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No marked advances were being made or had been made recently. Surgery had advanced little and was still in the hands of the givers of strong drugs. The chief operation was amputation. The great cavities of the body were beyond reach. Anaesthesia was not to come for seventy years yet. It was a matter of course that worse infections occurred in hospitals than in private practice. Medical men had great faith in medicines in healing. Even in surgical cases there was more reliance on internal medication than on surgery itself. At the close of the colonial government there were two American medical colleges, one in Philadelphia— founded in 1765; the other in New York, founded in 1768. The operations of both were suspended by the war. Boston had of yet no school of medicine. The great majority of physicians of the colonies had obtained their medical education by a system of apprenticeship lasting from three to seven years. A few had been able to resort to the celebrated schools of Europe, Edinburg, London, Leyden, Paris and in Italy. The battles of Lexington and Concord— it appears that the British forces had made little provision for their wounded: probably they anticipated none. At Concord some of their wounded were treated by Dr. Monot and Dr. Cummings. Some severe cases were left there. A Lieut. Hall who was wounded and left behind, died the next day. In order to carry off their less seriously wounded, they confiscated a chaise belonging to Reuben Brown, born May 28, 1748 and died Aug. 25, 1832. His wife was Mollie Howe. He is listed in the “DAR Patriot Index” as giving patriotic service, which he did and serving from Massachusetts. Another chaise belonging to John Beaton. These vehicles were furnished with bedding taken from neighborhood houses. Horses were also taken to draw the vehicles. In Massachusetts there was the committee of Safety and its present body— The Massachusetts Provincial Congress. Of the former, Dr. Joseph Warren was president and Dr. Benjamin Church were members. The Provincial Congress of 1775/6 contained twenty-two physicians. Benjamin Church, probably the most noted. Dr. Church was born at Newport, Rhode Island, 1734, graduated from Harvard in 1754, later studied in London. He became prominent as a surgeon at Boston, he was a member of the Provincial Congress, July 27, 1775, was elected Director General and Physician in Chief of the Hospital Department. At a council of war, held at Headquarters, Cambridge, Oct. 3, 1775, his excellency, General Washington and others— the general communicated to this board a discovery of a correspondence carried on with the enemy by Dr. Church, by letter of characters, which was deciphered by Rev’d. Mr. West, and laid the same letter before the members of the council. After considering and discussing the matter, it was determined to adjourn until tomorrow and then, that Dr. Church be examined (questioned). On Oct. 4, council of war met: present at before, Dr. Church being sent for, and shown the letter in characters, was asked whether the said letter was written by him, to which he answered he believed so. He was shown the explanation of said letter as deciphered and asked whether it was a true one, to which he answered in the affirmative. Dr. Church then explained his intentions in writing said letter, as calculated to impress the enemy with a strong idea of our strength and situation, in order to prevent an attack, at a time when the continental army was in a great want of ammunition, and in hopes of effecting the most speedy accommodation of the present dispute: and made solemn asservations of his innocence. The general then asked the opinion of the council severally, whether it did not appear, that Dr. Church had carried on a criminal correspondence with the enemy, to which they immediately answered in the affirmative. The question was then taken and discussed— what were the proper steps to be taken with respect to him, and after examining the articles of the continental army and particularly the articles 28 and 51, it was determined from the enormity of the crime, and the very inadequate punishment pointed out, that it should be referred to the general congress, and in the meantime he be closely confined, and no person visit him but by special direction. Resolution of the Continental Congress about Dr. Church— that Dr. Church be close confined in some secure jail, in the colony of Massachusetts, without the use of pen, ink and paper, and that no person be allowed to converse with him, except in the presence and hearing of a magistrate of the town, or the sheriff and in the English language only. He was imprisoned in Norwich, Connecticut in accordance with his sentence. In the following May, on account of ill health, he was allowed to return to Massachusetts under a bond of a thousand pounds. He returned and in 1776 was given permission to visit the West Indies. He sailed for the West Indies and the vessel was never heard of again. So ended Dr. Church. The Continental Congress, July 17, 1775— Resolved that for the establishment of an hospital for our army, consisting of 20,000 men, the following officers and other attendants be appointed, with the following allowance for pay: a director general and chief physician his pay $4 per day. Four surgeons, pay each one and a third per day; one apothocary, one and a third; twenty mates, two thirds each per day; one clerk, two thirds; two storekeepers, each, $ per month. One nurse to every 10 sick, one fifteenth of a dollar per day. Duty of the above officers: the duty of the chief physician to furnish medicine, bedding and all other necessities, to pay for the same. Surgeons, apothecaries and mates to visit and attend the sick, and mates to obey the orders of the physician, surgeon and apothocary. Dr. John Morgan, of Welsh descent, born in Philadelphia, in 1735, a Quaker, educated in Rev. Linley’s school at Nottingham, Chester County, graduated from the college of Philadelphia in 1757, the first B.A. of that college. April 1, 1758 commissioned a First Lieut. in the army of General Forbes, marching against Fort Duquesne. His principal duties were attending sick. In 1760 he resigned from the army and crossed the ocean to study medicine in London, meeting there the leading medical men of the time. Next year he attended lectures at the University of Edinburgh, and received his medical degree there in 1763; from the then most famous medical school in the world. He then spent a year in travel and study in France, Switzerland, and Italy. He returned to London and completed his plans for the new medical school which he proposed to establish in Philadelphia. In 1765 he reached Philadelphia and in the fall of that year the first medical school in the Western hemisphere began its career, fathered by Dr. John Morgan. In 1772, Dr. Morgan was one of the group of men founding the American Philosophical Society, and by a journey to the West Indies raised 2000 pounds for the medical school. When the war began he sided with the colonies and in October, 1775 was made director general of the medical department of the continental army. In January, 1777, he was dismissed by congress. Dr. Morgan asked an investigation which was refused for two years. Finally in 1779, he was given a hearing. Washington, Rush, and many others testified in his behalf and he was completely vindicated. Broken in spirit he again took up private practice. On Oct. 16, 1775, Dr. Morgan succeeded Dr. Church as general director. Dr. Morgan set out at once for Cambridge. He found the hospitals about Boston crowded with sick, many of whom could have been treated in their quarters. The principal diseases were: autumnal remittents, thyphoid, and dysentary and smallpox. He says on his arrival at Boston, I heard of many abuses being practiced by enormous drafts of expensive stores from the general hospital to which I put a stop and limited the demands of regimental surgeons to such articles as Indian meal, oatmeal, rice, barley, molasses and the like. When the army lay before Boston the small pox frequently made its appearance in it, owing to the number of persons who came out of that city with the infection upon them, which endangered the spreading of the disease among our troops. By the establishment of a smallpox hospital in a suitable place, with proper persons to take care of the sick, and the precaution of sending all infected persons to it, as soon as known to have the disease, and to cut off all communications between it and the troops, the army was prevented from ever receiving any injury from it. When he entered his duties, Dr. Morgan found the general hospital was not well supplied with bandages, old linen, the implements of surgery and those that would be required in action. He collected large quantities of old linens, lint and sheets and made up 6,000 bandages and 600 tourniquets for the use of the general hospital and for six hospitals which he managed. Dr. Morgan recommended the necessity of providing from continental druggists, a capital set of medicines, instruments, etc. as soon as possible, and advised that portable chests be furnished for every regiment for a whole year, each chest to be provided with instruments and bandages. On Dec. 24, 1775, Massachusetts, a general order directed the issue of rations. Corned beef and pork, four days a week. Salt fish one day and fresh beef two days. Half a pint of rice or a pint of meal a week. One quart of spruce beer per day, or nine gallons of molasses to 100 men a week. Six pounds of candles to 100 men a week. Six ounces of butter or one ounce of lard per week. Three pints of peas or beans per man per week, or vegetables equivalent. One pound of flour per man per day, hard bread to be delt out one day a week. The army suffered for want of firewood and hay. They had to eat their rations raw for want of firewood and they suffered for tents, food and clothes. Driving the British out of Boston was one of the most solid and durable achievements of the continental army. March 9, 1776, the strength of the army was 18,410 officers and men. Of this number there were sick, 2445, present, sick absent 330. During the seige the British had occupied various places as hospitals, churches, the workhouse, almshouse, and a large building known as the “Manufactury House.” The Americans on entering made use of the same buildings. Dr. John Morgan found considerable stores of bedding, furniture, and medicines which the enemy was unable to carry away. Dr. Morgan said, “I collected a great number of blankets, beds and rugs which had been left by the British army, in Hospitals, barracks, and in the river. I had them washed and made fit for use. By the general’s orders I took possesion of a large druggist’s shop, and a small one of a private practitioner, after which they were gleamed of capital articles, as camphor, rhubard, peruvian bark, opium, etc.” A sample of Dr. Morgan’s troubles throws light on the so called hospitals. He said that on looking into the rooms, they were found to be filled with sick, and the surgeons who had their care, panting for breath, in the midst of them. It was amidst the sultry heat of summer. The danger of maligant fever, from crowding so many sick in confined rooms, in that hot season. He had near a hundred sick in the house. “I forbade him then, as I had uniformly prohibited every regimental surgeon from taking charge of more than thirty or forty sick. I recommended to him to send at least half of his sick to the general hospital and remove the greater part of his men into the barn.” Part Two continues in next week’s edition. © Copyright 2010 by Mifflinburg Telegraph Weekly Newspaper Top of Page |
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