The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-07-09
THE BRITISH HOSPITALS
Letter From Burdett- C0utts on the
Service in South Africa.
He Describes Conditions in BlOcm-
fontcin md the Unnecessary Suf-
ferinE Caused Sick and Wounded
Soldiers -Overcrowding and the
Lnck of Attention to Patients.

few days ago cable reports were print
ed of speech made in the House of Com
mons By w Burdett- Coutts, in which he
| made the gravest charges against the hos
pital service of the British army in South
/ Africa In the London Times of June q,
under a Cape Town date of May 20. is a
three-column letter from Mr.. Burdett-
Coutts, in which he describes the condition
of the fever hospitals in Bloemfontein. The
following contains the most striking parts
of tie letter:
To a mind stocked with scenes which
| would sicken the hardest heart it comes
! like a blow between the eyes. leaving one
very moment when these horrors were at
their worst and when men were dying like
| flies for want OF adequate attention, a
large company of intelligent and we'll
meaning gentlemen at home, both lay and
professional, were feastng on-among
,, other things which the war-worn, soldier
out here would have been equally glad to
have-the perfection of the medical and
hospital arrangements in this campaign!
On that night Saturday, April 2S,) hun
dreds of men to my knowledge were. lying
in the worst stages Of typhoid. with only
| blanket and thin waterproof, sheet
mot even the latter for many OF them)
between their aching bodies and the hard
ground, with no milk and hardly any
medicines. without beds. stretchers or
mattresses. without pillows, without linen
of any kind. without single nurse among
them. with only a few ordinary, private
soldiers to act as "orderlies," rough and
utterly unframed to nursing, and with
only three doctors to attend on $50 pa
tients.
Sick Unprovided For.
There were none of the conditions OF a
forced march about this. 1t was mile
from Bloemfontein, the capital OF the Free
State, large town which we had occupied
for more than six weeks, with a line OF
railway to two seaports. along which
thousands OF troops and countless train
loads of stores and equipment of all kinds,
and for everyone except the sick, had been
moving up during the whole Of that leIs-
urely hating time. About the same day
convoy of wounded men were being sub
jected to nameless torture for want of any
ambulance transport or the simplest COM
forts, huddled together in rough, spring
less OK wagons, jolted over spruit and
strategically safe and their destination
this same Bloemfontein, provided with
most things except humane appliances for
the wounded. These are two typical in
stances Of the state of things here on
April 2S.
There are 10000 sick and wounded troops
this day in South Africa, and more than
half of these are down with typhoid. The
figures are not official, but they may be
In Naa1 ptt-ar NV
Kroonstad to Bloemfontein; through
Springfontein and Norval's Point to
Naauwpoort. On the De Aar; then up by
Orange River to Kimberley; down again
from De Aar through Deelfontein-all
these being great centres OF sick-to Cape
Town, which is full now. In spite of its
500 shipped home every week; back from
Naauwpoort down to East London; a:
Port Elizabeth; at Durham, Maritzburg,
Moot River. Ladysmith-20,0 900 British
soldiers sick and wounded, not man less,
and probably some thousands more. 1t Is
respectable British army, larger than
We have won some wars with, and about
the strength people said at-Afst that we
should require for this one; but 1t is an
army of sick men.
At Bloemfonten a few days ago there
were 5000 sick on one day left after an
other 5000 had been sent down the line
How have these stricken thousands. or
most of them. been housed and tended?
How have they been nursed? How have
they been moved? An Indication has been
given; few specific instances will follow
in this and the succeeding letter.
Conditions mt BIoemfontcin.
For a month after our occupation OF
Bloemfontein, where. it will be remem-
before the general advance. the hospital
accommodation there consisted of two
kinds-frst the field hospital situated in
the various camps about the town: and,
second. the extemporized hospitals in the
town itself in various public buildings
Communicated for the purpose. These
latter, according to the Official list, con-
tanned about 7e0 beds.
The conditions OF the town and the
surrounding country were explained and
the possible danger Of an epidemic clearly
indicated in the last letter, although the
authorities maintained that typhoid was
not on the increase. In that letter the
SICK were given as 1900, which, with 700
in the town, would leave some 1900 in the
field hospitals.
We will deal with the latter establish
ments first. 1t was difficult to ascertain
state it at any given time. as those hos
pitfalls were constantly being evacuated as
brigades moved away. The large exodus
of troops in the direction Of Dewetdorp
and Thaba N'Chu on the fruitless attempt /
to cut off the enemy in the southeast |
closed many field hospitals. and the later
general advance caused nearly all to be |
evacuated. 1t will be better, therefore,
to take one of them as an illustration. 1t
IL.
remained after the others. passed through |
the highest pressure of sickness. and was |
on the point of being abolished few days |
ago. .a.
An ordinary field hospital contains 100 !
beds-a facon de parier because 1t has no |
beds When stretchers are available they |
are sometimes used as beds in the tents. |
The theory of field hospital is that il is |
to be always moving with troops. When |
troops make a long stay in one place 1t
may be used as a stationary" hospital.
and its equipment should be improved for
that purpose. II is an axiom laid down |
by an accepted authority that ''if the hes
pital IS to be long in occupation every |
effort should be made to raise the pa
tients eff the ground" Ten weeks ex-
istence Of this hospital in one spot is
certainly period satisfying the condition;
but no attempt was ever made to supply |,
beds even mattresses for it.
Situated within a mile OF Bloemfontein.
nurses could have been accommodated in IL |
Just as well as in general or sta
tionary" hospital. where they are allowed
There were neevr any nurses in 1t, or
indeed in any field hospital. The dis
tinction between a field hospital used as
this was and stationary or general hos
pital is rendered merely nominal by
enlarged accommodations. In these re- |
enrne of the fiald bnr,itals ,ro,,.,