New-York tribune., 1906-12-31
HOSPITAL SHIP COMMAND.
Park Benjamin Cites Recent History Oh the
Subject.

To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: Surgeon General Rixey says in his pub
lished statement concerning the command of hos
pital ships:
Hospital ships, a rule, have always been COM
manded by medical officers with IA sailing master
and civilian crew for purposes of navigation.
1t is to be regretted that DR.. Rixey has not con-
descended a little TO particulars making this
assertion. Hospital ships quite, recent ad-
junct and ought to be difficult for him to
state specific instances Apart from the vessels
used by the japanese. l have found only the Sol
ace employed by ourselves in the Spanish War and
the Maine, used by the British in the Transvaal
war The Solace not commanded by medical
officer but by a line officer of the navy-Com-
mander (now Rear AdmraD Andrew Dunlap. The
Maine was Atlantic Transport cattle ship lent
by the owning corporation which paid the wages
of the crew She was equipped by private contri-
button, largely American Under the direction of a
Maine committee" She Red Cross ship
sailing under four fags-the United States ensign,
the British Union Jack, the Red Cross pennant and
the Admiralty burgee. She was not in any sense a
naval vessel nor in any wise connected with the
British fleet. The Tribunes correspondent January
g. 1900 says that the staff is commanded
by Surgeon Lieutenant Colonel Hensman, of the
British army medical service who represents the
War Office The real commander OF the ship,
aboard and directing its movements, was Lady
Randolph Churchill, whose report such Will be
found in The Tribune of May s. 1890. 1t contains
ass Il should like to give the COM
mittee for bringing the snip nome, etc
Concerning the japanese ships, Dr. RlXey says
that they were commanded by medical officers 'af
ter having tried line officers Is this quite ingenu-
GUS at least in so far ii conveys an impression
that line officers displaced for some possible
inferiority? Does not DR. Rixey know-and did he
know before writing-that the instructions 20
the Russian forces, ratified by the Car and duly
promulgated contain an express provision (Artice
- that the neutrality of military hospitals ceases
if the ambulances or hospitals are guarded by
military force?' Was it not in view of this that
the change was made? And since the last Hague
conference it not understood that the objection
the military guard no longer prevails?
Another inference which Dr. Rxey seemingly in
vites is that the Japanese hospital ships naval
vessels for the purpose and TO the same ex-
tent as the Relief. Was that the fact? There ap'
pear have been twenty-five Japanese army hos
pital ships. which made constant trips from Dalny
Ujina-a three or four days voyage-also two
Red Cross privately equipped ships and when these
vessels proved insufficient, transports sometimes
supplemented them DR. Louis l.. Seaman refers at
length to these ships in his work the japanese
medical service. ana one will accuse him of in
tentionally emitting anything In support of his ex
tremey laudatory conclusions. Yet regarding naval
hospital ships he is provokingly silent that some
thing about them from DR.. Rixey might well
be interesting the public.
In view of the resolution of "a hundred and forty
odd thousand physicians which recently wired
to DR.. RiXey, and which seems TO consider that the
sea mana cement of hospital vessel is involved In
the medical responsibility. might be permitted
to ask whether the management of hospitals by
boards of laymen (trustees directors, governors
etc), their SUPPLEMENTARY by persons not
doctors in medicine. is phenomenally unusual? And
NAV also he allowed to point out. in this connec-
ton that the four great naval medical establish
ments of Great Britain, respectively Malta, Glib
ratar. Bermuda and Hong Kong, each COM
manded by line officer of the navy-two (Malt3
and Gibraltar) by admirals (Hong Kongl
by commodore, and (Bermuda) by d COM
mander? And that respectively subordinate TO these
line officers the medical heads. namely. three
medical deputy inspector generals and fleet sur
geon? No hospital ships borne the British
navy list PARK BENJAMIN.
No 203 Broadway, New York, Dec. 30 1907.