REPORT OF 
 
 HOSPITAL COMMITTEE. 
 
 The Committee appointed under a resolution of this House, 
 authorizing an examination into the medical department of 
 the army, to enquire into the practical workim • sys- 
 
 tem, and to point out abuses, if any are found to e 
 to present the following report: 
 
 The resolution is very comprehensive in its character, as 
 it appears to open up the -whole field connected with our 
 military operations. Confined, however, as the Committee 
 have beep, by the discharge of their regular duties as mem- 
 bers of this body, they have only been enabled to make a 
 personal examination of the hospitals in this city and its 
 suburbs, and have been compelled to rely on other sources 
 for information as to the workings of the system in the 
 field. 
 
 We find that at this time there are some twenty hos- 
 pitals in the city where sick and wounded soldiers are 
 treated, and capable of accommodating some five or six 
 thousand patients. They are partly under Government and 
 State control, while others are under exclusive Government 
 control. Those of them that are under State auspices re- 
 ceive rations or commutation therefor from the Government; 
 the nurse hire is also paid and the medicines furnished. 
 There is a scarcity of medicines to a considerable extent, 
 and those having charge of State hospitals occasionally make 
 purchases in addition to what is furnished them. The State 
 hospitals are superior to those of the Government in two 
 respects. We found the bedding more clean, and a greater 
 amount of what might be called delicacies for the sick, as 
 from the liberal State and private contributions a larger 
 fund has been furnished with which to make purchases. In 
 
all the hospitals there was found to be sufficient cleanliness 
 
 in the floors and walls and in the culinary department ; or 
 we might use stronger language and say that in all these 
 respects they are worthy of commendation. The same re- 
 mark will apply to the food furnished, it being good in qual- 
 ity and well prepared. In all, too, so far as we could judge, 
 the sick are kindly treated, and do not suffer for want of 
 attention. The chief ground of complaint in the Govern- 
 ment hospitals — with the exceptions presently to be named — 
 was the want of cleanliness in the bedding; the sheets 
 in many instances evidently being used too long without 
 being changed. 
 
 While the Bird's Island Hospital, in common with other 
 Government hospitals, is obnoxious to this criticism, we also 
 found the vessels used in its wards, such as spittoons, etc., 
 to receive too little attention, and to be somewhat offensive. 
 The Government hospitals, that, in the particulars on which 
 we are commenting, received the approval of the committee, 
 on the General, the Banner, and Royster's Factory. The 
 latter we mention particularly as being a model of neatness, 
 and as reflecting great credit on those who have it in charge. 
 We mention this with the greater pleasure, as it affords con- 
 vincing proof that the present regulations, if properly en- 
 forced, are amply sufficient to afford our sick and wounded 
 soldiers all the "aid and comfort" they could reasonably 
 expect to find short of home. The attention of the com- 
 mittee was specially called to two very important subjects, 
 to-wit : discharges and furloughs. The present system of 
 procuring discharges is, in the unanimous opinion of the 
 committee, very objectionable. The plan now adopted is as 
 follows : The Surgeon makes application to the Surgeon- 
 General ; if the Surgeon-General approves of the applica- 
 tion, he makes his endorsement, and it is then forwarded to 
 the Captain under whom the sick man serves. lie is ex- 
 pected also to approve, as Avell as the Colonel and the Gene- 
 ral commanding. In which case an order for the discharge 
 of the applicant is issued and addressed to the Hospital Sur- 
 geon. Thus it will be seen the whole process is tedious, in 
 the opinion of the committee wholly unnecessary, and wholly 
 inefficient. Indeed, if the intention had been to keep disa- 
 bled soldiers as long as possible in the w r ards of a hospital, 
 breathing the impure air of such places, then the present 
 system is one that is entitled to preference over all others, 
 as it most effectually accomplishes that object. We call spc- 
 
cial attention to the following objections to this system as 
 above detailed. In the first place Ave would remark that the 
 army officers are incapable of judging of the propriety or 
 impropriety of the discharges, because of the fact that they 
 have not seen the patient for weeks, it may be for months, 
 and cannot, therefore, in the very nature of the case, have 
 any personal knowledge of the condition of such patient. 
 Again — the delay which must, of necessity result, as the 
 experience of the last six months proves. The army is fre- 
 quently moving, so that the application often fails to reach 
 the military officer ; or the officer may himself be sick, so as 
 to be unable to attend to the matter; or his attention being 
 taken up with other matters, that he may perchance consider 
 of pressing importance, the papers are laid aside for the time 
 being, or perhaps arc entirely forgotten and never acted on 
 at all, or until the attention of the officer is again called to 
 the matter by the intervention of some friend of the sick 
 man. At any rate your committee have seen patients in 
 the hospitals of the city, utterly broken down in health, and 
 who, notwithstanding the recommendation of both the Sur- 
 geon and the Surgeon»-General, have waited in vain for 
 months for a release from their present uncomfortable posi- 
 tion. Both the interests of the service and the considera- 
 tion of humanity imperatively demand that some more effec- 
 tual mode of procuring discharges should be adopted. 
 
 It is now, too, exceedingly difficult to procure a furlough, 
 while the committee are satisfied that cogent reasons may be 
 given for the adoption of a more liberal policy in this mat- 
 ter. There are many convalescents who will still be in the 
 hospitals weeks before being able to do duty. These pa- 
 tients would recover much more rapidly if on furlough, 
 breathing the purer air and receiving the kinder attentions 
 of home. The beds thus vacated could be appropriated to 
 other patients, thus greatly increasing the capacity of the 
 hospitals to accommodate a greater number of patients in a 
 given time. One other fact is worthy of attention. It is 
 now universally conceded that typhoid fever is, to a certain 
 extent, a contagious affection. Now it often happens that 
 convalescents from other diseases, as they linger for some 
 time about the hospitals before being able to return to ser- 
 vice, contract this serious malady, and in too man? instances 
 succumb under it. The testimony of the surgeons is uni- 
 form on this point. It is then, in the opinion of the com- 
 mittee, much to be desired that relief should, in this respect, 
 be extended to our sick and suffering soldiers. 
 
1 
 
 The committee would also call attention to one or two 
 
 matters connected with the medical department in the field. 
 
 "We think that the present arrangement allowing only one 
 
 surgeon and one assistant surgeon is not sufficient to meet 
 
 the wants of the service. The committee forbear, however, 
 
 to enlarge on this point, but will only state that the surgeon 
 general concurs in this opinion, and recommends that an 
 additional assistant surgeon should he appointed for every 
 regiment. 
 
 On enquiry, we find that the transportation for medical 
 stores is insufficient. The wagons that were furnished for 
 this purpose to the army of the Potomac have been used to 
 a great extent for hauling wood and other articles, and the 
 result has been that the wagons have been broken, and now 
 there ely any transportation of the kind, and a large 
 
 amount of medicines, bandages, &c, have been, at various 
 . abandoned or destroyed. As a remedy, we would 
 suggest that the use of such wagons should be limited abso- 
 lutely to the transportation of medical stores. 
 
 The committee have thus given a fair and impartial state- 
 ment of facts, and have made such suggestions as, in our 
 opinion, would promote the public weal and add to the com- 
 fort and efficiency of those brave and patriotic men on whom 
 the country relies in this hour of trial. All of which is 
 most respectfully submitted. 
 
 J. P. RALLS, 
 Chairman Commit tec. 
 
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