Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1900-12-20
FORT BAYARD MILITARY SANlTARlUM
The Report Of sthe 'surgeon1in':Charge''o
the Institution.

ment August 20, 1899, authorized the
general to establish a general
hospital at Fort Bayard, N. NJ, as q
sanitarium for treatment of officers and
enlisted men of the army suffering from
pulmonary tuberculosis, and also to
provide therein for the care and treat
ment of discharged soldiers entitled to
the benefits of the United States SOL
diers' home at Washington, D. c. Under
the latter clause patients are enabla1
to remain under treatment indefinit Nv,
even after their discharge from the
army by reason of their physical dis
ability or from expiration of their tenn
of enlistment.
Fort Bayard was selected by the sur
geon general not only for it's admirably
suited climate, b.. also because it was
Immediately available, it's abandonment
as a military post having been cont2m
plated for some years, and, excepting
for its isolation and difficulty of acc .ss,
no better locality could have been cho-
SEN.
1t is located in the arid mountainous
region of southern New Mexico, three
miles from Bayard Station, n ten
miles from Silver City, both of which
are on branches of the Santa Fe raw
road. Having an altitude of 6O4O feet,
the climate permits of comfortable out
door life during the entire year, n J,
excepting for the frequent high winds
during the spring, is undoubtedly ide"l.
When ordered to assume charge Of
the hospital I was directed to select and
ship supplies as promptly as possible, to
provide accommodations at once for n
number Of cases to be Immediately
transferred from the soldiers home.
On my arrival, October 3, 1899,
found all the buildings, as we'll as the
water and sewer systems, very much
di%lapidated, and extensive repairs and
alterations, which We're commenced al
once, are still in progress.
The old post hospital is now occupte'
as an infirmary for bed-ridden cases
including not only those in whom thu
disease is far advanced, but also the
febrile cases, which are kept absolutely
at rest until the subsistence of the f.
yer.
The ambulant cases are obliged to re.
main outdoors at least eight hours dai.
ly during the entire year; they are no
allowed to occupy their dormitories
f,o,, @ n ~ ,,,ttJ G =, ~ and tho win
dows of the dormitories are Away:
open. For those with severe cough
rooms with two beds are provided; thu
others are placed in. rooms containinf
six and twelve beds, and the GONZALES
cents are separated from those who still
expectorate tubercle bacilli. All the pa
tients are required to carry paper 50,
cups, which must not be used longet
than twenty-four hours, and then burn
ed, and the orders agains eXpectoratin:
elsewhere are rigidly enforced. The al
vine discharges of infirmary cases VII!
intestinal tuberculosis are destroyed il
a crematory.
Recognizing that the problem in tn
treatment of tuberculosis is ~essenti2ll'
one of nutrition, no efforts are spare
to provide abundant good and NUT
tious food. All the patients are weighe
weekly, and the comparative report O
such weights is regarded as an indey D
their general progress.
From October 4 till August 6, 1900, 16
po+;optS rrara o1,,,itfo6 with rasl1ltS q
follows: Discharged, not improved l.
remaining 81; discharged, improved q
remaining "A; discharged, convalesce
II, remaining 26; discharged, cured
remaining 1: total discharged 40, re
naming 1902; died, IA.
Cases are recorded as cured wh,.
after all symptoms have d~isappeare;
they fail to react to the tuberculin tes
Those in whom no tubercle bacilli ar
found after repeated examinations an
all active symptoms have disappeared
but they still react to the tubercCli
test, are classed as c~onvalescent.
Though we have not yet complete
our first year, our experience thus Ia
tends to disprove the general opirio
that altitude is contraindicated in la
yngeal and hemorrhagic cases. In sey
eral cases admitted with laryngeal u
| ceration, the ulcers have healed, and
. two cases who succumbed to their pu
monary involvement, and who on &C
8 mission had extensive laryngeal di:
J. ease, the larynx was found, post-mo'
:. tenn, completely cicatrized.
In quite a number of cases with
history Of pulmonary hemorrhage b'
: fore admission there has been no recu'
renee, and in none has 1t been a serioi
feature.
Hectic fever is exceptional, and usl
Y ally subsidies after a few weeks of con
! plete rest. Night sweats are infrequer
and even in most advanced cases a
readily controlled.
& Many of those discharged Improve:
and "convalescent'' were nc longer alb
to resist the pangs of nostalgia so pre-
to occur among the uneducated-whi'
includes a majority of u cases-al
n which here is a result of the isolat'
location of the hospital, and enhanc'
by the aridity of the vicinity. Othe
II when discharged from the army are u
If willing longer to submit to the nece
,e sary restrictions Of the rules and REG
lations of an institution of this kind
The majority of those discharged III
d ]imnroved'' were advanced cases, w
preferred to return to their frien
when told there was no reasonable no
for recovery.
IN The staff Of the hospital consists
Acting Assistant Surgeon James
III Hepburn and Acting Assistant Surge
E. s. Bullock, pathologist; Chaplain
N. Pilchard, and Capt. H. Mel. Pow
. 14th infantry, quartermaster and co