Army correspondence [about scurvy]

The Medical and Surgical Reporter 1862;9(3; Oct 18):82-83. https://archive.org/details/sim_medical-and-surgical-reporter_1862-10-18_9_3/page/82/mode/2up https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15582181 ARMY CORRESPONDENCE [ABOUT SCURVY]. CAMP NEAR SHARPSBURG, MD. October 15th, 1862 O. C. GIBBS, M. D. MESSRS. EDITORS.— When I left for the field of p.82 active military operations, to engage in duties professional and consequently discontinued, temporarily at least, my weekly summary of American Medical Journalism. I promised to correspond occasionally for the REPORTER. Since arriving upon the field, however, I have felt disposed to recall all such engagements, for I have no writing desk but my knee, no tent, and no promise of any, and no sleeping place but an ambulance wagon. While in Washington I went through several of the hospitals, and was pleased to find them so well arranged, the sick so neat and comfortable, and their medicinal and dietative wants so well provided for. On reaching my destination, near Sharpsburg, I found things a little different. Our wounded, after the battle of Antietam, had all been sent away to hospitals in Washington and elsewhere, but our sick, however prostrated might be the sufferers, were retained in camp. Our men (21st Regiment, N. Y. Volunteers,) have suffered much in their marches in Virginia. They accompanied Pope in his celebrated retreat, fought at Bull Run, marched rapidly on to the Upper Potomac, and fought on the right in the great battle of Antietam. Our troops were greatly prostrated with the fatigues of long and rapid marches, hard fighting, unsheltered resting at night, irregular times of eating, and sameness of diet. The rations were considerably below the standard, and consisted mostly, we should say very nearly exclusively, of fresh beef, “hard tack,” and coffee, with no potatoes, onions, or other vegetable or fruits. Scurvy was breaking out, and in cases where this disease was not so manifest, 1 prostration, or great fatigue on slight exertion, which symptoms were but the incipient stages of a scorbutic condition, was well marked. Diarrhœa was the prevailing disease. Out of our regiment, which now consisted of only about 280 men, there were 35 to 50 who reported daily at the surgeon’s call for treatment, nearly all having diarrhœa. When the regiment was about to leave Washington for another attack upon the rebels in their raid into Maryland, it was ordered to leave every dispensable thing behind, and its means of transportation were correspondingly cut down. With the other things ordered left, were the hospital tents and most of the medicines belonging to the Brigade. This curtailment, with the stringent medical and surgical regulation orders greatly embarrassed army surgeons in their attempts at the faithful discharge of their professional duties. On my arrival I found the surgeon of the regiment absent on sick leave. The assistant who had been promoted, and whose place I came to fill, was still at his post, though at the time quite too unwell to do all the duties pertaining to his regiment with justice to himself. On the morning after my arrival I attended the “sick call,” and prescribed for 45 patients. p.83 My embarrassment may well be imagined when I say that I found but six articles of medicine, and three of those, different preparations of mercury! I well remember that, in an old arithmetic the question was asked how many different arrangements could be made with the first numerals. I tried to solve a similar problem, and ascertain how many different combinations could be made, and how many indications fulfilled with six articles of medicines. It is easy for privates or friends at home, to blame surgeons in the army, but what can they do with such limited resources? So far as I have seen, I know they are trying to do their duty in all faithfulness, and to make the most uncomplainingly, of the limited resources at their command. I have been informed that there was a time when the medical stores were reduced to one article—opium and for several days all diseases were prescribed for from this limited resource. At present we have no hospital tent, and recent orders have been issued that annoy us much. All sick, of whatever character or severity, are to be treated in camp, and not sent 2 away to a hospital! We have a few cases of typhoid fever, and very low at that; to treat such in simple “shelter tents,” with no hospital tent, our limited medicinal resources, and forbidden to send them to a hospital, where they can be properly nursed, fed, sheltered, and treated, is, to say the least, enough to make a stone weep! The soldiers of this regiment have not been paid for nearly six months, and they are destitute in regard to many articles of clothing. It is not unusual to see men without a shirt or stockings, over-coat or blanket. With such imperfect clothing, during the cool nights of October, and with a sameness of diet, and hard water for drink, is it not to be wondered at that diarrhœa is a common disease. I have seen officers 18 months in the service, who have been compelled to send home for money to purchase for themselves the bare necessities of life! Despondency and low spirits I think has much to do with sickness. I have one case in mind, who enlisted in Buffalo, a year ago last May. Those who enticed him to enlist, promised to see that his wife and seven children should not suffer in his absence. He was connected with the hospital department and received 17 dollars per month, and regularly sent home 15 dollars of it. Not having received pay for nearly six months, his large family is suffering for the necessities of life. The very men who promised to see that his family should not suffer, will not afford assistance, or even trust for a peck of potatoes. The wife and mother may plead with tears and say her husband has not received his pay for the last six months, and they will laugh at her, and say “government pays all its employees at least every two months, and if she does not receive a sufficiency for her support, it is because her husband drinks it up!” In the case I have now in mind, I know the husband does not drink, and he is melancholy and sick from sorrow and sadness because his family is suffering, and he has no power to help. The man I refer to, borrowed 10 dollars yesterday, and sent it to his family, and to-day he is a new man—cheerful and hopeful, and does his duty with alacrity. If Government would have healthy, cheerful, hopeful soldiers, it is quite important that it should discharge its duty toward them. Since the battle of Antietam our privates have drawn but little more than half rations— 3 fresh beef, “hard tack,” and coffee, have constituted their whole dietative supplies. Debility with scorbutic symptoms are of course the legitimate results. There is another source of disease that, so far, we have labored in vain to correct. It is supposed that we are to remain but a short time here, and soldiers go to stool whenever convenience dictates. The consequence is that a stench from fæcal evacuations poisons the whole atmosphere. Every company should have a sink, one or more, and every soldier be compelled to use it. Every morning sufficient earth should be thrown in to cover the deposits of the day before, Bones, refuse matter, filth of all kinds, should be swept up, aggregated and burned as often as twice a week, then and not till then, will diarrhœa and low fevers cease. I must now close this hasty letter, and should I find anything of sufficient interest for your pages, I will write you again, O. C. GIBBS, M. D. 21st Regiment, N. Y. State Volunteers. 4