The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-05-15
'.Dl|.|R| " \. TAYLOR
MAKES ADDRESS.
Confederate Surgeon Pictures
81 War Scetfe9i Speech, at Medi-
cal College 81 Virginia.
ALUMNI MEETING IS HELD
Thine Of Memorial Tablet IN
Crangcd--Ei Enjoyable
Ef ss Smoker Ends Evening.

. F.. T.
some Experiences of II Confederate
& Assistant Surgeon" wns the subject OF
"a Dr. EW-illiam II .laylor's address before
& fhr faculty. students and friends OF the
& Medical College OF Virginia last night IN
tho college lecture hail. D'. Taylor,s
sEctory was full Of humor, with touch
now and then Of pathos.
.'yNc Jared wo1 ii, the early days OF the
Wal. rs to food"sai the doctor 'but
living on the fat of3porli and rough
hunks of cornbIead. " The speaker Went
4 oil to tell how the surgeons spent their
idle hours. At one camp he found
volume of Shakespcarc's WORKS, ana
having nothing better to do he became
Il heavy student OF the great poet ana
accomplished what he would not have
done under other circumstances.
During idle hours tho soldiers were
the biggest gosslps In the world They
used to get up entertainments In camp,
and tho doctor, who was always q star,
prided himself on his "swcetly strong
and lusty melodious voice." The speaker
said there were many marriages during
the war, and Went on to pay glorious
tribute to the Confederate women.
Humorous Incidents.
The Doctor told n humorous incident
Of seeing jock-o'- lanterns in a church
graveyard. He was just returning
{ from n nearby chicken COOP with It's in
#habtants under his arm The jnck-o'-
lanterns were not imaginary They were
blush light, which hung about two feet
above some wly-mnde graves. The
graves were ncwly-madc. and the I'M
.coffned occupants, buried near the sur
face were giving off chemical gases
which produced the strange lights
# Dr. Taylor said the anuceptic ideas or
To-day were not thought of then. Moth
ing was known of such thing as sani-
tary science. The sick call was made
early In the morning and n diagnosis
was often made by intuition. The preva-
lent diseases were intestinal troubles
n,easels and fevers. Smallpox was kept
down BY frequent vaccination. II never
lost a sick case during the war said
the speaker, "but the other physicians
said it was because j always sent
them to the hospital before thay died
The dispensary was often scantily sup
piled with medicine but sometimes they
captured a good supply or received one
5lfrom blockade runner. Tn the field the
surgeons outfit was very limited. Once
DIR Taylor had no splints and bound
mans broken arm to a fence rail, there
by causing him to be captured BY tho
Federal troops as the wounded soldier
was unable 10 get away when the enemy
later won the field.
III Men When Wounded.
a DR.. TAYLOR went on to speak of the
well known and peculiar action of men
Ewhen they are wounded. Those who are
: slightly hurt imagine they arc killed,
# and those who are deeply or even NOR
tally wounded make light of their in
2juries. This is almost invariably the
case. The use of whskcy on uS field
,c@ H., IT,, toc-t cfty
1t does more good than any her med!-
cal stimulant
~ There was always n great number at
8the regular morning sick call who really
imagined they were sick. Men in an
apparently healthy condition were con-
SANITY demanding to be sent to tho
4 hospital. This was not from fear of fac
ing the battlefield for at Gettysburg.
when every soldier realized that a hor-
ETible butchery was to take place, not one
man answered the sick call of that
morning.
#&1 1t was the assistant surgeon who had
the dangerous work to do His place was
ON the battlefield while the head surgeon
stayed Behind and superintendent gem
orally. The role Of surgeons slain in the
civil war was not of impressive length.
Neither was that Of the assistant sur
tgeons. although ! do remember one or
two that fell"
Where Bullets Whizzed.
Otter the aiEstant surgeons worked
With bullets whizzing all around and they
were forced to lie fiat on the ground and
attend to the wounded men. Dr.. Taylor
said that once the topogra pher by mis-
take put the assistant surgeons quar-
tiers in the very middle of a square at
tack" Shot and shell were soon whiZ1
zing all about them and 1t was not long
before DR.. Taylor felt q dull thud"
somewhere about his peHdn and his left
leg was imnIcdia tely paralyzed. He could
use 1t to run awaI-1th the others. but
the other leg received an equivalent in
crease in activity. and he lost no time
J. n l.,s,rs.2ro,v.Isysr,x,,.E. !