The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-09-04

Negligent Doctors to Blame for Fever
at Chickamauga.
kansas city journal


Kansas City Journal.
Dr. John A. Ellis formerly practicing
physician at Chickamauga, Tenn, but now
located in Kansas City, Kan, has assumed
the defense of the Chickamauga spring
water, which has been accused of being re-
sponsible for the greater part of the sick
ness among the soldiers encamped at
Chickamauga Park. He was there at the
time the fever broke out, and claims to be
fully aware of the causes leading up to 1t.
In a letter received from him by the Jour-
nal yesterday he says:
lest places in the South high altitude,
and the water-no better can be found any
where. Crawfish springs, as it was for
merly called, has outpour of about "a,
100000 gallons every twenty-four hours.
The spring is so clear that it is perfectly
blue.
1T was through General Boynton's inf1u-
ence that pipe was run from these springs
to the camps. and at the same time num-
Der of wells were sunk.
Typhoid fever does not come from this
water. You will observe that 1t was only
two or three days after the camp was es-
tabliShed that typhoid WAS developed, show
ing conclusively that it was imported. 1t
then spread from negligence on the part
of the attending surgeons, who were young
sanitation, just from school. / say this
with due respect to them. Then the sol
nooga. get drunk, eat half.eooked food and
unripe fruit, come back to camp, and in
hale the filth that was thrown from the
FINALLY it was brought to the notice of
the general commanding, General Brooke,
that what IS commonly called 'bootlegs'
were in full blast, selling whisky, beer slop
drinks and ill-cooked FOODS. He baniShed
them from, the camp. This was the first
step toward betterment. But they finally
established themselves again within the
right-of-way of the railroad, still selling
guard was placed there, and soon they had
to move out from lack of patronage.
"As | have before said, the first case of
three days after the arrival of the volun-
teers, thus plainly showing it was brought
there. The surgeon in charge took no
means whatever for isolation and santa
ton, nor usual medical care and treatment.
The case should have been isolated, away
from the camp, and tent and equipage thor,
oughlX disinfected and the ground around
it burned over. Soon another case fol-
lowed and another, with the same neglect
Sternberg foresaw these conditions and is
sued an address, not once, but several
times, calling attention to these conditions
not due to climate or surroundings, but to
utter recklessness in cooking, sanitation
and discipline
from their shoulders, raised a hue and cry
of impure water, unhealthy climate, dan
gerous camp grounds etc Tne ou the
utter incapacity of the medical department
to fifty understand the gravity of the dis
ease. rake the commands uHueI the chdi -
of the regular army surgeons. How much
sickness? About 2 per cent. These ole
colonies and surgeons told them what to
expect IT proper measures were not taken
but these warnings were not needed.
Now, what caused this? The climate!
No. but negligence.
Surely a reckoning day will come, and
then those who allowed those noble-hea-t-
ed, brave in soul and spirit: the boys that
answered to the call of the President to de-
fend our honor and name, as well as those
stricken, downtrodden Cubans, to their re-
ward"