Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-12-21
DEPARTMENT ORDERS
PROBE OF ARMY CAMPS
Result of Surgeon General
GorgaS' Report May Cause
Congress to Act,

WASHINGTON, Dec. 19.-The war
department has issued orders carrying
into effect urgent recommendations of
Surgeon General Gorgas for removing
and alleviating conditions which have
led to excessive measles and pneumonia
cases in many American camps.
His main Recommendation was to re-
lieve overcrOwding, giving a tent for
five men instead of nine. The chief of
staff at once ordered this change, along
with establishment of observation
camps, installation of plumbing in hos
pitfalls where incomplete and expediting
of issue of heavy clothing.
Work on observation camps are in
progress. This along with relief from
overcrowding will tend materially to cut
down the number of measles cases to
which pneumonia is generally traceable
Gorgas' counsel, given nearly a month
ago but revealed a short time ago. was
promptly followed by the chief OF staff.
The war department said today there
has already been a marked improve
ment as a fesult of the changes. Camp
Wheeler, for instance, where measles
and pneumonia have been epidemic has
shown a gratifying decrease in both.
The clothing situation is now nearly
remedied all around and the war de-
partment believes that henceforth there
will be less reason for complaint as
to sanitary conditions.
Probable Congress Probe.
Shocked by General Gorges' disclos-
ures, congress proposes to widen its
inquiries to find why such conditions
have been permitted to continue.
Partly they are the natural outgrowth
of transition from an unprepared peace
to a state of war; others are manifestly
due to mismanagement.
All the facts for congressional prob
ing will be promptly available, for Gen.
eral Gorgas' department, spurred by the
committee on public information. long
since adopted the policy of absolute
frankness. His first revelations covered
conditions at Camp Wheeler, Macon, Ga
Now, after a personal inspection, he
has revealed that serious disease cpl
demics-mainly pneumonia and menin-
gitis-in Camps Funston, Kan; Doni-
phan, Okla: Bowie, Tex, and Sewer. s.
c., are traceable mainly to lack of warm
clothing, insufficient hospital accommo-
dations, overcrowding and improper
camp selection.
Lack of proper clothing has been the
most common and persistent cause of
trouble Men in the sunny south
have for a large part been equipped with
summer clothing apparently on the as
SUMPTION
this, whereas, in fact the weather has
been far too rigorous.
Camp Funston's death rate has been
seven times normal. The difficulty
there. General Gorgas reveals. may in
part be attributed to the insanitary To-
cation, but he says this fact was well
known in advance.
1t recalls that in selecting camp sites
the war department was submitted 10
the strongest political pressure and that
apparently decisions once made were
occasionally altered by this.
One of the main troubles is the incom-
pleteness of hospitals, particularly as
to plumbing, despite no apparent reason
why all buildings should not have been
completed long since.
The clothing matter is being rapidly
remedied.
Meantime, war work is likely to have
a fresh impetus from the injection OF
new blood into the quartermaster gen.
eral, ordnance and coast artillery
branches.
The real need for a war council which
the former chiefs of these bureaus now
enter has not been clearly demonstrated
and the general Interpretation Eere is
that the secretary Of war is making
shifts to gain efficiency within