The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-10-08
Medical Department EMcient.

Gen Stesnte~g has sent 10 the cornrr,ss-
sion the following memorandum rs.afins
tG the .sesica! department:
The number % medical officers allowed
by Law g inadequate IN tsTSles az peace.
Ire tcial number allowed Is ~ There
are AZ present lhiFte@n vacancies.
Thu administration Of ii3e surgeon gen
ers@s office and the array medical museum
requires six Eleven az. on Guty a. med
ga supply 6sp0ts ara a. chief surgeons
Il military departments. Ore is ~ the
Soldiers EeEpe. ffty-S}x arc a: general hos
pitfalls. on hospital ships and a garrisaned
9oscs Four have been disabled since ne
commencement o. the war sy sickness.
Five are or Guiy as chief surgeons Of army
'.irhis leaves - medical officers available
fer 1Gfy with the tgooEs IN the field OF
these ) have been appointed brigade sur
reons ef volunteers and distributed a1nong
the various army corps. Since the deelara-
,}on Of war the loss by death has been
. are now absent from duty on
.A-4 efficiency in regular medical Of
fee-s has made IL necessary 10 employ
more than so contract surgeons. Most OF
these doctors from civil life are doing good
service. and many of them are thoroughly
weli-ea tipped physicians and surgeons
with ample hospital experience.
In addition 10 this there have been ap-
pointed by the president Eight corps sur
gs0Ds with the rank OF lieutenant colonel
twenty four division surgeons with the
rank of major. and eightY-six surgeons
mea; az the United States infantry, csvai-
~ and engineers. Al. volunteer regiments
have three medical officers appointed by
The very small proportion OF expert
ence4 medical officers has seriously enbar-
raised the efficiency OF the medical depart.
ment. but many of the division and bri-
gade surgeons from civil life have shown
grea: aptitude for the service and have
already become valuable medical officers.
Referring TO the ALLEGED deficiency 81
= 4. :.
a. Santiago. / would say this corps. upon
leaving Tampa had with Il th.rty-six reg
uar medical officers fifteen cornu,iss Toned
volunteer medical officers ans; twenty con-
tract doctors. 4 total or seyenty-one or
over four per thousand OF the strength Of
the command.
additional medical assistance was sen,
by the hospital ship Relief, which arrived
az Sthoney July with tweAty doctors on
board. There was also some volunteer as
sis 9ree hv Dir Lesser. of the Red Cross
Society, DR. Rudbers. Of the Swedish
navy, ana several surgeons OF the navy
from ships in the vicinity.
II has not been the expectation OF the
medical department that every wounded
man would Immediately receive the atier-
tion Of 4 surgeon. No modern army makes
provision fer such a larg~ number Of med
icai officers as this would require.
but attached To our army there is a
corps OF non-comhatants. known as the
hospital corps which * the organized and
authorized Red Cross Soc.ety. A the out.
break Of the war We had $40 hospital corps
men in the service. At present there are
more than coca. We have done our hes.
80 instruct them in giving first aid Ia The
wounded. and in majority OF eases first
aid dressing property applied by one uf
these men Is all that is required All OF
The surgeons who have come from the
front have testified To the reGarka bic re-
suits attained from the proper application
OF dressings by our hospital corps men
and by the soldiers themselves or their
comrades. The proper application OF the
dressings contained In the first-aid packet
which is carried by every soldier IS under
existing regulations. q matter In which ev-
cry enlisted man has special instruction"