OF tn
men were constantly asking for foo
and were as a matter of course con
stantly denied everything except tn
lighter forms of food, which can alon
be safely administered to recoverin
typhoid patients. This refusal OF foo
throughout the hospitals by which car
alone. as is perfectly understood, ca
the lives of typhoid convalescents
saved, has been distorted into the or
which has been spread throughout III
| pnuntrV that patiantS were helm