Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-09-01
GENERAL BOYNTON SAYS CONDI-
TIONs THERE ARE EXCELLENT.
SICK PARTICULARLY WELL CARED NOR
No Neglect on the Part OF Govern
Papers Believed to He Dae to De-
sire TO Quit the Service.


The General says that his instructions
were to report the number Of sick, the
character of their illness, the number OF
tents, the floor space per patient. the
adequacy and suitability OF attendants,
and whether tie medical officers have
discharged their duties faithfully and
| with intelligence, nd to make any recon-
mendatlOn in the interest OF all concerned.
He says that he visited all the hospitals
in the camp without giving notice or his
purpose. Says General Boynton:
| believing the death-list of this camp
to afford an excellent standard by which
to measure its conditions as to health and
hospital service, a full report was OBJ
tanned of all deaths in the camp and IN
| its hospitals since It's establishment, the
middle Of April last. The result shows a
total death-list of 1893 up 10 the 22d OF
| this month, when the breaking up of this
| camp began. Between these dates, in
| Guiding regulars and volunteers, fully TO-
| coo troops have been in camp in Chicka-
| manga Park"
The report takes up in detail, first, the
| two permanent hospitals, Letter and
! X
| minuteness the exact accommodation af-
| forded by each. The first is at Crawfish
| Springs. under charge Of Major Carter,
| and was converted from a large summer
resort hotel into hospital, receiving the
worse typhoid cases from the camp. Each
| patient has abundant room, woven-wire
| and hair mattresses, and abundant bed
| clothing. The ventilation is perfect. the
plumbing entirely new, and the bathing
| facilities ample. The number Of attend
ants, when all are well. is entirely salts
| factory, and attendants are on the way to
! take the places OF those who are broken
| down.
ALL NECESSARY DELICACIES.
Major Carter has secured a herd Of
| COWS, and has made arrangements tor
| pasturing them without expense 10 the
government. lie has sufficient money
| from the hospital fund 10 buy whatever is
wanted in the way Of milk, ice, and other
delicaciss. There has been at this hos
pital full supplies Of ice, milk, commissary
stores. and deicacles such as the sick
| ought to have. The entire hospital is fur
nished with distilled water, and The ice
used is made from distilled water.
The sewerage of the hospital is excel
lent. and contrary 10 persistent asser-
lions, none Of the sewage has ever drained
into the Chickamauga river or approached
1t at any point.
Major Carter has a corps OF doctors
which he regards as amply sufficient TO
care for all the patients in the hospi-
tails, and reports them as faithful and
efficient in the performance Of their
duties.
Taking up the sternberg hospital, in
charge of Major Giffen, General Boyn-
ton shows that it is one Of the most COM
plete field hospitals ever seen, according
to veterans of the last war. All the tents
are closely foored, and they are sepa-
rated. At present, only four men are in
any one tent. and in addition 10 the
tents, there are nine large board pavil-
ions Every tent and pavilion has woven
wire mattresses, iron bedsteads, and
hair mattresses. There are special diet
cooks, four cold-storage rooms for deli
cacies, and separate refrigerators for
each row Of tents, and every proper
measure of sanitation is observed with
respect to the sinks. Further, the report
says:
"The whole place is most carefully
pClced daily, and the whole establish
ment. within and without its permanent
buildings and its tents, is in the most
perfect order.
EVERYTHING ASKED FOR OBJ
TANNED.
"Since the establishment of this hos
pital. everything asked for in the way
Of supplies of every kind has been
promptly furnished. Sixteen barrels of
distilled water are purchased daily, and
patients get nothing but distilled water
TO drink. From three to five tons of ice
are used daily. Three hundred gallons
of milk are purchased daily. and $50 gall
Ions furnished by the Red Cross Society.
IAN money necessary for the purchase
Of delcacies OF every kind suitable TO
the sick has been furnished by order Of
General Sternberg. A careful inquiry
developed the fact that all varieties of
medical supplies required or asked for
were furnished, both from Washington
and from medical headquarters at the
camp, with the greatest promptness."
1t is stated in addition that all the
hospital refuse is burned in a crematoTy,
and according 70 Major Giffen, almost
all of the patients now sick in the en-
tire camp could be safely moved now.
The diseases are more OF typho-mala-
rial character, than typhold-fever strict
ly, the death rate being very low-only
about per cent. of the worse cases.
The First Division field hospital, in
charge Of Major Drake, is floored with
planed lumber, and is as clean as is pos
sible, being scrubbed with carbolic acid
and treated with bichoride Of mercury
every other day.
All the patients are on cots, and never
have been on the ground for any length
OF time None Of the 90 cents allowance
per man for delicacies has been used as
it was not needed.
The report states that In times when
the hospital was crowded there was a
lack Of nurses the deficiency being sup
piled by details from the regiments,
which were not as satisfactory as trained
nurses.
PORCELAIN-LINED BATHS.
General Boynton shows full refrigerator
capacity i'm this hospital, porcelainlined
baths steriliZed and iced-water and every
convenience. In the malignant typhoid
ward there have been but two deaths out
of thirty cases in three weeks. He says
that both the medical officers and the
hospital attendants at this hospital have
undoubtedly performed their duty with
energy and efficiency, and that the best
test of all this is the fact that so many
of them have thoroughly exhaust ted them
selves and fallen sick.
The next hospital Inspected was the
Third Division Hospital First Corps, In
charge OF Major Thomas Clark. Here the
attendants were found sufficient though
i'm the earlier days there were not enough
surgeons or attendants. The grounds
were in excellent condition, the tents
clean, most OF the tents fioored. and all
foored setween the cots and the aisles
Taking up the last of the field hospitals.
that of the Third Corps Second Division.
under Major Smith, the report states that
the fifty-three tents are not all occupied,
though during the epidemic of measles