The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-11-04

st. Louis, Nov. 4.-The entire third
days session of the international con-
gress of military surgeons was devoted
to the presentation of papers and ad-
dresses. The first address was by Ma
Jor l.. L. Seaman, United States V. E.,
who has just returned from the scene
of the Russo -Japanese war. Major Sea-
man said in part:
Too much praise cannot be bestowed
upon the medical department of the
japanese army and navy for their
splendid preparatory work in this war.
the true value of an army medical
corps. Care Of the sick and wounded
consumes but small part of their time.
The solution of the greater problem,
preserving the health and fighting val
lie of the army in the feld-by prevent.
ing disease, by careful supervision of
the smallest details of subsisting, cloth
ing and sheltering the units, is their
first and most important duty.
The medical officer is omnipresent.
You will find him in countless places
where in an American or British army
front as in the rear. He is with the
first screen Of scouts with his micro
scope and chemicals, testing and label
ing wells so the army to follow shall
drink no contaminated water. When
the scouts reach the town, he imme-
of it's sanitary condition and if con-
tagion or infection is found he quaran-
dangerous district Notices are posted
so the approaching column is warned
and no soldiers are billeted where dan
ger exists. Microscopic blood tests are
made in all fever cases-and. bac-
form part Of the staff Of every divis-
ional headquarters. The medical officer
also accompanies foraging parties, and
with the commissariat officers, samples
the various food, fruits and vegetables
sold by the natives along the, line of
march, long before the arrival of the
army. If the food is tainted, or the
fruit over-ripe, or the water requires
boiling, notice is posted to that effect,
and such is the respect and discipline
Of every soldier from commanding off
Ger to the file in the ranks, that obedi'
ence to it's order Is absolute. The medi
cal officer is also found in camp, lee
turing the men on sanitation and the
hundred ane one details of personal ny
giene. Long before the outbreak OF
hostilities he was with the advance
agents of the army, and as a conse
quence Of these precautions, he is not
now found treating thousands of cases
of intestinal diseases that have brought
more campaigns to disastrous termina
tions than the strategies of opposing
generals or the bullets of their follow
ers.
But it is in that far more terrible
and pathetic class Of losses-the need
less sacrifice of 400 lives to preventabl
disease for 100 who die legitimately
that the most astounding reduction will
be shown. If the testimony of thos
conversant with the facts can be &C
cepted, supplemented by my own lin
tied observations, the loss from pre-
ventable disease in the first six months
of this terrible conflict, will be but (
fraction Of l per cent. This, too, in
country VIGOROUSLY unsanitary. Com
pare this with the fearful loss es o
the British from preventable disease il
South Africa-Or WOrse-wlth our owl
losses in the Spanish American wal
The Japanese do their killing, but the
do it differently: They, too. have thei
tragedies, but they are legitimate trae
edies Of grim war, not governments
murder thru criminal neglect.
Naturally one asks-were these r.
suits anticipated9 AS an answer, tn
statement Of distinguished Japanes
officer, when discussing with me tn
subject of Russia s overwhelming nun
bers Is pertinent. eyes, he said, ''w
are prepared for that. Russia may
able to place 100000 men in the fiel!!
every war four men die Of disease fc
every one who falls from bullets. Ths
will be the position of Russia in tn
war. We propose to eliminate diseas
as factor. Every man who dies
our army must fall on the field of ba
tie. In this way we shall neutraliz
the superiority Of Russian numbers an
stand on a comparatively equal foo
ing.'