The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1898-09-02
The Surgeon General To Blame.

The Surgeon General To Blame.
Washington, Aug. Pa discov-
cry was made at the war department
yesterday which explains to some ex-
tent the reports that soldiers under
treatment in military hospitals have
not been provided with proper arti-
Giles Of diet. The acting secretary Of
war found that an order issued from
the adjutant generals office, for trans
mission to the various officers of the
medical corps by the surgeon general,
had not been generally distributed.
The order provides definite fund
for use in purchasing delicacies for
the sick under treatment in hospitals,
but it was discovered by Acting Sec
rotary Meiklejohn that the chief sur
geon at the Fort Myer, Va, hospital,
just across the river from Washing
ton, had not even heard of the exist.
ence of the order, which was issued
August 10.
When the matter was brought to
the acting secretary's attention he di.
rected that the substance OF the order
be transmitted by the surgeon gener-
al at once by telegraph to every chief
surgeon in charge of general hospi-
tails and field hospitals. The first
paragraph of the order follows
Medical officers in charge of gener-
al hospitals, hospital trains, hospital
transports and the hospital at the
camp at Pablo Beach, Fla, and at
the hospital at the camp at Montauk
Point, N. Y, will be allowed to ex-
pend from the appropriation, sub
sistence of the army for the diet of
the enlisted men undergoing medical
treatment under their charge, at the
rate of not exceeding 60 cents per
man per day for the period each is un-
dergoing treatment. The allowance
so made will constitute special fund
in the hands of the medical officer in
charge, from which will be purchased
the entire diet of the enlisted men
while undergoing medical treatment.
These purchases will be restric ted to
articles OF food, solid and liquid, the
quantities and varieties of which will
be determined by the medical officer
in charge. Chief commissioners of de.
partments will transfer to medical of.
fcers in charge such subsistence
funds as may be stiemated for by the
latter for carrying out the objects of
this order"
Mr.. Meiklejohn was very indignant
when he discovered that the order had
not been transmitted to all of the hos
pitfalls and that the order had not been
sent out to any officer until four days
after it was prepared by the adjutant
generals office. He realized at once
that some of the criticisms that have
been made in regard to the diet Of
the soldiers sick In hospitals was due
to the neglect of the surgeon gener-
AIS office to transmit the important
order of August 10. 1t was shown
yesterday beyond dispute that the
surgeon general was himself delin-
quent in the matter of transmit, g
the order.
The sick in the Fort Myer hospi
tai, who number not less than 500,
have been sadly in need of good
food. Mr.. Meiklejohn called atten-
ton today to the fact that If the men
in the hospital had had the benefit of
the go cents day provided for in the
general order not less than $4,000
would have beeh expended in delicate
food for the sick, much of which the y
have been deprived of by the failure
of the surgeon generals office to
| transmit the order.