Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-01-09
SONE
OF ARMY CAMPS
WORST DISEASES
DR.. Moffitt, Home on Fur
Tough, Describes Conditions
at Big Cantonment


covering sixty-seven acres all under
roof, and two-and-a-half miles of
corridors. the city populated by 65,-
900 troops; cavalry, infantry, artil-
lery, and you may have some idea
of Camp Lee, in Virginia, from
where DR.. George Il. Moffit, of Har-
risburg, has just returned for brief
turlough. At his home. 1905 Front
street, the young scientist related
Iacts about TINS enormous govern
mept stapIsnment wnIcn snUuld
entertain every one who mas u reIa-
tive III service or who has contrib
uted cent TO the lied cross,
This camp lies on a moderately
high plateau, ana the weather there
recently hardly suggests the sunny
south, but the great buIk OF the
youth have become so hardy that
tney maze little complaint at iacI<
of heated barracks. DIR. Mofntt be-
ing In charge of the ploIoglcal
laboratory OIL the base hospuaI Is,
or course. mostly concerned III the
nyglenlc features OF Army llte, and
ue began py pointing out that they
nave nad at Camp Lee only two
Eases or typnoId. lnis alone proves
,ary government OF our nauon mas
made. Nevertheless there is a zeal
Ot sickness anu the cnlef ailments
are measies and mumps.
Many Have Nlumps
our hospital, whlle u nuge af-
lair, SAID ne, rs tltIeu to accommo-
date 1,ovU patients, but it now has
I,oUO. Boys from the country VINO
dld not come IN contact with their
Fellow man mucn, nearly all go
down with measles or mumps, some-
Zines Dotn. w nen l LETT we mad 900
Of the one ana 4UU OF the other.
these cases frequently turn INTO
pneumonia, but the iatIer is beng
-Onquereu to certain extent.
Inc most tataI disease lu Army
lamps Is a species or pleurisy. W e
lave lost a lot OF these cases. 1t Is
supposed TO be que to an unusual
sernl, and we have that germ grow
ing now so that vaccine Tor It VIII
Iropaoiy be soon secured.
Iher Is plenty OF tuberculosis.
The single waru devoted TO tnat
vas INTENDED to hold thirty but
.nere are now ninety being treated
mere. Many of these managed 10
escaped the medical examiner, otn-
Srs developed the disease since go-
.ng to camp. IL healed these are
eeneraily discharged stralgntway,
Jut many die. On the uay | leIt
snere were nine deaths ali told and
u these seven were due to pleurlsy.
handle Meningitis
MenlnSltlS mas Deen handled with
singular success by using the Rocke-
-eIier serum. Out OIL twenty-tWo
cases We cured twenty. This disease
as contagious. but apparently not
rom human contact. 1T is supposed
20 develop by carriers. It's symptoms
are nrst an intense headache, Lnen
u retracuon of the head, stlffening
Il the neck, then deIlrlum. SO etticr.
ent Is this Rockefeller serum tnat
.hany men have been healed when
UNCONSCIOUS and in the last stage,
Great progress has been made.
100, IN pneumonia treatment. OF the
lour types of pneumonia the first
tan be cured to a certainty with an
injection of serum into the veins.
we OBTAIN the serum through using
.hlce and mice have got so scarce
mat we would pay almost anything
lor them. This cure works IN a
day."
DIR. Moffitt told some incidents of
men with acute mania. CurIously
enough many of these sufferers mass
.helr medical examinations. Tney
usually betray themselves in some
way and tnen they get the hy
dropathy treatment, hot bath with
Inly the head sticking out for
.wenty-four hours. This inyariabI
qulets them and often cures them.
,Vlne oil these men are retained i'm
service, others sent home. 1t is com
LIon FOR men who want to escane
service TO teign insanity, deafness,
poor sight and many other ailments
In one instance a soldier placed mis-
mana under railroad train in camp
and cut it off.
Simon Pure Lunatic
Occasionally a simon pure nut
is discovered. What regiment do
you belong to?" was asked one of
these recently.
Don't know"
What company"
Don't know"
How did you join the Army?"
L 1es' followed all the rest of the
boys" said he. and he had been in
camp several months, without even
registering.
DR.. Moffitt says that the medical
and surgical aid at Camp Lee is of a
very high class. Four of the men
in the pathological department had
training at Rockefeller Institute,
There are eighty-two physicians on
the staff, nearly all specialists. The
! medical end is headed by Major
Litchffeld, of Pittsburgh, one of the
most famous physicians in the coun-
try, and the surgical department is
in charge of Major Pepper, of Rich
mond. About 100 nurses are now
helping, but twice that number are
needed.
DR.. Moffitt is of the opinion that
this camp life will do a great deal
of good for the American youth,
and the life is so attractive that he
hears many a one say he would like
to live it forever.