Evening star., 1898-08-16
DEMAND FOR AN INQUIRY
Medical Records Editorial Concerning Neg
lect of Sick Soldiers.
Comments Upon the Statement Made
Recently by the Secretary
of War.

In the current issue of the Medical Rec
ord appears the following editorial on The
Soldier and the Medical Department of the
Army"
Notwithstanding the complaints Of the
entire press of the country regarding the
neglect of the sick and wounded in our late
battles. the Secretary of War seems to be
content to dismiss the whole subject with
the statement that whatever occurred was
to have been expected and that in reality
no one was to blame. In other words, he
wishes it to be understood that there was
no way to prevent the sending of transport
ships loaded with soldiers and without
medical supplies or surgeons, the crowdinS
Of soldiers into quarters not fit for cattle,
and the neglect OF the sick and wounded,
exposed, as they We're, on the battlefield for
days together without medical or surgical
assistance. 1t is hardly warrantable for
him to say that these are not facts, even
if they were based only on newspaper re-
ports.
Every One Has an Excuse.
THE surgeon general OF the army, in the
last issue of the Medical Record, in answer
to former queries, makes from his
standpoint an excuse for shortcomings in
his department. but does not wholly ex-
plain why such excuse should have been
necessary. The dreadful fact stares every
one in the face that the poor soldiers, who
had right to expect everything from
country for which they were willing to
rifice their lives, really did not receive as
good treatment would have been g.<an
to ordinary cattle under like crcum-
stances. Close and filthy quarters, bad
food and foul water were the disgraceful
incidents connected with the incoming vOy-
age Of one transport after another. These
were hardly the ordinary accidents of war.
considering thu ample time allowed the
authorities for preparing for such emer-
Sencies.
Every one having responsibility in the
premises is ready with some sort of excuse,
but none seems to be able or willing to dis
cover the actual guilty parties. The sur
geon general in a measure accounts for
the misery and suffering of the sick and
wounded by saying that the medical sup
plies were left behind at Tampa. Whose
business was it to have prevented such
gross neglect of ordinary duty? If the gen
eral of the army is to blame he certainly
should be called upon to add his quoIa to
the long chapters of explanations from
other army officers. Who was the medical
officer in charge of these supplies, ana why
did he not protest at the right time and
in the right way as soon as he discovered
the tue nature of the situation? 1t was
his business to remind his superior C:ilccrs
of the facts and thus absolVe himself from
any responsibility in the matter. But APP
parentiy he said nothing until called to ac-
count by the surgeon general, and thIn he
throws the blame on the commanding Cffi-
Ger at Santiago. But General Shafter seys
the entire responsibility rests apon the
medical department
Blame Should BE Placed.
''It seems proper and just, and it ought
certainly to be possible that the blame
should be fixed directly on some party V ho
can be proved guilty by a properly con-
Quoted and reasonably exhaustive exam
ination into all the facts in the case. Even
the Secretary of War cannot hush up a
proper inquiry because he may for reasons
of his own think that it would not be either
interesting or instructive.
1t has not yet been made clear why
some of the transports came TO New York
without medicines and in one or two cases
without surgeons. Surely the commander
in-chef did not leave the surgeons side
tracked at Tampa along with the qunine
pills. This sending of sick troops d sea
voyage without surgeons, medical supplies
or even digestible food is too serious a
matter 20 be dismissed with mere state
ment that such was not the case, and that
all the newspapers misrepresented the ac-
front who had the matter in charge should
throw some light en- the why's and where
fores of such lamentable results.
"The surgeon general still owes it 20 the
public, to the profession and to the noble,
faithful and energetic members of his
all the facts. and to answer still more ef-
fectually than he has thus far done the
widespread criticism of the management of
his particular department. We have some
facts, but many mere have still to be pre-
sented before the real blame can be made
to rest where 1t should properly belong