Daily Kennebec journal., 1899-05-04
TYPHOID IN VOLUNTEER CAMPS.
ignorant Volunteer Surgeons Responsible for
Much OF Tha. Diseases Spread.

Washington. May 3.-The session Of
the Association of American Physicians
at the Arlington. today, was marked
BY an important paper on typhoid fever
in the volunteer camps by D.. Y. e.
Vaughan. one of the board Of surgeons
appointed by Surgeon General Stern
berg, last summer, TO look into this
matter when the epidemic of typhoid
was prevalent in the various army
camps. The board made thorough
study of the subject and its report has
been Looked forward to as an authori-
tativc work. The report is not yet
completed by DR.. Naughan's paper was
in the nature Of an advance statement
with the sanction Of Gen. Sternberg,
who was present at the meeting.
Dr. Vaughan's paper was a very Sc
we're arraignment Of the volunteer sur
gclns and incidentally Of the officers
VINO we're responsible for the policing
Of the great camps at Jacksonville.
| Chickamauga. Camp Alger and Mon
tauk Point The board visited all
these points and found that not only
was there q great deal more typhoid
than was first supposed, but that the
surgeons, mostly Of the volunteer class,
treating and reporting typhoid under
the names Of persistent malaria, lin
Digestion gastric fever and "tyho-
malaria" Blood examination of many
Of the malaria" patients failed to
show the presence of the malaria bacil-
lus, but there was every Indication of
wei marked typhoid. These patients
We're being treated with quinine and
naturally either died or had to be sent
to city hospitals where their disease
was properly diagnosed.
The board made an extra careful ex-
animation of the water supply of the
various camps and found that the
, prevalence of typhoid could not be laid
to impure water in any large degree
The explanation. DR.. Nauhan said, was
in the disgustingly filthy condition oi
the camps where the eXcretia of ty-
phoid patients We're strewn broadcast
with no apparent effort either to steril-
= ize them or collect them 50 as to pre-
I vent thtir spreading of cOntagion to tht
! remainder Of the camp. The final re-
: port of the board viii deal largely
with sanitary measures for the govern
: ing OF camps ana the best form D
: sterilizing apparatus to use in case o
II
= Surgeon General Sternberg Of tn,
: army, said that it certainly seemed
strange, after the lessons Of the Ciyi
) War that our camps should have beer
: infected by typhoid which We knew 81
J. we'll He had issued q circular to Al
= medical officers pointing out the dan
i gers in this regard and explainins
= how they might be avoided. Gen
=: SternberE referred to the appointment
4 Of volunteer medical army officers b,
e the governors of states the former
: thereby becoming responsible for the
r health Of our camps The result hat
- been unsatisfactory. 1t did seem Il
Il him to be inconsistent that we shoul,
set ourselves up to show the Spaniard,
i now to eradicate yellow fever from
e their cities while our camps were in
7 fected seriously with typhoid. He de
~ ciared that any adverse condition.
II which prevailed at Montauk should no
" De held against the regular army med
= zeal officers, few of whom were there.
ii Dr George Dock of the I-niyersit,
= OF Michigan. spoke Of his investiga
tons at the Sternberg General hospi