On military and camp hospitals, and the health of troops in the field : being the results of a commission to inspect the sanitary arrangements of the French Army, and incidentally of other armies in the Crimean War / by L. Baudens ; translated and annotated by Franklin B. Hough.
- Date:
- 1862
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: On military and camp hospitals, and the health of troops in the field : being the results of a commission to inspect the sanitary arrangements of the French Army, and incidentally of other armies in the Crimean War / by L. Baudens ; translated and annotated by Franklin B. Hough. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.
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![vitiated air. In Algeria, the regiments wliicli labored on the roads, during the heats of summer, in the open air, never hat] these diseases ; but on the return of winter and bad Aveatlier, Avhen they were driven into the barracks, they jtresently paid a heavy tribute to disease. The expense of supply for a company pf eighty men is one hundred and sixty dollars per month, which is derived as follows: one hundred and fifty-six dollars and twenty-four cents, total of six cents and five mills 23er day, taken from the Avages of each man ; four dollars at least per month, from the sale of grease and slojDS, besides what is earned by the soldiers who labor in town, and that which is paid by the officers for ordei'lies, and which go to the soldiers in common. The company consumes daily in bread for soup, one dollar and twentv-one cents, in meat three dollars and thirty-five cents, in vegetables twenty-eight cents, in l)ei3per and salt nine cents. This four dollars and ninety-three cents per diem, amounts to about one hundred and forty-seven dollars and ninety cents in a month; and allowing nhie dollars and ninety-eight cents for washing, lights, and blacking, for brooms, and the barber's fee, there is left two dollars and twelve cents for some contingent expenses. Many commanding captains have a foolish tendency towards economising in the mess expenses, which results finally in large mortality. I have been astonished to see them intrust to a corporal the duty of buying provisions; as corpo- rals are rarely insensible to the seductions of a glass of brandy; the merchants, who know their Aveakncss on this i)oint, turn it to their advantage, to the detriment of the company. It would be better that a special com- mission should have charge of the sustenance of the regiment. They could tiien deal directly with the producers, and by dispensing Avith intermediaries, bene- fit the regiment to the whole extent of the profits made by second and third hands. Bought upon hoof, the meat would be cheapei-, and perhajjs of better quality, the soldiers might cut it up themselves, and thus initiate tliemselves into camp life. It may be objected, that the soldier is suspicious, and ought to be left to dispose of](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b21951780_0056.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
