The National tribune., 1902-07-10

"You are? Well, what's the name of
the Lieutenant of Co. D?'
Hartman" replied the relieved Hus
ton, who began gathering up his traps to
| return to quarters. Fortunately it proved
that Hartman did not have the smallpox
anyhow, and so no harm was done ex-
| cept to HustOn's feelings, but the regi.
ment felt so proud of his demonstration
of its high state of discipline which made
an officer go to the smallpox suspicion
tent and remain there Il whole day with
out protest, though he knew he was not
| sick, simply because it was orders, that
even Huston was Modified and no subse-
quent strained relations existed between
him and the Surgeon.
! THREATENED APPEAL TO THE COUNTRY.
When the first separate place for small
poX patients was established the ideas of
economy still prevailed in the office of the
| Chief Surgeon, and everything was still
| Judged from consolidated reports. The re-
| suit was that the hospital created con-
sisted of nothing but a large tent pitched
| iii swampy ground some distance from the
general hospital and sufficiently removed
from the boulevards passing it. 1t was
removed for the simple reason that the
ground was Swampy. This was not an
ideal location for hospital of any kind,
and especially for patients suffering from
the fever Of smallpox. but it might have
been made little better by supplying the
| necessary cOnyeniences for comfort and
| the proper treatment of the disease. No
wooden floor or any other kind was laid,
and as it was still in the rainy season the
physician in charge and the detailed
| nurses often were ankle-deep in mud
while standing at the side of the cots of
the patients. There was no bath tub,
nothing in fact but a tent and cots for
| the patients to sleep upon. This was
| the condition Of the smallpox hospital
when Capt. Sanford Whiting. of the
Oregon regiment, was detailed to take
charge of it, the fact having been discov-
cred that he had special knowledge of the
disease from actual service in small
pox ward in New York hospital. I'm
der these conditions the mortality rate
had been very high, much above the nor
NAL average. Whiting stood it as long
as he could, and then he broke out. Be
ing Volunteer he could not help ex-
pressing his mind, although he expected
| to be cOurt-martialed.
He went to the headquarters Of the
Chief Surgeon at the Ayuntemiento and
demanded that the hospital be made fit
for habitation and be equipped with
| what was necessary for proper treatment
| of the patients. He declared that in its
present condition it was not fit place
for the treatment Of sick hogs.
The Chief Surgeon, so it was reported
demurred at the expense, as he had done
on other occasions, but be was told that
| if it were not done he would resign and
would write for publication a statement
of affairs that would rouse the Indignation
of the entire country This settled it.
The hospital was equipped with every
thing he declared necessary that could be
mad, and he was not courtmartialed. The
result was decrease of over 30 peI cent
in the death list according to my recollec-
ton of figures that / have heard quoted
This was just about the time of the sud
den change of policy on the part of the
Medical Department from extreme par
simony to extreme liberality, with i'm
proved hospitals, better service and small
er death list as a result.
1 mad little experience in the protest
ing line myself. About month after
being crowded, regular hospital tents
We're erected near and patients trans
| ferred to them. Having occasion to visit
one of my men in these tents, l became
impressed with the lack of knowledge or
care on the part of the person responsible
for their erection. They We're as hot as
furnaces, in spite of being open at the
ends to create circulation of air. In
the wards of the regular hospital, shelter
| ed from the direct rays of the sun, it was
comparatively cool, but here a well man
could not stay long, certainly it was not
good place for a sick one I knew well
enough that theoretically hospital un-
der canvas is all right. preferable in some
respects to one under roof. but condi-
tions were not right here. The canyas
was new and white and the suns rays
went through it with intense heat. The
| flies, also, instead of being staked free
from the tent so as to leave an air space
between the fly and the roof of the tent.
were staked down tight at the same angle
as the tent roof and lay fat against it.
l was guilty Of the much-criticised vol
unteer INSTRUMENTATION, for wrote a PRO-
test aud called attention to the fact that