The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-02-13

tied that in tropical country wheFe
1T is subjected to intense heat the meat
presents a repulsive appearance at
first. Furthermore, it transpires that
occasionally an inferior article Is found
But the records of the army prove the
canned beef has been used for many
years and on Oct IS, 1898. the following
official statement was Issued:
War Department, Adjutant Gener-
ais Office, Washington, Oct 10, 1893
w. c. Clarke Marshall, Produce Ex-
change, Chicago: Sir-I have the honor
to acknowledge the receipt of your
communication of the 18th ultimo tathe
secretary of war, giving information re-
Sard1ng the proper food to be taken
to the sufferers in Alaska, and also
for the subsistence of the troops there
and ascribing the sickness in that To-
cality to the use of salt meats and in
reply thereto, the secretary of war de-
sires me to call attention to the fol-
lowing remarks of the medical depart
ment of the army, in which the major
general commanding the army CON
ours:
Full Nutritive Value.
Canned meats put up by reputa-
BILE firms are wholesome and have the
full nutritive value of the meat CON
tents and in the absence of such are to
be preferred to any three substitutes
suggested by the writer. Meat when
sailed loses a. certain proportion of its
albuminoids and extractives. but what
remains is valuable as food and has
no specific influence in the production
of scurvy. With hard bread, bacon, pea
meal and an occasional issue of fresh
beef or in its absence canned meat, O.
dietary of sufficient force value can
be provided To these there should be
added for the prevention of scuryy oc-
caSional issues of potatoes, onions or
canned vegetables, or, in their unavoid-
able absence. dessicated vegetables and
dried fruit. Very respectfully,
"'W. H. CARTER,
Assistant Adjutant General
Mailed Oct. 10, 1881
"All the above in quotation is the in
dorsement upon the letter of Mr.. Mar
shall. signed by C. Smart, deputy sur
geon general. u. S. A. The Endorsement
Of the major general commanding is In
the following words:
Headquarters of the Army. Wash
ington, Oct. 10, 1897--The major gem
eral commanding concurs in the re-
marks of the deputy surgeon general,
fourth Endorsement
az. G. GILMORE,
Assistant Adjutant General
THE major general commanding here
referred to is Major General Nelson A.
Miles. -Trt
The work of the signal corps is highly
commended as is also that of the pay
department, the engineers department.
and corps of engineers and the ord
nance department. 8... &.f.s5}
Medical Department @af#
Medical department.: Brigader Gem
eral George M. Sternberg in charge
This important part of the report is
dWelt on at great length and must be
read in it's complete form to be prop
erly understood. A glance at the COM
mission S summing up, however, will
sufficiently indicate its nature:
"First-That at the outbreak of the
war the medical department was, In
men and materials, altogether unpre-
pared to meet the necessities of the
army called out.
"Second-That as result of the ac-
ton through a generation of contracted
and contracting methods of administra-
ton. 1t was impossible for the depart
ment to operate largely. freely ana
without undue regard to cost. % 81 %
| 'sThird-That' In absence of a speeisil
corps of inspectors and the apparent III
| frequency of inspections by chief sur-
| geons and of official reports of things
in camps and hospitals there was not
such investigation of the sanitary con-
ditions of the army as is the first duty
imposed upon the department by thu
regulations. il51'
"Fourth-That the nursing forces
| during the months of May, June and
July were neither ample nor efficient,
reasons for which may be found in tire
lack of a proper volunteer hospital
| corps, due to the failure of congress to
authorize it's establishment and to the
| non-recognition in the beginning of the
| value of women nurses and the extent
| to which their services could be Sc
| cured. 5.. 49, ma
! "Fifth-That the demand made upon
| the resources of the department in the
care of sick and wounded was very
much greater than had been antiei-
tod nd ant in flyn
ton these demands were imperfectly
| met.
"Sixth-That powerless as the de-
partment was to have supplies trans
| ferred from point to point, except
through the intermediation of the quar-
masters department, it was seri-
ously crippled in its efforts to fulfill
the regulation duties of furnishing all
| medical and hospital supplies n
"Seventh-That the shortcomings IN
administration and operation may be
| justly attributed in large measure
| to the hurry and confusion incident to
| the assembling of an army of unframed
| officers and men, 10 times larger than
| before, which no preparations in ad-
vance had been or could be made be-
| cause of existing rules and regula-
| lions.
"Eighth-That notwithstanding all
| the manifest errors of omission than OF
| commission a vast deal of good work.
was done by medical officers, high and
| low, regular and volunteer, and there
were unusually few deaths among the
| wounded and sick"
=
What Is Needed.
| Under the head of What is needed by
| the medical department in the future"
| the commission says there should be a
| larger force of medical officers; re-
serve corps of selected trained women
nurses; an increased quantity of medi-
| cines; hospital furniture, etc, to be held
| constantly at supply depots; legislation
! giving army surgeons more latitude:
more liberal transportation for conval-
escent soldiers, etc. ~
| Unsatisfactory Camps
Camps: Camp Thomas, Chickamau-
| ga-The report is to the effect that
| Chickamauga park is not adapted to
| the accommodation of more than 10000