The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-09-01

Inc grounds. were in excellent condi-
tlon' the tents clean, most of them be-
ing Hoored, and all floored between
the cots and the aisles. For a time
this hospital was a week behind in OBJ
! tanning its medical supplies, but this
was before the government had collect
| ed its medical stores In great quanti-
| ties.
The Red Cross has made liberal do
nations to this hospital, and friends In
| Minnesota have sent great quantities
! of delicacies. The hospital fund for
July amounted to $425, and with that
! 1t has been possible to purchase all the
milk needed.
Taking up the last Of the field hos
pitals that OF the First corps, Second
division. under Maj. Fitz. the report
states that the fifty-three cots are not
at present all occupied though during
the epidemic of measles they were
crowded There were no Red Cross
nurses, and a detail OF two companies
from the Chattanooga association have
visited the hospital daily to look after
the requirements Of the sick When
the hospital was crowded the attention
was insufficient There was also strong
complaint at not getting medical and
other supplies in the early days, and
the hospital had to furnish itself and
when 1t was impossible to avoid de-
lays Incidental to rushing supplies TO
great army camps. The report, how
ever, shows that the hospital officials
made every effort to obtain supplies.
Leaving the details about the hospital
the report proceeds to treat the whole
subject generally as follows:
STARVATION STORY EXPLAINED.
I'm two of the hospitals opportunities
occurred for discovery Of what I'M
doubtedly originated many Of the sen
sat1onal stories which have been print
ed over the country to the effect that
the patients In the hospital lacked sIIP-
nclent food and in many cases had heen
on the verge of starvation. IN tha
wards where the convalescent tvnhoid
FEVER cases were found, MANY Of the
men were constantly asking for food
ana, as matter OF course, were con-
stantly denied everything except the
hshtest forms, which can alone be
sa1ely administered to recovering tv
phold patients. This refusal of food
throughout the hospitals, by which caro-
alone, as is perfectly understood oar
hves Of cOnvalescents be saved has
oeeh distorted into the reports which
Iiao peeh spread throughout the coun-
try that the patients were being starry
ed IN the government hospitals. There
mas been no lack of proper food in these
hospitals, and competent cooks for nre-
pairing 1t have been present and tne
only reason for depriving the patien+s
Oh what SO many of them have clam
ored for has been the necessity of diet
ing as the disease demands.
IL VIII be easily observed that con-
ultlons set forth in this report are
mainly present conditions. It has not
heretofore fallen within the range Of
my duties a this park to mako crit,-
cal observations of hospital conditions
although, as a matter of course ,,o,,,
features of this division of camn adj
mlnlstration have fallen under nv no.
tlce. l am constrained to believe that
cnere mas been no neglect on the part
OF elther the medical or quartermas-
Ter departments to furnish such SUD-
pies as have reached the camn
III VIII be observed that the renort
IN each is made with reference to the
maximum number of cases in each
hospital and, so far as It was nossi-
bic, to obtain the general conditions
existing. Undoubtedly there have been
serious inconvenience, and at times
or greatest crowding, those lacks of
convenience and full attendance which
go 10 make up a painful condition of
ana1rs, which, as every veteran knows
is lnseparable from the field hosnitals
OF great armies, even when all con-
cerned exert themselves to secure the
comfort of the patients. These con-
dlt1onS, which In times Of rapid in
crease or disease-a condition reached
at this camp solely from the filth
which the regimental officers allowed
to dominate their camps, in spite Of
the orders which would have prevented
all this trouble, from the surgeon gem
eral and from the commanding officers
Of this camp-create a situation which
cannot be Immediately ameliorated.
$50 far from believing, as a result
Of my observations, that medical Of
fcers have been negligent or heart
less, I believe that these officials and
HOSplIdl dlISuOdHlS DIS d whole nave
eXerted themselves to discharge their
duties faithfully. 1t would seem as
If this was sufficiently shown ~ the
fact that they have worked unceasing-
ly until a quarter of the whole force
has itself been stricken by disease re-
sulting from their exhaustive labors.
LAS to the hospitals being unclean
and there being a lack of food and
the food being regular army rations
and other similar conditions, suffi-
cient answer is found in the critical
examination Of the hospital of the First
division of the Third army corps, Gen
Frank commanding, set forth above
This hospital, in charge Of Maj. c. M.
Drake, is one of the cleanest and most
complete which any veteran of the
Civil war would expect to see, and this
is the division to which the Eighth
New York is attached.
I'm closing, l beg leave to express my
opinion that most of the interviews
with chaplains, regimental surgeons
| and others, both officers and men, now
appearing at the North in manY of the