Health and hospitals in Mississippi

American Medical Times 1862;5(3; July 19):42. https://archive.org/details/sim_american-medical-times_1862-07-19_5_3/page/42/mode/2up https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15581967 HEALTH AND HOSPITALS IN MISSISSIPPI. [Army Correspondence of the AMERICAN MEDICAL TIMES.] Charles H. Rawson SIR:—In my last letter to you I was in the field acting as Medical Director to the Left Wing of General Pope’s command. Since then, I have been acting as Medical Inspector, and have spent most of my time travelling from one-half hospital to another, closing them up as rapidly as possible, and sending all those patients who would not be fit for duty in four weeks to northern hospitals. All hospitals established in this section of country, since the battle of Shiloh, are in tents; and as the army advanced from the Tennessee river towards Corinth, division and general hospitals were established in the read, as necessity required. All these hospitals have been closed, with one exception; that is six miles from here, on the Hamburgh road, and efforts are now being made to close that also. It now has twelve hundred patients, of whom six hundred will probably be sent north, and the balance soon join their regiments. These patients have all been sent away on hospital boats, fitted up expressly for the business, provided with every convenience one can have in a well regulated hospital. As soon as the patients arrive on the boat they are stripped, washed, and clean clothes put on, and generally go to sleep, and make a business of it for twenty-four hours. These boats carry from two to six hundred, and they distribute the sick up the Mississippi river as far as Davenport, Iowa, and will probably go still higher up that river as the summer advances; also to Cincinnati, and all intermediate points on the Ohio. The class of diseases most prevalent is diarrhœa, remitting fever, typhoid pneumonia, rheumatism, and scurvy. When one sees the number sent away, they might be a little surprised at first and think the whole army a hospital, until made acquainted with the facts and circumstances. From the very formation of the Army of the West, it became a fighting army; and for the first few months it was very poorly provided with anything, still the men were marched thousands of miles in the heats of summer and colds of winter, half-clothed, without tents, fighting often, guarding bridges and railroads, over malarious streams, and watching constantly. The winter campaign was pursued 1 with as much vigor as the summer, and the weeks of constant exposure to wet, cold and heat, at the battles of Fort Henry, Donalson, Pea Ridge, New Madrid, No.10, Pittsburgh Landing, or Shiloh, and the protracted approach to this place in consequence of wet weather, and the constant exposure, watching, anxiety, etc., have broken down many men, who will either have to be discharged or sent home to recuperate. The diarrhœa is very debilitating in its effects but as a disease is not very active, and death seems to follow from protracted exhaustion, and generally not under three weeks. But the most singular of all diseases is a species of land scurvy that is very insidious in its effects, and I think many men are suffering from it, who are being treated for many other diseases. General debility appears to be and important cause of this malady; the men complain they are daily becoming weaker, great muscular weakness, sometimes soreness with red spots, ecchymotic and swollen feet and legs, rheumatic pains, affecting bones, muscles, or any and every portion of the body. Some have pale, waxy, puffy, and anæmic swelling about the face; a few show ulcerated gums and mucous membrane, but they are comparatively few, appetite capricious and bowels irregular. but generally have diarrhœa. Many of these men show no symptoms by mouth or countenance, and the indications of health are so striking that their names have been stricken from the surgeon’s list and put to light duty, and die in an hour. Other complaining of debility walk to the spring, fall down and die. This condition is very deceptive, and so far as I know, or have seen myself, there are no symptoms to indicate the extent of danger. The man complains of lassitude and debility, is walking about, and finally dies very suddenly, or is found dead under a tree, where he has lain down to rest, or in using the chamber dies from the effort. No opportunity has presented itself to me to make a ‘post-mortem’ of these cases, but from their frequency I am satisfied it can’t be from diseases of the heart; and what disease, but scurvy, would allow a man to keep about, and finally cut him off so suddenly? The Medical Director’s office was moved from Pittsburgh Landing to this place, one week ago; but I hope it may not be kept here long, as I conceive the location very unhealthy from excessive heat, scarcity of water, and a great amount of animal decomposition. This whole region has been one vast camping ground for three hundred thousand men for weeks and months, and the mortality among men and animals, with camp garbage, renders the atmosphere anything but the purest and most healthy. We labor at present under great difficulty in not being able to supply the sick with butter, eggs, milk, chickens, etc. They are not in the country to be purchased at any price; 2 the railroad communication is not fully established, so as to procure these articles north, and ship down. I fear out sick list will not diminish, as it seems to be the policy of our generals to keep the army on the move; and long forced marches at this season of the year are not very conducive to health in this climate. The army of the West ought to rest for the summer and recuperate, and by October would be ready to complete what “General Summer” has not done for our enemies. Respectfully yours, CHARLES H. RAWSON Brig-Surg. and Acting Medical Inspector CORINTH, MISS., June 21, 1862 3