Pocahontas star herald., 1914-07-17
AMERICAN ARMY
CAMP SANITATION
IN OLD MEXICO
Surgeon General 6orgas Tells
Proper Methods 10 Pursue.
WANT STRONG, SOUND MEN
SANITARY Precautions Which VIII Be
Taken to Safeguard Health Of
Troops In Event Of Invasion
Of Tropical Country,
sy WILLIAM c. ooRoAs,
sgraeon General, v. s. A.

Surgeon General, v. 5. \,
Wash ngton.-ln the event Of an In
Vasion OF sub,tropical country by
our army the sanitary precautions to
be- obsC we'd by our troops would be
OF supreme importance, The neglect
OF them might indeed be fatal to the
success Of the campaign. Just as the
British IN 1893 were compelled by dis
ease TO withdraw from Cuba after
they had taken Havana. Our precau'
tons must, however. begin az home In
our assembly and concentration
camps. There IL no question but that
this will be done. and all sanitary pre-
cautions that military eIigency can
permit will be observed In Mexico.
In the war with Spain In 1898 we
were handicapped by lack OF training
ana experience In camp sanitation.
We had practically no experience In
the tropics While We had gone into
Mexico In 1876. there was little OF
the knowledge then existing OF tropi'
cal diseases that has been since ac'
cumulated in India. Africa. eastern
Asia aud tropical America. Nor did the
memory Of what we may have
learned In Mexico come down TO US
ts years later The great develop
ment OF preventive medicine was not
then In a stage convenient for prac'
teal application. The people we're
not educated up 20 It's ideas. This
Is now all changed and the conditions
under which We may go into tropiCll
or sub-tropieAl lands give US consid'
erabls assurance. where before We
went timidly and fearful OF eonse-
quences.
Two Precautionary Stages.
In any contemplated occupation OF
a country lying partly in the tropics
by so army coming from the temper.
ate zone there would be two stages
10 consider with reference to the pre-
cautions necessary TO the preservation
OF the health Of such a command
FIRST. the measures required TO avoid
the camp diseases" In the homeland
while the troops were mobiliEing and
training and. second. the measures re-
quired TO avoid the diseases peculiar
10 the country 10 be occupied. II may
be added that under the latter circum'
stances there might be camp diseases
in the occupied country the same as
in the home country.
The first sanitary precaution is to
secure healthy soldiers - physically
sound men. Then II is necessary to
safeguard their health while in train.
ing by giving them pure food water
and healthy camp surroundings and
by preventing the entrance TO such
camps OF infectious diseases Our
camps in this country would naturally
be selected with a view to salubrity.
The supply OF water must be given
the same care and safeguarding that
the supply OF one OF our cities re-
ceiyes The selection OF sites for
large camps OF concentration Is In
Huenced 10 a greater extent by this
one matter than by any other consid.
Grafton but military necessity. In sue
cessfully taking all precautions re-
latlng TO water we assist in avoiding
typhoid fever and the dysenteries-
the camp diseases OF all former wars.
These diseases are also communicated
By foods OF some kinds. particularly
the uncooked ones. and milk. Conse'
quently the sanitary officers must In
spect and examine the water and food,
including milk. with the special pur'
pose OF keeping out the diseases thus
transmitted or course, as these DIS
eases are spread by contact as we'll ps
mechanically by flies and possibly 9th
er insects. such methods OF transmits
sion must be watched for and pre-.
vented. principally by the early eI
clusion OF all cases OF these diseases
The means available TO protect the
camp water supply in seml.permanent
camps In the home country are all
those employed by intelligent civil
communities
Drinking Water Problem.
In large. semi-permanent camps
when troops are assembled for the
purpose Of instruction and equipment
awaiting transportation to the scene
OF campaign, It is usual to bring the
water into camp and distribute IL to
the Kitchens and shower baths by a
fairly elaborate system Of pipes. II
the source OF supply is good we have
no more danger under the circum
stances than we have In a small city
When we have to deal with the
question OF potable water in the en-
emy's country, and especially in the
field. we deal with a more difficult
problem but by no meals hopeless
one. Efforts are made to ascertain
the quality OF the water by examina
ton and by its reputation when that
is practicable. When deemed necCs
sary and this is the case with all
surface waters in the tropics, unless
We except some mountain streams
we try to render the water safe for
drinking purposes by such measures
as may be possible in the Held How