The National tribune., 1902-07-10

.WOrk OF lUe LtDle Ihtu SltSS h'btiNss WIN
out mingled emotions of affection and
reverence. The Oregon Society was or
ganized hastily and given the name best
suited to its character and purpose, the
"Oregon Emergency Corps to which was
added "and Red Cross Society when
later it affiliated with that body. For our
own regiment and for other Oregon troops
that did not go to the Philippines. it did
noble work. 1t was instrumental in send
ing and supporting several trained nurses
which went to the islands, and who did
general hospital work there in addition
to special care given the Oregon men.
They made comforts and necesSarleS for
the soldiers, sent them large quantities
of reading matter. and every soldier ap-
preciates the value of that service; for
warded them Christmas boxes, and in
many other ways did all that was possi-
BILE for them to do to tighten the hard
ships and mitigate the sufferings of war
To the Red Cross of San Francisco fell
the herculean task of speeding the depart
ing soldiers of the entire Philippine army
and welcoming home the sick. the well.
the wounded and the dead, and nobly did
they perform it, as well as the many
other duties that devolved upon them by
reason of their terminal location The
California Red Cross alse sent about half
dozen nurses to-Sfaniia. accompanied by
IN entire hospital equipment.
after the soldiers from that State. These
nurses arrived in October, and at once 1t
was demonstrated how remiss the Medi-
cal Department had been in not provid-
ing trained women nurses for the hOSpl-
tails before. Now the sick received the
intelligent and conscientious attention
they had not before enjoyed. and dietary
kitchens We're established in connection
with the hospitals. so that the sick might
not only have cooked for them the things
they required. but might actually receive
It. The practical demonstration of the
value of trained women nurses compelled
the Medical Department to adopt them as
part of the Regular Army system, and
a CORPS of nurses was organized as a part
of the service.
The enlistment of the nurses into the
service was the result of experience with
the first that came over under the auspices
of the Red Cross. They were not in
clined TO place themselves under military
regulations, and felt Independent. The
Californans established hospital of their
own for California sick alone, and this
bred the inevitable trouble. Some of the
nurses objected to such eXclusiveness, and
said they came to nurse the sick regard
less of State lines, and these went into
the regular hospitals and worked under
orders, some of them finally enlisting.
Others just as good and Conscientious re-
manned in the California hospital, while
one of the Oregon nurses stayed at Oregon
headquarters and aided the Regimental
Surgeons in caring for sick soldiers be-
fore they were sent to the regular hOspi-
tails
All this work was of the highest char
acter and value. and yet the nurses not
being under military discipline and orders.
there was some friction with the Medical
Department and an encouragement in the
min nf hn of Tho b1r f,,l i6nn
that somebody outside the Government
was looking after them, and thus the pro-
cess of converting the volunteers into
genuine soldiers was to that extent re-
tarded. Whenever a soldier who thinks
things are not going just right, and that
means large share of the time with the
American volunteer, can find q Sympa-
thetic ear outside the service he is pretty
certain to pour his grievances into it,
whether real or imaginary, and be injured
rather than benefited by the process.
What with writing complaining letters
home and having them printed in the
papers with sympathetic and indignant
comments, with receiving letters from
relatives and friends based upon the false
state of mind thus created. and with the
actual presence of these nurses represent
Ing the sympathetic home people. the sol
der felt that he had backing outside the
service.
The effect of the whole matter was
subversive of discipline and injurious to
the service. So far as this demoraliZing
influence of the direct local connection of
the Red Cross with the army was con-
cerned it was finally overcome by the
system of army nurses that now obtains.
The Red Cross did noble work. much of
which the Government should have done
without prompting or aid. and much
which will never be done except by such
..f.
work should be delocalized and become
more general. The same is true of the
volunteer system of the army. The worst
side of this localiZation was shown in the
Colorado regiment, where the active sym
pathy and agitating ability of the woman
doctor who had been sent out by the Red
Cross almost created mutiny in the
regiment and was extremely demoraliz-
Ing IN its effect upon discipline That
there were evils needing correction may
be admitted without indorsing the method
Of correction pursued.
In every company there gradually de-
veloped cases Of dysentery that were in
durable in that climate, as well as few
other diseases, particularly one manifest
ing itself IN ulcers on the hands and feet
and IN malignant cases all over the body.
When it became perfectly apparent that
several of our men were never going to
recover in the Manila hospitals and that
they must either be sent home or buried,
number of volunteer company ccm-
manders began TO make applications for
disability discharges for such men. There
was little difficulty in getting the Volun-
teer Surgeons to sign these, for they look
ed at the cases from the standpoint of n
physicians and not that of the traditions
and customs of the service which have
all been in the direction of holding an en-
listed man till he dies or his term ex-
pires.
FIGHTING FOR SICK MEMS DISCHARGES.
These applications were at first all
turned down by the staff officers of the
Medical Department, the men who studied
conditions from consolidated reports in
stead of visiting the hospitals 1t seemed
To me that II was poor policy to keep
man who was rendering no service and
promised to render none during the prob
able term of his enlistment and paying
another man to care for him. In all
probability the regiment would 20 home
and be mustered out within six months
These men would not be able to perform
duty within that time in the Philippines,
even If sent home TO be nursed back to
health and then sent out to the islands
again, and therefore it would be a bust
ness proposition to discharge them and
send out well men in their places, if their
services were needed. Besides, it was
much better TO send them home alive than
dead, and this appeared to be the only
alternative.
l had in particular a very sick Corporal
UEh hpI h.. 4