The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-06-12
TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF
A WORD OF ADVICE TO
YOUNG SOLDIERS

Wholesome Talk-What to Eat
and What Not to Eat In the
Field-A Few Hints on the Care
of Health.
The late DR.. J. HI. Murphy, Of st.
Paul, who, during the War of the Re-
belllon, was at different periods sur
geon of three Minnesota regiments, be-
sides being medical director for
considerable time, was wont to say, as
the result of his large experience:
The majority of soldiers who die In
battle are killed by the enemy; the
/ majority who die outside of a fight
XIII themselves" 1t is perhaps true, as
many physicians assert, that a very
large proportion of acute attacks in
civil lie are the result of carelessness
or contrlbutory negligence on the part
or the subjects, and this proportion is
greatly increased among soldiers
a. former Union soldier, who served
three years and six months in the
Union army and now lives in ST. Paul,
says:
1 am convinced that during the War
| OF the Rebellion thousands of soldiers
oled, and many other thousands were
discharged for disabilities as a result
OF their Ignorance Of the simplest rules
OF health, or of their carelessness in
| protecting themselves. Unnecessary
exposure, 1mprudent indulgence in eat
ing and drinking, dissipation, want of
cleanliness, and neglect Of the easiest
precautions were far oftener the causes
OF the deaths of our soldiers than the
bullets of the Confederates
ETERNAL VIGILANCE.
Il wish it could be impressed upon
every American soldier in the present
! war that the contingency of his sur
vlvlng his term of enlistment in good
shape depends very largely upon his
care of himself Eternal vigilance is
| the price soldier must pay for good
health. 1t is impossible to lay down
rules Tor every emergency, but there
are certain general principles which
nave the effect of laws.
:! want to say to every American
soldier, as one of the most important
| thlngs he should observe never, under
any circumstances, sleep single night
on the bare ground. This Injunction
ought to be made one of the Articles
| of War and its violation severely
punished 1t seems to be prohibition
on nature, however and any infraction
thereof is nearly always met with a
summary penalty, and the persistent
/ violation is always caught and hardly
| oealt with. The exhalations from the
| earth, when absorbed by the body. are
! invariably poisonous and harmful
soldler should never think himself too
tired, to. gather something to place
| on the ground as foundation for his
| PED or bivouac, and there is always
material of some kind at hand. avail
| able Tor the purpose. If not, he should
contrlve some way of getting sleep
without lying on the naked ground.
"A soldier must be careful Of his eat
ing. His rationS are commonly not
| very luxurious, but he must make the
pest OF them. Bacon, hard bread and
coffee are his. three food staples. They
rare not only the easiest obtainable.
putE they are the most serviceable. IN.
! a campalgn'-in the field, they are prac-
| t1caliy indispensable. Beans come next
out they can be utilized only when in
T camp. arise.
l., The government ought ito he more
i Particular in the selection Off bacon for
its soldiers Only breakfastI baeonlA+ba;
/ KIND with the alternating .streaks Of
iean.f streaks1 of -fat'Tshould be issued.
! Inc! preservation of the, health of the
men would well justify any increase of
cese. Inc old s-----w By mass
OF sold rat, greasy as whale blubber.
unWholeSome in many respects and re-
T puislve in every way, should never be
gwen men to eat outside of arctic.
| climates and conditions.
BROIL YOUR BACON.
Bacon ought generally to be broiled
at wood fire.. Toast it until a portion
OF the surface is little charred The
alkal1nes in the ashes are relishing and
wholesome Even pieces of very fat
meat, when well toasted, can be made
fairly -palatable. Mess pork ought to
De parbolled and then broiled or toast
ed. Even after it has been fried broil
ing or toasting improves it.
NO greasy messes OF any kind ought
10 De eaten. In the War of the Rebel
non the men sometimes broke hard
TACK into mess pan Of water, pour
ca IN quantity Of grease and boiled
the mess until Cooked This was noost
unWholesome stuff, and produced indi-
gestion, dlarrhoea, etc. The boys were
wont TO call 1T by a name unpronounce.
able In the hearing of ears polite hnt
the designation was not inapproDriate
Inc pest piece of meat should be select
ed to season the pot Of beans and then
not too large a piece. Mess beef nnst
De thoroughly boiled, until every piece
is quite tender, changing the water at
least twice. a.
1T is hardly possible that fresh beef
Will be issued with any regularity tn
our soldiers in the present war. OWNS
~ Lie. uiillCuilleS OI transportation etc
II 1t is, however, 1T will be of great
value to the men. It can best be utiI-
lzed as a soup product. With dessicated
vegetables a most healthy and nour-
1sh1ng beef soup can be made. Flour
we'll stirred in beef broth until the SOM
is White is valuable addition. Flour
soup, as we used to call it, prevents
and sometimes alleviates diarrhoea.
COOK EVERYTHING WELL.
Never eat food improperly cooked
and never eat improper food no mat
ter how it has been prepared. Raw
fruits ought not to be eaten in con.
siderable quantities in the evening
The old saying that fruit is gold in
the morning, silver at noon and lead
at night is worth remembering.
Ihe water supply is all important.
Let II pc as pure as possible. If your
supply is from an unhealthy source
as swamp, a lagoon or a stagnant
poolEdon't use it if you can possibly
help 1T. If there is time, dig a we'll
or make barrel spring. If none but
the unhealthy water can be had boij
and strain 1t, and then use it sparing-
Iy. or course no one but a fool Or
maniac will drink much cold watar
when overheated or very tired. Rv
the exercise of self will a soldier can
get on without drinking very much
or upon light rations "A soldier of the
Eighth Iowa cavalry spent several
months In the AndersonvilIe prison nan
and was always In good condition. al