- Email: [email protected]
THE SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR.
1281 viz., (1) the absence of provision for efficient revaccination, and
43,000 square miles. Its length is about 800 miles and its greatest breadth is 125 miles, but in places it does not exceed 25 miles. It consists of a low-lying country and of a
" a definition of successful vaccination." In order to make vaccination by both public and private practitioners more efficient and uniform than it is at the present time the form of oertiiieate for successful vaccination should specify that not less than three vesicles have resulted from the operation. JOHN DIXON MANN, M.D. St. And., F.R.O.P. Lond., Chairman of the Medical Guild. R H. WOLSTENHOLME, M.R.C.S. Eng., Vice-Chairman. CHARLES G. L. SKINNER, M.D Aberd., Treasurer. ALEXANDER STEWART, M.D. Glasg., Hon. Secretary. Manchester, April 29th, 1898.
12) the absence of
mountainous region, with ravines and valleys. omeof the mountains having considerable altitude. H tana. 100 miles distant from Key West and the I, is about Bay of Florida. From all we know of the island it has, a very unhealthy climate during the hot and wet season from May to October; its marsh lands are fed by underground streams. The longest river of the island, the. Cauto, is only navigable for a short course. The low-lying; districts are very malarious and, as we have previously saidy in addition to climatic and malarious fevers yellow fever may be said to be endemic there. The country is also, in a THE SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR. military sense, a difficult one for campaigning, the uplando and mountainous regions facilities for guerilla. THEBB can be no longer any doubt about the extent warfare. It is obvious thatoffering a blockade, if it can only b& At thei effectively maintained, offers many strategical of the disaster which has befallen Spain. advantages, battle of Manila the ships of the Spanish Pacific Squadronbut its effect on the already starving insurgents, for whose< have either been destroyed by the American fleet or theysakes the United States are fighting, is likely to be disastrous. have been sunk to avoid being captured. The admiralSupposing the United States to succeed in landing a force and’ a base of operations somewhere on the seaboard commanding the United States squadron has so irretrievably: establishing of Cuba, it will, of course, have to be furnished with com defeated the naval forces in the Philippines as to haveI missariat and warlike stores and supplies of all kinds and’ destroyed any hope of success that might have existedIfor this purpose, whether the force be large, or small a the first and gradually augmented, America must have on the part of the Spanish Government in this direction. The wOIk of destruction, too, has rarely been accomplishedI and retain command of the sea. Little or nothing is really with greater thoroughness and rapidity-a rapidity which inI known as yet of the proposed designs and course of action. its dramatic effect resembles the transformation scene of a. of the two belligerent Powers; but, as our experience haa spectacular play. It furnibhes the strongest testimony toI already shown, there will, in the meantime, be no end of the dash, courage, and naval skill displayed by Admiralwar rumours in order to supply pabulum for the keen Dewey and his seamen that he was enabled to carry out: appetite which exists for news. The number of medical his brilliant piece of work with such disastrous resultsI officers and nurses will have to be large on both the Spanish to his enemy and with seemingly such very little injury toI aud American sides, and volunteers for hospital service will,. himself and the fleet under his command. The news of theI no doubt, be forthcoming now that the war has begun in real collapse of the Spanish defence came, too, with something: earnest. The difficulty is to obtain them of the right stamp. like dramatic surprise, for although it was well known thatj in sufficient numbers and to select men with the requisite the preponderance of strength-in size, armament and con- organiaing power and experience of medical administratiod struction-was greatly in favour of the American ships, iti in the field for filling responsible posts. That the United States are fully alive to the necessity of was thought that, what with mines and torpedoes and the) guns of the Cavite forts as supplementary aids to their’ having an efficient medical service is proved by the fact that ships, the Spanish authorities might, at any rate, have made; quite recently a Bill was introduced into the House of the task a far more dangerous and difficult one than it has! Representatives which provided for the appointment of additional surgeons for the army atd authorised the Surgeonproved. The main interest of the war has now been suddenly trans- General to appoint as many assistants as he should deerm ferred from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean, for the nextt necessary in case of war with Spain. Hitherto the age great naval engagement-if it takes place-between the; limit for entrance has been betwéen the ages of twenty-four American and Spanish fleets will, if the result be adverse to) and twenty-eight years, but the necessity of getting comSpain, be decisive. That section of the Spanish navy whichi petent medical men to fill naval posts at any cost has been. has not yet been engaged is altogether the stronger portioni fully recognised, and men up to the age of forty who are as it comprises ships of the best construction, armament,, willing to attend to the wounded in the Spanish-American. and power in the Spanish fleet, and the United States will, ifE War will be received as assistant surgeons. In passing it may victorious, have undisputed command of the sea and the warr be noticed that the preference shown for the army over the will be virtually over. America can then afford to wait and1 navy has nothing to do with the rate of pay, because the to select the best and most healthy season for her land opera- naval surgeon gets a far larger salary than his army confrere. On each of the American warships there is a smal tions in Cuba and elsewhere. and the sick beds are placed between decks. the for the moment effect which the attack aside hospital, Patting on Manila may, indeed must, have on the course of the war,’, Usually a man is attended to on the spot and then hoisted* we may ask, Will the United States invade Cuba and strive tc o up or lowered down to the hospital according to where the. drive the Spaniards out? The embarkation and disembarkationD. accident takes place. After an engagement the men whose. of a large military force, such as has been contemplated byy wounds require long treatment will be transferred to a the United States, is a difficult and even formidable under- - hospital ambulance ship which is now being rapidly comtaking for an unprepared country however powerful, especiallyy pleted. Provision for 150 patients or more is to be made and where the force has to be suddenly thrown on the lowlandsis there will be four surgeons, four apothecaries, and eight, of an unhealthy coast at the commencement of the worsiIt trained nurses (men). At Key West a convent and some school buildings haves season, to say nothing of the fact that the volunteer soldier;s are undrilled and unprepared for war and that the naval been offered to the United States Government to be used as victory gained by the United States at Manila does not givIe a hospital. The sisters of the convent have offered their them command of the sea. No one who realises the naturle services as nurses. It may be mentioned that during the succeeding months of the task which the American Government has undertakern the climate of Manila is hot and humid and relatively une can disguise its difficulties ; and we may be quite surl that, however much the Jingo element and the impulsivl healthy, and much sickness may probably be expected to uncalculating section which exists in every population ma]y occur in any army of occupation. shut their eyes to these, the President of the United State: and his responsible naval, military, and medical authorities do not. Years ago this country, for pressing politica VITAL STATISTICS. reasons, equipped and disembarked a small force for thi occupation of Cyprus, which is now one of the most health3 HEALTH OF ENGLISH TOWNS. of our foreign stations. What with an exceptionally un IN thirty-three of the largest English towns 6462 birth3 healthy season and the temporary want of adequate prepara tions a large amount of sickness from climatic fever followe(l and 3965 deaths were registered during the week ending for a time in the regiments encamped there; and it is onlir April 30th. The annual rate of mortality in these towns. to be expected that a force landed in Cuba will i which had declined in the four preceding weeks from 21 5 similar but far worse experience. Cuba has an area of sotm} to 1’8.1 per 1000, rose again last week to 18’4. In London
rugged
,
.
-
-
.
undergo
43,000 square miles. Its length is about 800 miles and its greatest breadth is 125 miles, but in places it does not exceed 25 miles. It consists of a low-lying country and of a
" a definition of successful vaccination." In order to make vaccination by both public and private practitioners more efficient and uniform than it is at the present time the form of oertiiieate for successful vaccination should specify that not less than three vesicles have resulted from the operation. JOHN DIXON MANN, M.D. St. And., F.R.O.P. Lond., Chairman of the Medical Guild. R H. WOLSTENHOLME, M.R.C.S. Eng., Vice-Chairman. CHARLES G. L. SKINNER, M.D Aberd., Treasurer. ALEXANDER STEWART, M.D. Glasg., Hon. Secretary. Manchester, April 29th, 1898.
12) the absence of
mountainous region, with ravines and valleys. omeof the mountains having considerable altitude. H tana. 100 miles distant from Key West and the I, is about Bay of Florida. From all we know of the island it has, a very unhealthy climate during the hot and wet season from May to October; its marsh lands are fed by underground streams. The longest river of the island, the. Cauto, is only navigable for a short course. The low-lying; districts are very malarious and, as we have previously saidy in addition to climatic and malarious fevers yellow fever may be said to be endemic there. The country is also, in a THE SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR. military sense, a difficult one for campaigning, the uplando and mountainous regions facilities for guerilla. THEBB can be no longer any doubt about the extent warfare. It is obvious thatoffering a blockade, if it can only b& At thei effectively maintained, offers many strategical of the disaster which has befallen Spain. advantages, battle of Manila the ships of the Spanish Pacific Squadronbut its effect on the already starving insurgents, for whose< have either been destroyed by the American fleet or theysakes the United States are fighting, is likely to be disastrous. have been sunk to avoid being captured. The admiralSupposing the United States to succeed in landing a force and’ a base of operations somewhere on the seaboard commanding the United States squadron has so irretrievably: establishing of Cuba, it will, of course, have to be furnished with com defeated the naval forces in the Philippines as to haveI missariat and warlike stores and supplies of all kinds and’ destroyed any hope of success that might have existedIfor this purpose, whether the force be large, or small a the first and gradually augmented, America must have on the part of the Spanish Government in this direction. The wOIk of destruction, too, has rarely been accomplishedI and retain command of the sea. Little or nothing is really with greater thoroughness and rapidity-a rapidity which inI known as yet of the proposed designs and course of action. its dramatic effect resembles the transformation scene of a. of the two belligerent Powers; but, as our experience haa spectacular play. It furnibhes the strongest testimony toI already shown, there will, in the meantime, be no end of the dash, courage, and naval skill displayed by Admiralwar rumours in order to supply pabulum for the keen Dewey and his seamen that he was enabled to carry out: appetite which exists for news. The number of medical his brilliant piece of work with such disastrous resultsI officers and nurses will have to be large on both the Spanish to his enemy and with seemingly such very little injury toI aud American sides, and volunteers for hospital service will,. himself and the fleet under his command. The news of theI no doubt, be forthcoming now that the war has begun in real collapse of the Spanish defence came, too, with something: earnest. The difficulty is to obtain them of the right stamp. like dramatic surprise, for although it was well known thatj in sufficient numbers and to select men with the requisite the preponderance of strength-in size, armament and con- organiaing power and experience of medical administratiod struction-was greatly in favour of the American ships, iti in the field for filling responsible posts. That the United States are fully alive to the necessity of was thought that, what with mines and torpedoes and the) guns of the Cavite forts as supplementary aids to their’ having an efficient medical service is proved by the fact that ships, the Spanish authorities might, at any rate, have made; quite recently a Bill was introduced into the House of the task a far more dangerous and difficult one than it has! Representatives which provided for the appointment of additional surgeons for the army atd authorised the Surgeonproved. The main interest of the war has now been suddenly trans- General to appoint as many assistants as he should deerm ferred from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean, for the nextt necessary in case of war with Spain. Hitherto the age great naval engagement-if it takes place-between the; limit for entrance has been betwéen the ages of twenty-four American and Spanish fleets will, if the result be adverse to) and twenty-eight years, but the necessity of getting comSpain, be decisive. That section of the Spanish navy whichi petent medical men to fill naval posts at any cost has been. has not yet been engaged is altogether the stronger portioni fully recognised, and men up to the age of forty who are as it comprises ships of the best construction, armament,, willing to attend to the wounded in the Spanish-American. and power in the Spanish fleet, and the United States will, ifE War will be received as assistant surgeons. In passing it may victorious, have undisputed command of the sea and the warr be noticed that the preference shown for the army over the will be virtually over. America can then afford to wait and1 navy has nothing to do with the rate of pay, because the to select the best and most healthy season for her land opera- naval surgeon gets a far larger salary than his army confrere. On each of the American warships there is a smal tions in Cuba and elsewhere. and the sick beds are placed between decks. the for the moment effect which the attack aside hospital, Patting on Manila may, indeed must, have on the course of the war,’, Usually a man is attended to on the spot and then hoisted* we may ask, Will the United States invade Cuba and strive tc o up or lowered down to the hospital according to where the. drive the Spaniards out? The embarkation and disembarkationD. accident takes place. After an engagement the men whose. of a large military force, such as has been contemplated byy wounds require long treatment will be transferred to a the United States, is a difficult and even formidable under- - hospital ambulance ship which is now being rapidly comtaking for an unprepared country however powerful, especiallyy pleted. Provision for 150 patients or more is to be made and where the force has to be suddenly thrown on the lowlandsis there will be four surgeons, four apothecaries, and eight, of an unhealthy coast at the commencement of the worsiIt trained nurses (men). At Key West a convent and some school buildings haves season, to say nothing of the fact that the volunteer soldier;s are undrilled and unprepared for war and that the naval been offered to the United States Government to be used as victory gained by the United States at Manila does not givIe a hospital. The sisters of the convent have offered their them command of the sea. No one who realises the naturle services as nurses. It may be mentioned that during the succeeding months of the task which the American Government has undertakern the climate of Manila is hot and humid and relatively une can disguise its difficulties ; and we may be quite surl that, however much the Jingo element and the impulsivl healthy, and much sickness may probably be expected to uncalculating section which exists in every population ma]y occur in any army of occupation. shut their eyes to these, the President of the United State: and his responsible naval, military, and medical authorities do not. Years ago this country, for pressing politica VITAL STATISTICS. reasons, equipped and disembarked a small force for thi occupation of Cyprus, which is now one of the most health3 HEALTH OF ENGLISH TOWNS. of our foreign stations. What with an exceptionally un IN thirty-three of the largest English towns 6462 birth3 healthy season and the temporary want of adequate prepara tions a large amount of sickness from climatic fever followe(l and 3965 deaths were registered during the week ending for a time in the regiments encamped there; and it is onlir April 30th. The annual rate of mortality in these towns. to be expected that a force landed in Cuba will i which had declined in the four preceding weeks from 21 5 similar but far worse experience. Cuba has an area of sotm} to 1’8.1 per 1000, rose again last week to 18’4. In London
rugged
,
.
-
-
.
undergo