The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-10-08

How It Was Organized and the Mum.
her of SURGEONS EmnInYed

Der of Surgeons Employed.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 7.-Surgeon General
Sternberg has sent to the commission in
vestigating the conduct of the war the fol-
lowing memorandum relating to the medi-
cal department of the army:
THE number of medical officers allowed
by law is inadequate in times of peace.
The total number is 1872 There are at pres
ent thirteen vacancies. The administration
of the surgeon generals office and the Army
Medical Museum requires six. Eleven are
on duty at medical supply depots and as
chief surgeons of military departments. One
is at the Soldiers Home, fifty-six are at
general hospitals, on hospital ships and at
garrisoned posts. Four have been disabled
since the commencement of the war by
sickness. Five are on duty as chief sur
geons of army corps. This leaves ninety
seven medical officers available for duty
with troops in the field. OF these thrty-five
have been appointed brigade surgeons of
volunteers and are distributed among the
various army corps. Since the declaration
of war the loss by death has been two, and
twenty-three are now absent from duty ON
sick leave
This deficiency in regular medical officers
has made it necessary to employ more than
$50 contract surgeons Most of these doc
tors from civil life are doing good service,
and many of them are thoroughly we'll
equipped physicians and surgeons with am
pie hospital experience, but it has been i'm
possible to make careful selection owing
to the great pressure of business in the
surgeon generals office, and the urgency
has been so great that it has not been prac-
ticable to have examining boards to pass
on their qualifications. l have endeavored,
so far as possible, to obtain satisfactory
professional Endorsement before making a
CONTRACT with an applicant. The number
OF Applications has been so great and the
personal visits of applicants and their
IrlendS so numerous as to constitute a
serious embarrassment in conducting the
business of my office.
In addition to this there have been ap-
pointed by the President eight corps sur
geonS with the rank of lieutenant colonel,
tWenty-four division surgeons with the rank
also three medical officers for each of the
regiments of United States infantry, cavalry
and engineers. All volunteer regiments have
three medical officers appointed by Cover
nOrS Of States.
THE very small proportion of experienced
medical officers has seriously impaired the
efnclency or the medical department, but
many of the division and brigade surgeons
from civil life have shown great aptitude
Tor the service and have already become
valuable medical officers. The same is true
OF many of the doctors employed under con-
Referring to the alleged deficiency of
medical officers with the Fifth Army Corps,
at Santiago, would say that. this corps,
on leaving Tampa, had with it thirty-siX
regular medical officers, fifteen commits
stoned volunteer medical officers and TWEEN
~ contract doctors, total of seventy-one,
or over four per thousand of the strength
of the command which. / was informed,
was about 1900 Additional medical as
sistance was sent by the hospital ship Re
lief, which arrived at Siboney July with
twenty doctors on board. There was also
some volunteer assistance by Dr. Lesser,
or the Red Cross Society, DR.. Rudberg, of
the Swedish navy. and several surgeons
of the navy and ships in the vicinity.
1t has not been the expectation of the
medical department that every wounded
man would Immediately receive the atten-
ton of a surgeon. No modern army makes
provision for so large a number of medical
to our army, there is a corps of noncom-
batantS known as the hospital corps which
is the organized and authorized Red Cross
of the army. At the outbreak of the war
At present there are more than 6,000. These
men wear a braZard upon the left arm
bearing the red cross of the Geneva con-
vention. We have done our best to instruct
them in giving first aid to the wounded
and in majority of cases first aid dress
ing properly applied by one of these men
Is all that is required All of the surgeons
VINO nave come from the front have teSti-
fed to the remarkable results attained from
the prompt application of aseptic dressing
by our hospital corps men and by the SOL
diers themselves or their comrades. The
proper applications of the dressings con-
tanned in the first-aid packet, which is car
r1ed by every soldier, is, under existing
ed man has special instructions. For some
time past this instruction has been given
first by our medical officers to the company
officers, and by them to the enlisted men,"