| Show GAVE NO ATTENTION TO DOCTORS shatter left the medical corps without means of performing their duties washington aug S burgeon general sternberg has received the following report concerning the conditions otistine ox istine at santiago the report ex plains what hag been done by the medical department and gevea the disadvantages under which the department operated in cuba tampa heights fla july to the surgeon general united states army washington D 0 sir in view ot the recent charges node affecting abo efficiency ot the army medical department at santiago and especially with reference to the conditions prevailing on the hospital transports sent north with wounded I 1 have the honor to submit the following facts believing that my position as adjutant to the chief of the fifth corps and aa the officer in charge of the outwitting outfitting out fitting of the hospital transports iroquois cherokee and breakwater will poa siby give value to such report drugs medicines dressings instruments hospital and supplies were loaded on the transports at tampa in quantities sufficient to meet the needs of the santiago expedition these supplies were divided upon the various vessels each organization having its own equipment while the bulb of the supplies was with the organized hospitals the regimental equipment was largely in excess of its needs and was intended to be called in to supplement if feces fiary the equipment of these hospitals the landing on cuban soil was made as rapidly as possible each organization accompanied compa nied by the medical attendants ses bened bojt and troops were pushed forward with no other equipment and supplies than could be carried by the soldiers having no means of transportation tor even the field chests the regimental medical officers had absolutely no resources at their command except euch as were provided by the orderly and hospital corps pouches and the first aid packets carried by the soldiers having once left their ships the latter were promptly ordered out of the small bays at siboney and to permit the unloading of other ships these partially unloaded ships in obedience to their orders then proceeded to sea from five to fifteen miles where they remained hove to such ordera were given the transports carrying the reserve and the first divisional hospital the one carrying the reserve hospital in obedience to ita orders proceeded to join the naval blockading squadron off morro caetto where it remained five days and nights the other ports disappearing it I 1 was correctly informed for an entire week daring this time the fight at la had occurred and large numbers of eick and wounded were requiring treatment in the meantime a report of the conditions prevailing inshore was made to the chief surgeon who promptly laid the case before the commanding comman dinc general requesting that a launch be placed under the control of the medical department for the collection collect ioa of medical supplies from the various transports it was also requested that a pack tram be organized in the proportion of one pack F mule to each to transport gnp t piles especially the field chests to the front for proper distribution and I 1 t wan Buee ested by the chief surgeon as available for the performance of these f didieg i the exigency ot the situation did not appeal to the commanding general aal for two anya the medical department waa unable to get transportation of any kind to the other ships or to the shore although there were a large ber of naval launches and boats employed on various other duties on the third day by order of the adjutant gen t oral one rowboat was turned over to the medical department for the purposes above named and at the same time an order was issued for land transportation to carry medical supplies to the front not to exceed one elx anle team t on getting into this boat with supplies from the headquarters transport it was directed by sundry staff officers to take them on various errands on my refusal to recognize their authority commanding general who bad appeared upon the scene revoked the previous order and directed after the landing of the supplies already in the boat it should return without delay presenting the order tor land transportation to the quartermaster on chore I 1 was informed that only pack mules hadas landed that neither wagon nor harness had been brought ashore and finally that the road wad impassable for wagons after this boat bad been taken away the chief argeon was without any means of communication with the medical officers on thore or on or of finding out their wanta or remedying the many already known to him this condition of things remained until after the fight at la Qua sina at which time there were absolutely no dressings hospital tent pizo or supplies of any kind on boore within reach of he burgeons already landed alie news of the fight beine reported to bo chief burgeon he was finally able to go on board tho olivette and send her to siboney where ehe received the wounded within the following day or BO the transports carrying the reserve and arst divisional hospitals were found and unloaded of their hospital contente the latter finally obtaining limited transportation to the front after a couple of days duty on the olivette I 1 was directed to put the iroquois in condition to receive patients ana to take the full capacity on board while doing this I 1 was enabled to set ashore considerable hospital and supplies and having control of her boats I 1 was able to visit other transports in the harbor and land medical supplies from them while subsequently outwitting outfitting out fitting the Cherof cee and breakwater this work was continued contin oed as well as the opportunity limited facilities permitted getting supplies from perhaps a third of the transports composing the fleet outside ol 01 chis it is believed that no other regimental medical property was ever unloaded up to the time of my departure appealing on several occasions for the use ol 01 a lighter or smaller steamer to collect and land medical supplies I 1 was informed by the quartermasters department part ment that they could render no assistance in that way and the medical department was compelled to rely entirely upon its own energies and improvise its own transportation I 1 feel jubei fied in saying thai at the time of my departure largo quantities of medical supplies urgently needed on remained on transports a number of which were under orders to return to the united fi tates had the medical department carried alone doable the amount of supplies it is to see how with thu totally inadequate land and water transports provided by the quartermasters department that lamentable conditions on shore could have been in any way improved toe outwitting outfitting out fitting of transports for the reception of sick and wounded is duty demanding thought and and should never be entrusted to any oce except a regular medical officer it includes the proper policing of the portions of the ebia to be need by the wounded the removal of bunks and partitions to give space and air the utilization of the chips blankets door mats rugs and carpets to render the bunks more comfortable the securing ot extra supplies such as canned coupe lime juice and oatmeal the establishment of a mess and laundry and the assignment of convalescents to specific light duties which materially relieve the overworked hospital corps usually it is necessary to overcome passive resistance si stance and opposition on the part of the crews and a tendency on the part of the captains to disregard or modify orders in several instances in my own experience this action of the crew amounted almost to mutiny and was only to be dealt with by threats a show of force and in by the uee ot the irons while exclusive officer at the hospital at fort I 1 learned officially that the captain of the ship seneca positively refused to obey the orders emanating from your office given him by the contract surgeon in charge to proceed to bew york be remaining nearly an ad dit ional day at hampton roads with sick and wounded and asseltine asser tine that he would obey no orders given by the medical department A similar experience of my own at ba quiri which bad to be settled by force emphasized the fact that no one should be placed in charge of such a ship who is not accustomed cus tomed to command men and enforce obedience with regard to the red cross society it would seem aa if the lotty purposes of this organization were on the santiago expedition subverted to individual interests while at tampa the red cross ship state of texas was formally placed under the control of the chief surgeon fifth corps by dr loean the representative of the society he acting under telegraphic instruction to that effect pope accepted this offer and asked that the state of texas accompany the expedition of general although mis order was fully understood by dr egan the state of texas did not accompany the expedition nor did it arrive at siboney until the forces bad been landed a battle fought and our hospitals established and la working order the first offers made by this society deat largely in generalities and manifested reluctance to subordinate the organization to the medical department too much praise cannot be given to the individual efforts of dr lessor and the red cross nurses their working was untiring and and the assistance rendered by them was of great value in conclusion it is desired to emphasize the tact that the lamentable conditions prevailing inthe army before santiago were due to the military necessity which threw troops on snore and away from the possibility of supply without medicines instruments dressing or hospital stores ot any kind very respectfully your obedient servant EDWARD lj munjoy captain and surgeon united states army |
