Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-10-04

favorably compared. England and Ger
many. are making a better showing
against tuberculosis. We are also forced
in the quest of an explanation to believe.
broadly speaking, that either the 'hygienic
aspect of our service is inferior or that tn :
male population of the country from
which we recruit our ranks represents an
inferior physical standard.
Yet we are lOath to admit these &C
cusations. & seems improbable from a
sanitary point of view, the cleanliness of
our ships and barracks and the nutritive
value OF our rations. that our services are
inferior AS matter of fact there is
reason to believe that we are equal to any
if we do not excel in these features. Per-
haps the responsibility lies in the fact that
many Of our men are gathered from civil
life: perhaps 1t may be an inability to
withstand the rigor Of the seas. Exactly
what the cause is we cannot now say
Pharmacist Paul ]. Waldner. U.S.N..
connected with the bureau of medicine
and surgery in the Navy Department.
says of the work at Fort Lyon:
Lyon. Col, he would. like Rip Van
Wrinkle behold a wondrous change. A
ships bell strikes the hours where once
the war cry of the Indian was heard, and
the white Seagoing uniforms of our navy
might give the tenderfoot a new and al
most real conception Of the prairie
schooner.
History of the Past.
with the westward march and prog
ress of cviliza alton Fort Lyon. frontier
army post originally settled in the early
thirties by William and Charles Bent and
the famous pioneer. soldier and Indian
agent. Kit Carson. lost its field of useful
ness and fell into decay until in October.
1906. President Roosevelt. by executive
order, upon the representations of the
resent administration of the bureau Of
medicine and Of the NaVV De-
partment under the enterprising leader
ship Of Surgeon General Presley M. Rixey.
set aside this government reservation for
the purpose of naval sanitorium and it
was again restored to wage war, not
against the savage, in the early days,
but against that terribly insidious de-
stroyer. tuberculosis: and out there on
the wind-swept plains absolutely apart
from all the pleasures and diversions
which city life affords and little of the
joy of life save the gratifying conscious
ness of real achievement for the better
ment of those afflicted with this disease,
representatives Of the Medical and Hos
pital Corps Of the navy are devoting some
of the best years of their liveS-an unOb-
trusive sort of heroism no less self-forget-
ting nor perilous than that Of the fighting
force which so readily receives spon-
taneous recognition and applause. AL
though yet in its infancy, having been es-
tablished less than year ago. the work
and Investigations there going on are OF
such character that. should future deVel-
opments substantiate the theories now
being worked out. it is no exaggeration to
say that a discovery has been made prob
ably more momentouS to the welfare or
man than any achievement In the history
of medicine. But as the purpose of this
article is merely to describe the place
where the navy cares for its consumptives,
the methods of treatment published by
Surgeon B. l.. Wright. p.S.N In the
naval medical bulletin will not be touched
upon here.
This sanitarium, exclusively for the