Daily camera., 1898-08-04
THE HOSPITAL SHIP.
A Splendid Institution of Modern
Naval Warfare.
In 1t Are Embodied All the Improve
ments of Progressive Humanity
and Scientific Surgical
Research.

Surgeon General Van Reypen, of the
navy, returned few days ago from
New York, where he inspected the
naval ambulance ship the Solace and
saw the sick and wounded brought up
from Admiral SIMPSONS fleet, "a in
all. The wounded include those who
participated in the engagements at
Cardenas, Cienfuegos and Matanzas.
The men are doing well, and there will
be no fatalities resulting. One of the
men will lose an arm, as that member
was SO mangled by a shell that ampu-
tation above the elbow was necessary
All the other patients will be more
fortunate. Surgical science has made
such great advances since the civil war
that there will be no such great losses
of limbs and other permanent disfg-
urements as occurred 30 years ago.
One of the men brought up on the
Solace had his thigh bone shattered
by a piece of Spanish shell. The shell
went into the fieshy part of the thigh,
crushing the bone to splinters and
emerging on the other side of the leg
1t made gaping wound completely
through the leg, with the thigh bone
severed. During the civil war such
a wound would have necessitated am
putation of the leg near the hip. But
under the present methods of anti
septic treatment amputation was not
necessary in this case. The treatment
already has shown that the limb will
be saved, although it may. be a tritie
shorter than before.
Not only is amputation avoided, but
the present methods of treatment do
away with much of the intense suffer-
ing the soldier of the civil war had to
pass through. The other wounds un-
der treatment are not of a serious
character and call for no special surgi
cal skill. The sick men, about A in
number, have no signs of contagious
disease, their ailments being chronic,
such as consumption, heart disease,
etc. They were taken away from the
fighting ships, as the northern latitude
will aid in their recovery, and also be-
cause sickness on board ship has a de-
pressing influence on the fighting
crews.
The sufferers, both sick and wound
ed, showed their delight when taken
aboard the Solace. 1t is appointed like
modern hospital, with cheerful
wards and every facility toward re-
storing health. Some of the old tars
speedily named the Solace the lice
cream ship" as the ice-making ma
chine aboard permitted the nurses to
give the sick and wounded ice cream
as one of their delicacies. When
chicken was served to some of the pa
tients they declared that they were
now living in hotel. The substantials
are furnished by the navy, but many
delicacies, such as lemons, oranges,
jellies, chickens, ETC., have been fur
nished by private contribution, and
are looked upon in the care of sick as
almost as essential as solid foods.
Dr.. Van Reypen is gratfied with the
success Of the Solace. 1t is a distinct
departure in the care, of sick and
wounded, and at the outset was looked
upon as rather experimental. During
the civil war our sick and wounded
were kept in hospitals at the mouth of
the Mississippi river, at Key West and
at other points near the scene of ac
ton. The intense heat of the south
added to the distress of the wounded,
largely increasing the death rate.
Dr.. Van Reypen determined upon
,,,+ lo
tends to remove all the sick and
wounded to the north, the Solace max
ing trips back and forth, between the
feet and northern ports. He feels that
the experimental stage is now past
and that the plan of an ambulance
ship continually moving the sick and
wounded from the scene of action Is an
established improvement on the old
methods.
The British naval observer visited
the Solace at Key West. and said that
it was the first hospital ship of the
kind he had ever seen. He was i'm
pressed with the completeness of the
Solace's outfit, and indicated that this
modern device for mitigating the hor-
rors of war would attract the atten-
ton of foreign countries and be gen
orally adopted.
The Solace arrived at the Brooklyn
navy yard and transferred her 81 pa
tients to the naval hospital at Brook
lyn. She sailed to rejoin Admiral
SIMPSONS fleet and take away such
further sick and wounded as may be
there. DR.. Van Reypen sent aboard
$1,000 worth of delicacies contributed
by private parties. and also give the
chief surgeon Of the ship $500 for fur
ther use in this line. This is an addi-
tion to the substantials on board. and
it will mean much to the parched
throats of the sick and wounded who
come from SIMPSONS fleet.-Washing-
ton Star.
A Terrible Shock.