The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-09-01
And Looks Over the Camp at
Chickamauga.
FINDS A PARADISE.
Declares the Conditions to Be
Just Perfect.
Responsible For Death
and Disease
Unless Tt Be the Regimental
Officers.

Washington. Sept. 1.-secretary AL
ger has received the report of General
H. v. Boynton, upon the state of af-
fairs in the hospital at Camp Thomas.
The general reports that he visited
all the hospitals in the camp, without
giving notice of his purpose and adds:
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 it's hospitals since its estab-
hshment in the middle of April last.
The result shows a total death list of
1913 up to the 22nd of this month, when
the breaking up of the camp began. Be-
tween these dates, including regulars
and volunteers, fully $4,000 troops have
been in camp in the Chickamauga
Park"
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 that of
CraWtsh Springs under charge of Ma
Jor Garter, and was converted from a
large summer resort hotel into a hos
pital, receiving the worst typhoid cases
from the camp Each patient has abund-
ant roOms woven wire and hair mat
tresses, and abundant bedclothing. The
ventilation IS perfect, plum bling entire
~ new and bathing facilities ample. The
number of attendants, when all are
Wen, is entirely satisfactory and at
PENDANTS are on the way to take the
places of those who are broken down.
Major Carter has secured a herd Of
cows and has arranged for pasturing
them without expense to the govern
ment. He has sufficient money from
the hospital fund to buy whatever is
wanted in the way of milk, ice and
other delicacies. There has been at this
hospital full supplies of ice, and other
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, sage,
matted milk, eggs, koumiss, jelIies, pre-
serves, relishes, ginger, oil, apollinaris
champagne and claret. The entire hos
pital is furnished with distilled water
and the ice used is made from distilled
water
The sewage of the hospital is excel
lent, and contrary to persistent asser-
lions, none of the sewage has ever
drained into the Chickamauga river, or
approached it at any point.
Major Carter has a corps of doctors
which he regards as amply sufficient to
care for all the patients in the hospital
and reports them as faithful and eff
Gent in the performance of their du-
ties.
Taking up the Sternberg hospital in
charge Of Major Griffin, General Boyn-
ton shows it is one of the most complete
field hospitals ever seen, according to
veterans of the last war. All the tents
are closely hoored and they are sepa-
rate; at present only four men are in
any tent, and in addition to the tents
there are nine large board pavilions
Every tent and pavilion has woven
wire mattresses, iron bedsteads and
hair mattresses. There are especial
diet cooks, five cold storage rooms for
delicacies, separate refrigerators for
n M
measure of sanitation with respect to
the sinks. Further the report says:
THE whole place is most carefully
poHced-and the whole establishment,
within and without, it's permanent
buildings and it's tents, is in the most
perfect order
''Since the establishment of this hos
pital everything asked for in the way of
supplies of every kind has been prompt
Iy furnished"
1t is stated in addition that all the
hospital refuse is burned in a crematory
and, according to Major Griffen, all of
the 200 patients now sick in the entire
camp could be safely moved now. The
diseases are more Of a typhO-nalarial
character than of typhoid fever strictly,
the death rate being very low, about
per cent of the worst cases.
The first division hospital, in charge
or Major Drake, is hoored with planed
lumber and it is an clean as is posi-
bic. being scrubbed with carbolic acid
and treated with bi-chloride of mercury
on cots and never have been on the
ground for any length of time. None
of the so cents allowed per man for del
icacies has been used, as it was not
needed"
The report states that in times when
this hospital was crowded there was a
lack Of nurses, the deficiency being sup
piled by details from the regiment
which were not as satisfactory as
trained nurses.
LAS a result Of this Inadequate force -
says the report, ''the force provided has
been hard worked, but in all cases they
have stuck to their posts and perform
ed their work with great energy until
sickness overlook a considera BILE num-
Der The places of the sick have been
filled by nurses from the surgeon gen
erals department. The exhauSting char
acter of the work performed by these
nurses is shown by the fact that about
One-fourth of them have thoroughly ex-
hausted their strength and are now
resting in quarters"
General Boynton shows that there Is
a full refrigerator capacity for this hos
pital, porcelain lined baths, sterilized
In the malignant typhoid ward there
have been but two deaths out of 80
cases in three weeks He says that both
the medical officers and the hospital at
tendants at this hospital have undoubt-
eddy performed their duty with energy
and efficiency
The next hospital inspected was the
third division hospital, first corps. in
charge of Major Thomas Clark. Here
the attendants were found sufficient
not enough surgeons or attendants.
The grounds were in excellent condition,
the tents clean and all foored.
For a time the hospital was week
behind in obtaining its medical supplies
but this was before the government
had collected its medical stores in great