Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-04-06
LOSS OF LIFE IN WARS.

American and the whole world can
learn much from Japan in the present
war and not the smallest lesson has
been pointed out by DR.. Louis l.. Sea-
man, major-surgeon Of the First Regi-
ment, United States Volunteers in the
Spanish-American and Philippine wars,
life member of the Japanese Red
Cross society, delegate to interna-
tional medical congresses and veteran
of several wars.
DR.. Seaman, who has been in Man
churia and is now on his way to vladi-
vostok to return to the scene of bat
tie, declares that the Japanese are los
ing no men by sickness during the
present war and he compares this fact
with the losses of the United States
during the Spanish-American and
Philippine wars, saying that for every
one man lost in battle during those
wars the United States army lost four
teen by sickness. DR.. Seaman calls
this disgrace to the country and it
really looks that way. There is, how
ever, the fact to remember that while
the Japanese are fighting in a north
ern country where the weather is
either about the same or somewhat
colder than they were used to at home
the soldiers from the United States,
went to tropical climes, where they
were subjected to all kinds of danger
Gus diseases, strengthened by the lack
OF sanitary precautions against the
spread of sickness. Had the scene of
the wars with the Spanish peoples
been in the United States instead Of in
the tropics the deaths by sickness
would have been considerably less.
There is, nevertheless, much in DR..
Seaman's views to cause serious re-
fection in America. He suggests a
remedy as learned by his experience
with the Japanese. In an interview a
few days ago he said:
The question of the day is. are we
going to change the conditions that
exist here? The men in the Spanish
American war were the pick of the
country-magnifcent examples of
physical manhood These soldiers
should have come back from the war
better than when they went away. But
as matter Of fact they did come back
lot OF spindle-shanked invalids. It is
up to the United States government to
answer why. These soldiers were mon
strously fed and more monstrously
treated. They were fed on a diet that
was rotten. If it had been a real war
our army would have been wiped out
by these preventable diseases.
Japan was prepared for this war.
She had been preparing for it for ten
years, for she knew it was coming.
That country has the most magnificen.
Red Cross organization that ever has
been known, numbering about 1O0O.-
600 members. Their system of sani-
tation and medical inspection is per-
feet.
Their medical officers have rank
and power. They are with the advance
guard and with the rear guard. in
specting water and food and seeing
that the town that is being occupied
or the place that is being selected for
camp is in a sanitary condition.
"The three great lessons to be
learned from the Japanese war are
from the medical, the commissariat
and transport departments. The Jap
anese government permitted our gov
eminent to send five military attaches
to accompany their army in the held.
Was a surgeon, or quartermaster, or
commissary officer detailed? No.
They represented the life-saving and
life-preserving departments and they
were omitted. The killing department
got the ppointments-the cavalry,
ordnance, infantry
The little brown men are teaching
the world great deal, and it may be
that the lesson Ioi1ted out by DR.. Sea-
man will result in a lig Improvement
in the American army if ii is ever
again drawn into another war.