Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-10-23
AN INCREASE WANTED
Report ofSurgeon General Van Reypen of the
Navy.
Recommendations for the Beneht of
the Corps Sanitary Conditions
GOOd-The Local Institutions.

In his annual report Admiral Van Rey-
| pen. surgeon general OF the navy. makes
| a strong recommendation for an increase
| OF the medical corps OF the navy. He
| points out that while there has been
steady increase in the enlisted force of the
navy for the past two years. and while
the marine corps has been swelled by the
| addition of 5000 men, there has been no
| suitable provision made for the correspond
| Ing increase In the medical corps, which
| Is charged with the care of the health of
| these men. Therefore, the surgeon gen
eral recommends that the corps be in
| creased five surgeons and twenty assistant
surgeons. and that the volunteer surgeons
| who served in the war and are now in
| service be transferred to the regular rolls
and the age Limitation be removed in their
| cases. There eighteen of these men,
| and in some cases they are over thirty
| years of age. 1t is also earnestly urged
| that the naval assistant surgeons he placed
| on an equality with those of the army
! In pay and rank. At present the army
can get all of the medical service it
needs. while the navy can get scarcely
any surgeons to serve. There now
| four vacancies in the rank of assist
| ant surgeon. and there will be eight
more during the year. and the hope
| is expressed that the CORPS will NOT be al
| lowed to die out from lack of recruits
which must follow unless the Inducements
are equal to those offered in the army at
least.
The surgeon general calls attention TO the
fact that of the eighty four naval casual
| ties during the war with Spain, only seven
teen have resulted in pension applications
| SO far. most noteworthy fact in view Of
the report that eighteen of the casualties
resulted fatally.
In concluding the report special atten-
| ton is invited to the excellent sanitary
| conditions existing in the navy, and es-
pecially In the Asiatic squadron, during the
last year. Early precautions were taken
| to prevent as far possible the i'll ef-
| fects resulting from necessary climatic ex-
posture, and to give the best care and at
| tention to the sick. The results have
| proved their efficacy and the sick reports
| from the vessels in the Philippines indi-
| cate a high standard OF physical efficiency
| In the squadron.
Admiral Van Reypen makes the following
reference to the condition of local institu-
tons:
Naval Hospital.
During the past year only minor repairs
| and improvements have been made to the
grounds and buildings of this hospital All
| the woodwork, ceilings and walls of the
building, from basement to attic have
been painted; and the floors, walls and the
| outside of the stable have also been paint
| ed, as well the disinfector, iron fence
| surrounding the hospital. flagstaff and all
| tin roofs. One galvanzed-iron hot water
! boiler five feet high and twenty-five inches
| in diameter, with a water pressure of 300
| pounds, has been installed and all neCes-
| sary connections made. The boiler in the
| kitchen has been repaired and put in eX-
| cellent condition. Besides the above work
| minor repairs have been made to the
| drains, water pipes, etc, whenever il was
necessary.
Navy Yard.
| The sanitary condition of the yard re-
mains unchanged from last year. Atten-
ton is again called to the condition of
| tbs mud flats off the yard, and this condi-
ton will remain menace to the health of
| the yard long as measures are not insti-
| tuted for diverting the sewage from the
| Eastern branch entirely and delivering It
| into the Potomac river. The reclamation
| of the flats and walling in both sides of the
| channel, as has been proposed, would tend
| to improve matters, but would not effect
| an entire cure, as they can hardly produce
! sufficient sewering of the channel.
| With the average complement, practical
| ly the same as that for the previous year.
there was diminution in the number Of
| cases of malarial fever The general sani-
| tary condition of the yard is probably as
| good as it can be made viewing the condi-
! ton Of the river water which permeates
| the greater part of the soil on which the
yard Is built AS it is made ground, con-
| sisting largely of ashes and other porous
| material. the tide water passes easily
| through it.
| Filters are used in the marine barracks
| and seamen gunners' quarters and are be-
| ing gradually introduced in the shops. 1t
| would be a great Improvement If an ap-
| paratus for fltering water could be at
| tached to the water pipes, as Of the
| permanent fixtures of the houses, by means
| Of which water used for drinking and cook
| ing might all be filtered.
1 a1I1ri al
| men employed in the shops called for a
| good deal of attention on the part of the
medical officer of the yard during the year.
| The shops were in operation for a ma
| JoNty of the time day and night, and the
| exhausting effects of the summer heat
| combined with the prolonged working hours
! caused many cases of illness.
| The following list embraces the surgical
cases of all kinds treated at the dispensary
| during the year: Incised wounds 81: con-
| fused wounds, Al; Iacerated wounds, 81;
punctured wounds 10; Commissions. 4O con-
| Junctivitis, l: amputations. 4; abrasions l.
| sprains, B; fractures, 4; burns, >; hernia
.: foreign bodies in eye, II.
| During the year 1898 epidemic catarrh
| prevailed extensively among the officers and
{ families Of the yard. There was also one
| case of diphtheria in the family Of one of
| the officers, but 1t of so mild a nature
| as not to call for the use of antitoxin
| and the case recovered without any COM
plicattons.
| The medical officer of the yard, in SUBJ
| uniting his report. calls attention to the ex-
oellence of the ambulance service its eff
cheney and promptness at all hours os the
| day and night.
Marine Headquarters.
During the past year the barracks were
| greatly overcrowded. the average compile
| ment amounting to 240 men, being an ex-
| cess of about forty over the number the
quarters provided can properly accomma-
date.
The buildings are one-story structures.
| with but little space between the ground
and floor upon which the beds are placed
Notwithstanding this condition, the health
| record has been excellent. no infectious or
contagious diseases having occurred
The proportion of malarial cases 10 the
number of admissions to the sick list has
been gratifying, amounting to only about 8