Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-05-03

typhoid were intermittent in nature. The
patient was often ordered to duty only to
| return to the hospital within twenty-four
hours.
I'VE have learned that once a regiment Is
thoroughly infected with typhoid II does
not lose the disease by removing to a per-
fectly healthy site and leaving all of the
sick behind. Before the epidemic is marked
1t may disappear with removal. A sea
| voyage of some four or five days sometimes
proves efficacious. This was illustrated by
ment which left Tampa for Cuba was IN
fected. Two patients were put of at Key
West, and when the regiment reached Cuba
there was still one patient. Not another
case developed however, until the return
to the states The half of the regiment
left in Florida was infected continuously"
DIR. Vaughan was loudly applauded. His
paper was interesting throughout
Surgeon Generals Remarks.
Surgeon General Sternberg arose and
said:
1T is certainly strange. after the lessons
of the civil war, that our camps should
have been infected by this disease we know
so well April % last I issued a circular to
all medical officers pointing out the dangers
in this regard, and explaining how they
might be avoided. Surgeons must appreci
ate the Importance OF camp sanitation. The
line officers were not impressed with the
Importance of this until the fever became
epidemic. Doctors in civil life do not APP
preclate the necessity or thoroughly dlSln-
fecting fever excretion. These men be-
came our medical officers. They were APP
pointed by the governors OF states and be-
came responsible for the health OF our
camps. The result has been, as We all
know, unsatisfactory; but | need not dwell
further upon that point. 1t does seem to
me to be inconsistent that we should set
ourselves up to show the Spaniards how
to eradicate yellow fever from their cities
while our camps are infected seriously with
typhoid"
DR. Kinnecutt of New York spoke of his
work at Camp WikoT as surgeon for the
Red Cross. He told OF the bad sanitary ar
engagements and corroborated what DR..
Vaughan explained in more detail.
General Sternberg arose and said that
any adverse conditions prevailing at Mon
tauk should not be held against the reg
ular army medical officers. Most of the
regular officers were disabled in the San
tiago campaign, and there were but few Of
them at WikOff. The majority of the ply
sicians there were acting assistant surgeons
appointed from civil life and serving with
regiments.
Report of Investigations.
Dr. George Dock OF the University Of
Michigan spoke of his Investigations at
Sternberg general hospital Most of the
volunteer medical officers went into camp,
he said with the expec tation of fighting no
end of malaria. In one regiment each man
was provided with 200 grains of quinine and
a three-ounce bottle Of paregoric. They were
told to take some of each with the first in
diCation of sickness. The great bulk of sup
posed malarial cases werA not malarial
infections at all. Many of the doctors dosed
the patients with thirty to forty grains of
Quinine each day, regardless The misun-
Outstanding regarding the symptoms or
typhoid and the oVerestimation of the eff
feet of quinine form, DR.. Dock declared,
the striking faults of the volunteer medical
service. In many cases that came under
his notice the nurses were in ignorance Of
the diagnosis, as no cards were on the cots.
DR.. Jacob of New York wanted to know
If the surgeon general of the army was
compelled to take "all the rubbish sent him
by the governors of the states" If such
was the law, he declared, it was time it was
changed.
Gen. Sternberg. in reply, said the officers
appointed by the governors were no worse
than many Of the doctors left behind. Most
of the surgeons went home with their regi-
ments in good shape, but their training had
been gained at the expense of many SOL
diers. The trouble was, he said, in the in
sufficient training of the medical schools.
The line officers, Gen. Starnberg said are
also to blame In many cases he knew they
had declared the surgeons recommended
tons nothing but doctors fads.'
shame and a Crime.
Dr. Vaughan said that as there was some
seeming misunderstanding in regard to
what his report had said regarding the vol
unteer doctors. he would say that the aver
ter than the average doctor. The point Of
the whole matter is that the medical officer
is poweriess unless the line officers will up
hold him and follow his directions.
1T is shame and crime, he declared,
that the line officers Of our regular army
have no education as to sanitary knowl-
edge. Many Of the volunteer officers were
incompetent, but the average was good.
They had vast amount of work thrown
upon them and held UP under il very well
| indeed
This concluded the discussion and the
next paper was announced. 1t was by DR..
William WEIGH of Johns Hopkins Univer-
sity, the subject being General HERNIA
chromatosis.'
The afternoon meeting was called to
order at 80 o'clock.
The annual dinner of the association will
be held tonight at the Arlington
The Opening Session.
At the initial session yesterday the open
ing remarks were made by President q.
Baumgarten of st. Louis The speakers
were DR.. J. P. Crozier Griffith of Philadel
pha DR.. r. H. Fitz of Boston, DR.. James
Tyson of Philadelphia and DR.. f. z. Henry
of the same city. DR.. Alfred Stengel,
practitioner of the Quaker city, read an
interesting paper on the effect of athletics
upon the heart. Habitual Indulgence in
athletics, he said, causes some dllation OF
the heart chambers at the time of engaging
in a trying sport He said, further, that
young and inexperienced athletes than in
those well trained. Occasionally acute di-
lation. sufficient 10 cause marked symp-
toms, is observed, but under these circum-
stances a trained athlete may recover
within a few days. Continued Indulgence
in severe sports may cause the athletes to
suffer, at least during some years after
they have ceased to follow the sport.
Papers on Scientific Topics.
Yesterday afternoons session began at
2:3o O'Clock and was given over to the
reading OF purely technical and scientific
papers, the speakers being DR.. A r. Cush-
ny Of Ann Arbor, DIR. J. J. Putnam and
DIR. J. Collins Warren of Boston, DR.. NJ.
Allen Starr of New York, Dr. j. b. Her
rick of Chicago. Dr. ]. c. Wilson and DIR.
j. K. Mitchell of Philadelphia.
The physicians in attendance are Drs. q.
Dock of Ann Arbor, f. ]. Adam of Pitts
field, James Tyson of Philadelphia, William
H. Thompson of New York, A. V. Meigs OF
Philadelphia, s. j. Meier of New York
James c. Wilson of Philadelphia, M A
Starr of New York, G. 8. Stockton of Buff
falo, A. c. Abbott of Philadelphia, H La
neur of Montreal Wharton Similar of
PHILADELPHIA. James Henry of pbiIadeI-