The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-05-04
TYPHOID in THE CAMPS
SUBJECT DISCUSSED AT MEETING OF
AMERICAN PHYSICIANS.
Volunteer Surgeons Severely Grill
cised by DR.. v. c. Vaughn-Views
of General

WASHINGTON, May 3.-The session Of
the Association of American Physicians, at
the Arlington to-day, was marked by an
important paper on typhoid in the volunteer
camps by DR.. v. c. Vaughn. one of the
board of surgeons appointed by Surgeon
General Sternberg last summer to look into
this matter when the epidemic of typhoid
fever was prevalent in the various army
camps. The board made a very thorough
study Of the subject and its report has been
looked forward to as an authoritative work.
The report is not yet completed, but DR..
Vaughn's paper was in the nature of an ad-
vance statement. with the sanction of Gen.
Sternberg. who was present at the meet
ing. DR.. Vaughn's paper was a severe ar
raignment of the volunteer surgeons, and.
incidentally, of the officers who were re-
sponsible for the policing of the great
camps at Jacksonville, Chickamsuga, Camp
Alger and Montauk Point. The board Wis
tied all these points and found that not only
was there a great deal more of typhoid than
was at first supposed. but that the surgeons,
mostly of the volunteer class. were, from
ignorance or other motives, treating and re-
porting typhoid under the names of per
sistent malarial, indigestion" gastric
fever and ''typho-malaria." Blood exami-
nation of many of the malaria patients
failed to show the presence Of malaria
bacillus. but there was every indication of
well marked typhoid. These patients were
being treated with quinine and. naturally,
either died or had TO be sent to city hospi-
tails. where their disease was properly dag
nosed. The board made an extra careful ex-
animation of the water supply of the vari-
Gus camps and found that the prevalence of
typhoid could not be laid to impure water
in any large degree. The explanation, DR..
Vaughn said was in the disgustingly filthy
condition OF the camps. where the excreta
OF typhoid patients was strewn broadcast,
with no apparent effort either TO s~terilize or
collect il so as TO prevent its spreading con-
tagiOn TO the remainder of the camp. The
final report of the board will deal largely
with sanitary measures for the governing
or the camps and the best form OF ~steriliZ-
ing apparatus 10 use in case OF fever out
breaks.
Surgeon General Sternberg. of the army.
said 1t seemed certainly strange. after the
lessons of the civil war. that our camps
should have been infected by typhoid which
we knew so well. He had issued a circular
tn all medical officers pointing out the dan
gers in this regard and explaining how they
might be avoided. General Sternberg re-
ferred to the appointment of volunteer med
ical army officers by the Governors Of
States, the former thereby becoming re-
sponsible for the health OF our camps. The
result has been unsatisfactory it did seem
to him to he Inconsistent that we should
set ourselves up 10 show the Spaniards how
to eradicate yellow fever from their cities,
while our camps are infected seriously with
typhoid. He declared that any adverse con-
ditions which prevailed at Montauk should
not be held against the regular army medi-
cal officers. few OF whom were there.
DIR. George Dock, of the University of
Michigan. spoke of his Investigations at the
Sternberg general hospital. The misunder-
standing regarding the typhoid and the
overestimation of the effects of ~quinine
form. DR.. Dock declared. the striking faults
Of the volunteer medical service. Most Of
the volunteer officers went to camp with
the expectation of fighting malaria. IN one
regiment each man was provided with two
handred grains of quinine and a t~hree-ounce
bottle of paregoric. The great bulk of sup
posed malarial cases were not malarial in
fections at all, but many of the doctors,
regardless of this, dosed their patients with
thirty TO forty grains of quinine each day.