The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-09-01
DEFENDING
HOSPITALS
Result of an Investigation
by General Boynton.
EENSATIONALISM REBUKED.
Chiokamauga Park Hospitals Well
-, Provided For
HOSPITAL SUPPLIES NOT SCARCE.

Each Patient 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 H. 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. 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
asS up to the 22d of this MONTH when
the breaking up of this camp began.
Between these dates. including regulars
and volunteers, fully 1900 troops have
been In camp In Chickakmauga Park.
The record of burials in the National
cemetery at Chattanooga shows total
OF 120 volunteers and regulars. OF the
latter one Of these was killed by falling
from railway train"
The report takes up in detail first the
two permanent hospitals, Letter and
Sternberg. and states with the greatest
minuteness the exact accommodation af-
forded by each. The first is at Crawfish
Springs. under charge of Major Carter,
and was converted from large sum-
mer resort hotel into a 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
citation Is perfect, plumbing entirely
new and bathing facilities ample. The
number of attendants. when all are
well, Is entirely satisfactory, and at
PENDANTS rae on the way to take the
places of those who are broken down.
Major Carter has secured herd of
cows and has arrangements for pas
turing them wit .out expense to he
government. He has sufficient money
from the hospital fund TO buy what
ever Is wanted in the way of milk ice
and other delicacics. There has been at
this hospital full supplies of ice, milk,
commssary stores and decacies 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-
Hes. preserves, relishes, ginger, oil. ap-
pOllnaris. 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 sger seen, ac-
D, ,cOrdina to Veterans of the1ate war. All
the tents are closely hoored. and they
are separate. At present only four men
are in any tent, and in addition to the
tents there are nine large board pa
tSHt pdSlhDl has
woven wire mattresses, iron bedsteads
and hair mattresses. There are es-
pecial diet cooks, five cold storage
rooms for delicacies. separate refrigcr-
atOrs for each row of tents, and every
proper measure of sanitation Is OBJ
served with respect to the sinks.
The First division hospital, in charge
of Major Drake. is floored with planed
lumber and 1t Is as clean as is possible,
being scrubbed with carbolic acid and
treated with bicholride of mercury
every other day. All the patients are on
cots and never have been on the ground
for any length of time. None of the co
cents allowance per man for delicacies
has been used. as 1t was not needed.
The next hospital inspected was the
Third division hospital. Third corps. in
charge of Major Thomas Clark. Here
the attendants were found sufficient,
though in the earlier days there were
not enough surgeons or attendants.
The grounds were in excellent condi-
ton, the tents clean, most Of the tents
noored and all floored between the cots
and In the aisles. For time the hos
pital was a week behind in obtaining
fits medical supplies, but this was be-
fore the government had collected its
medical stores in great quantities.
Taking up the last OF the field hos
pitals, that of the Third corps, Second
division, under Major Smith, the re-
port states that the 53 tents are at |
present not all occupied though, dur
Ing the epidemic of measles, they were |
crowded
! Leaving the details about the hospit- |
ais the report proceeds to treat the |
whole subject generally as follows:
I'm two of the hospitals opportunities |
occurred for discovery of what un-
doubtedly originated many of the sem
sational stories which have been print |
ed over the country to the effect that |
patients in the hospitals lacked suf-
ficent food, and in many cases had been |
on the verge Of starvation. In the !
wards where the cOnvalescent typhoid |
fever patients were found many of the
men were constantly asking for food |
and were as a matter of course con-
etantly denied everything except the !,
lighter forms of food, which can alone
BE safely administered to recovering
typhoid patients. This refusal Of food
Throughout the hospitals.by which care
alone. as is perfectly understood, can
the lives of typhoid convaescents be I
saved, has been distorted into the cry