The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-01-07

hospitals, ana We expect to make use
of their services to such an extent as
seems to be desirable. But / do not
approve of sending female nurses with
troops in the field or to camps of in
struction. 1t is the intention to trans
fer the seriously sick men from our
field hospitals to the general hospitals
as soon as practicable; and we wish
our enlisted men of the hospital corps
to take care of the sick in the divis-
ion field hospitals and in camps OF
instruction, so that they may be fully
prepared to perform the same du-
ties when the troops are in active oper-
ations.
Among these privates of the hospital
corps who constitute the Red Cross or
ganization OF the regular military ser
vice, and who are nom combatants IN
accordance with the terms of the Cen
eva convention, we have many medical
students and even graduates in medl-
cine.
II have made an exception with refer
ence to sending female nurses to CUBA
in view of the outbreak of yellow fever
at Santiago, and am now sending I'M
mune nurses, both male and female, for
duty at the yellow fever hospitals. In
accordance with our agreement you are
authorized to send 10 female trained
nurses, selected by yourself, to the Lei
ter hospital at Camp Thomas. Ca: III
to the United States general hospital at
Fort Monroe, Va. and two to the hospi-
tai at Fort Wadsworth, N. Y, the un-
derstanding being that those at Fort
Monroe and at Fort Wadsworth shall
be boarded and lodged outside of the
hospital"
The first women nurses to see actual
service were sent from New York to
Tampa on June 30 in response to dis
patch from DR.. Lesser of the Red Cross
society then at ptia Three
ties, consisting of 55 nurses in all, were
sent to Tampa, with the idea that they
could reach Santiago and be of service
on the battlefield. Twenty-Five nurses
were sent on the transport lampasas
from Tampa. When the vessel reached
Santiago the outbreak of yellow fever
had begun, and as none of the party
was immune, their usefulness was prac-
tically destroyed. The party continued
on the same ship to Porto Rico, and
later cared for about 400 patients on
their way up from Porto Rico to Fort
Monroe. Five of the nurses at Tampa
later went to Cuba, and returned on
the Concho when she made her mem
orable trip to this port with so many
sick soldiers from the battlefelds. The
trip of the latter vessel did more than
anything else to remove the prejudice
against the employment of women as
nurses which had prevailed. The sur
geons on the ship all gave high testi-
monials of the value of their services,
and the patients on board were united
in their praise of them. The other
nurses left at Tampa were employed in
the hospitals there and at Jacksonville.
From that time on women nurses
were in demand, both the government
hospital corps and the Red Cross So
ciety employing them in large numbers.
The hardest service met by the nurses
of II, jr1y 1n~n In I{y
fatality occurred, one of the nurses dy
ing there as a result of the strain. The
Red Cross society furnished transpor-
tation for all nurses up to September s,
after which it was provided for by the
quartermaster's department at Wash
ington. New York was the center from
which most of the nursesew re sent.
A reserve was always in waiting for
sudden calls, and a few hours after a
request from the government had come
for a number of nurses they were on
their way to their destination.
Many of the nurses returned from
their stations, principally, those at
Chickamauga and Camp Wikoff bro
ken in health. For these, early in No
Vember home was opened at Roway-
ton, Conn.,, where more than so had to
be sent to recuperate. The Red Cross
society, in a report lately issued, says
that transportation for more than 400
nurses was furnished by the society
and that it shared in the expense of
maintaining 494 nurses and paid all the
expenses of 81. The society had also
the distinction of being the only organi-
cation whose aid in the manner of pro-
viding voluntary nurses was accepted
by the navy department. When the
prisoners from Admiral Cervera's fleet
were brought to Portsmouth the sur
geon- general of the navy agreed to ac-
cept the services of six Red Cross
nurses. The excellent work done by
Them and its appreciation by the Span
iards Were we'll illustrated when the
latter requested that the nurses should
accompany them on the voyage to
Spain. Many of the prisoners We're not
expected to survive the voyage, so the
nurses agreed to go.
Upon their arrival at Santander in
Spain the nurses We're welcomed by the
Spanish representatives of the Red
Cross society. who exchanged brassards
with the Americans, A mother of one
of the Spaniards who had been among
the prisoners expressed a wish that one
of the Americans might become ill
there. so that she might show how an
American would be cared for by her.
Some idea of the Importance Of the
Nurses Auxiliary can be gained from
the amount of money spent. AS shown
by the treasurer's report the sum of
s107 1852 was in all collected, and of
this $72,101.64 had been expended up to
Dece0oher I