Year: 1862

would suilce for the drill. and tho exercise 4
healthful and agreeable. The sense Of relic
and of perfect safety, in every event, would
moro than pay for the little time and labor re
quired, and cvery citizen could thus easily b.
come an efficient member Of the National
Guard. Organize aud drill. s.


TREATMENT OF THE Slok AND WOUNDED nj THE
MILITARY HosPTALs.--We are daily in the re-
ceipt of complaints from patients in the mill
tary hospitals either in regard to tho INSULT
cienoy of the food supplied them or the want
of proper medical attendance. IL cannot be
denied that the organization Of the medical SER
vice in our army 10 far from being as perfect az
it might be, If we had had larger experience ~
military nation; but the question is whether,
with such means a. the War Department has
had at its disposal, II has not done as much az
could reasonably bo expected Of 1t. It should
be remembered that If it is difficult. to create .
large army, It Is still more difficult to create =
medical staff commemorate to its wants; for
properly trained surgeons are not easily to DO
induced to quit q profitable practice for the
hardships and scant pay Of the service. In the
Orimean war the English and French medical
staffs, though long and carefully organized
proved quite inadequate 10 the care Of the
wounded in tho hospitals at Scutari and Balal-
laya. "A great many volunteer surgeons had
10 be sent out to aid them; but 1t should be re-
collected that in this respect both those coun-
tries have had great advantage over us, the
system Of medical training there being
very much superior to ours, and con-
sequently turning out men in every way
better qualified for their duties. Our govern
mont, wherever practicable, has drawn upon tho
same source Of supply; but, unfortunately, In
too many instances the young medical men who
have volunteered have been found utterly de-
dcient, not only in the experience. but In ths
theoretical knowledge necessary to fit them for
their positions The consequence has been
that the military authorities have been Obliged
to be very careful how they entrusted the csre
Of our wounded to men whose readiness % use
tho knife is usually proportioned to their igno-
rance. This will explain the true cause Of the
complaint of the want Of proper medical at
tendance in the government hospitals. The
War Department is doing all it can to meet the
demands made upon it; but, seeing how those
demands multiply from week to week, and how
hard it is TO got the proper sort Of surgeons,
some allowance will have to DO made for the
difficulties it has to contend with.


As to the alleged iusufaciency Of the food
supplied to hospital patients, we can re adily
understand how this complaint originates. II
is absurd to suppose that government seeks to
effect any economy under this bead. Il ia we'll
known tnat the rations supplied to our soldiers
in Che field arc the best in quality aud the most
abundant served out to any army in the
world. What motive, then, can it have to
starve the poor sick and wounded in hospital
It is to its interest that they should have tho
best Of everything; for the sooner they got well
the sooner it will recover their services.
We cannot admit, therefore, that there can be
any very general aud we'll founded grounds for
such charges. Occasional cases there may be
where hospital stewards prove unfaithful to
their trust and crimp the allowances to the
patients hut this, we arc inclined to believe, il
not Of very frequent occurrence, aud can be
easily remedied By representations to the proper
quarter. Whence, then, il will be asked, arises
the dissatisfaction os which We hear so much in
connection with the governments hospitals! 1t
arises from this fact, and this fact alone,
that invalids are generally grumblers,- and that
our sick soldiers FORM 40 exception to the rule.
They cannot always have the attention. and
comfort to which they may think themselves
entitled but it is remarkable that it il chiefly
those who have hitherto lived lives Of hardship
tina: complain in this way, whilst men who nave
occupied . superior position are satisfied that
everything is being done for them that can rea
sonably be looked for. We notice these coai-
plants, not because we think there is anything
in them, but because use has been made OF them
BY seccssionist sympathizers to try and disgust
our volunteers with the service. The more the
facts are investigated, the more we are satisfied
II will be found that by no government in .hs
world is greater attention and care bestowed
upon the soldier, sick or we'll, than there is by
ours.
The Repsrted' Repulss OF Gensrsl tsss.


Grams False.