The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-11-08
In CHICAGO.
BoardHearing,
Testimony.
DR.. [. SCHOOLGIRLS
Opinion in Regard to Con
ditions at Camp Thomas.

Chicago, Nov. Gen. Dodge. Col.
Sexton and DR.. Conner of the war in
vestigation committee arrived in Chi
cago today and began the examination
of a witness at the Auditorium Hotel.
DR.. Lewis Schooler Of Des Moines,
Ia, was the first witness today From
June TO July II. DR.. Schooler was
stationed at Camp Thomas, as chief
surgeon of the Second division, Third
CORPS
At the opening, said DR. Schooler,
there were practically no facilities for
the care of the sick; we were short of
medicines and had no apparatus by
which the stewards could prepare the
medicines we had The regimental
hospitals, all but one or two, were as
| poorly supplied with medicines. Re
QUESTIONS were made for more, but
they were generally disapproved at
camp headquarters. Supply depart
ment had certain hours for issuing sup
plies. and at other times nothing could
I be obtained. There was a scarcity Of
beds in the hospitals.
At one time practically half of our
nursing force were sick or in the guard
house for INSTRUMENTATION
Dr. Conner asked-"Why was not a
demand made by somebody that better
or more nurses should be sent to that
place."
DR.. Schooler replied-"I don't know /
wrote the surgeon general once protest.
| ing against the difficulty of securing
supplies. Part of the blame rested
upon the quartermaster's department .
Asked to give in as few words as
possible, his opinion about the general
ut C.v :,
time he was stationed there, Dr.
Schooler said:
I'm the first place the quartermaster
and surgeons could not agree as to
the number of tents that we should
have. Col. Lee commended that we
We're limited to a certain number of
tents-17, | think it was, in the begin
ming. We afterward prevailed upon
him to give us 81. His contention was
that he could not issue tents beyond the
prescribed number. I think he based
the number Of tents upon $50 patients,
and when the number of patients be-
came greater we could not make him
understand that we had to have more
tents. 1t was his refusal to increase
that number of tents that made the
overcrowding
1.-THE lack of medicines, the lack of
trained nurses and the lack Of suffi-
cient number of surgeons was mate
rial difficulty. One cause of the pre-
valence Of the sickness in the camp
was that we had three regiments, who
came there with great deal Of sick
ness-the First Mississippi and the
First and Second Arkansas.
There was much typhoid and dy-
sentery in those regiments. I think
the quartermaster's department was
largely responsible for the great sick
ness, the medical department--that is
the supply department-was also re-
sponsible for some things. Then, we
lacked facilities to make reports-did
not even have stationery. We were
told all the time the reports must be
made"
DR.. Conner asked: so far as you
know, was there on the part Of any
medical officer or surgeon any wilful
neglect in the care of the sick?"
DR.. Schooler replied: mo, sir; the
great difficulty was in obtaining sup
plies. and ] think the hitch came be-
tween Col. Hartsuff and the medical
supply department.
For the successful care of the sick
Dr. Schooler considered the division
hospital far superior to the regimental
| hospital.
I left on the 18th of July" he said
before any epidemic had set in. In my