MATTERS MILITARY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume I, Issue 276, 30 September 1864, Page 9

MATTERS MILITARY.

ABSIY iIEDICAIi BTJPAJiTMEJfT. Of all tile Departments in IS T ew Zealand, we r^'nli-nlv 3 ' ,h^ rec } lcal Department has been upm H C t m n- i U ! liC in which it has l.lentific d itself with the colonists. In the old day> when had the gallant aSth lts t ,h'' e "ders, tlie late Dr. Thompson, surgeon of that regiment, was looked upon as belonging to the colony. .His literarv attainments and lis professional skill were always at the disposal of his fellow-countrymen in ZSew Zealand. In tlio matter ot and in many other interesting and scientific subjects, he contributed ianjeh to tlie statistical information ol' the colony. I.T. Thompson may be considered as hax mg represented his profession generally : and since his departure from our shores many kin dred spirits have carried out the kind r.ot'iev he initiated. J i I f t V'' il A! ,o ! oll , K T, Dei,mtni " lls in Zealand. the cdieal De-part ment has grown and increased with ,],e growth of the elements of war. Ibe large "umber of troops stationed in A aland required a proportionately lar.'e stall of medical othcers, and Uiev were at once r c cannot but remark that wc think it must lune alioided the gentlemen of the Army Medical I epar.ment a very large amount of gratification .o nd on theu- arrival here, so manv of their bret uen in. cm) h,e occupying positions of great responsibility in connection will, the GencndGovernmeni. llu- Ofiices of Auditor-General and i .I» cgistral -t■ enerai. ior instance. rc(iuiring on the part ot their holders more ability, general knowledge. and clearness ol judgment than most of the offices under Government. Ik>th these otliees arc holu by medical men. The Speaker of the i.eneral Assembly is also a medical man In I,u ' n 1,:lV0 time to time math an ; lie othces oi tiusi connected with the (ieneralaud Local Governments of the colonv 1 lie medical otiicers of the army then may teel that the credit of their profession 1- well-sustained by the civilian members of their c'liiinon nydev m 2Ce\v Zealand. A> we haxH.' done in previous articles with re-tcr,-'M-e to other departments, so we now purpose giving a brief sketch of the Army Meilical department, with a hasty glance at its ear'iv i;i:-ti'ry and progress. The head of the Department in Zs"ew Zealand Dr. Mouat. entered the service in 18:S8 as Assist-iiiit->urgi on : in lf> !8 lie was promoted to Surjeo:;. and in ISoo to Surgeon-Major. In ISSS 1:. was again promoted, and now holds the rank L'eputy-Inspector-General of Hospitals. Dr Jlniat is decorated with the V.C.t is a coinj'.ani.'ti of the Bath and a Knight of the Legion ot Honor. Ihe A ictoria Cross was awarded to ii.iM tor an act ot cool and daring valor, performed under a murderous fire! during the action ot'palakla\ a. The act'in itself was simple enough, but the circumstances under which it was perioiined were ot a nature demanding extraordinary courage. An ofiieer lay within the range of the enemy's tire—severely wounded - h : » life depuuling upon immediate aid. to apjif'ach him was all but certain death. Duty, t.'.w ever, demanded that some one sh oukl go br. ili.ua: —with a full knowledge of ihe (iangers attending suel, a course—went forth gallantly to the aid of the wounded ofiieer. and. protected by Pro vide nee, dressed his wounds ami conveyed him to the rear. .in- ther gallant gentleman, now serving in !Ncw Zealand. Dr. Home, was awarded tlie V;. ;ei-ia Cross for persevering bravery and admiral le conduct in charge of the wounded men lei; behind the column when the troops under : hi' iate Sir 11. 1 lav clock forced their wav into the residency i>f Lnekijow. on the 2l>tli September. ihe escort left with tlie wour.di d had. by casualties, been reduccd to a few stragglers, aiidl iii g itiiirely sejiarated from the column, i.ii> small party, witli the wounded, were forced ii;o> a house, in which they defended themselves until it was set on fire, 'lhey then retreated to a shed a few yards from it. and in this place •ntir.ued to di'fend ihemselves for more than twenty-two hours, until relieved. At last only te.cn and Dr. Home remained to lire. Of four otiicers who were with the party all were i ad!y wot;;.Jed. The conduct of the defence during the Jaticr part of the time devolved, tiicrciore. on Dr. Home, ami to his active exertions previously to being forced into the house, a:i■ 1 his gallant conduct throughout, the safety of the w..unded. and the successful defence, is mail.!v to be attributed. Two other gallant gentlemen have earned the much coveted Victoria Cross. Dr. Temple and _Dr. Mauley, both of the lloyal Artillery. Dr. Temple has been recommended for that honorable decoration for the cool and truly brave manner in which he went tinder a most destructive fire. to the assistance of the late Captain Mercer. Y'.'e need not recapitulate the events which then took place : it was at the time the conviction of all that Dr. Temple should be distinguished for his trallaiury, and right glad are we to ham that such distinction wilt ere long be confeiTt d upon him. Dr. Manley lias been recommended for the Y.C. on account of hisadmii able conduct —in reiaaiiiing within the Gate Pablo drcsstliewounds of a L'aiJant gentieinan who had been left alone. Dr. .'daniev observing an ofiieer lying wounded within the pan hesitated not to go to his relief ii'T did the fac; of his being left alone —inllueiice hiiuai ail. even for a moment, but in the presence of the enemv calinlv proceeded with the work upon which lie was engaged. Vv'e have spoken of these gentlemen by nan:c. because the names are already the property ot the public, and not with the view oi individualizing, but for the purpose ol representing the liepaitmcnt generally, in the j'ersons ot the trciiticiijcn named. _ Tiie oliicei-.. of the department in IS ew Zea-:-v:id irive ivol 1 earned, and we are sure haye L ,: i:!:ed. the res;jcct and esteem of not ciiij conibataiit brethren, and the sick and wounaed whom ihev liave with so liiucli kind care and anxious solicitude attended, but also of tbccoio-ni-ts i ivZealand. -Medical Otiicers have always been a necessary adjunct to the jjtati'of an arm v. Ihe cuiplovment of surgeons with troops in the lic-kt dates back to a very early period. At.'iiopbon -tatcs that it was the first care of Cyrus to provide the Persian army with professors o ihe healing art. The Egyptians likewise bad stirg'M.in< j,, their pay. Alexander, according to bhiiai'ch, was as arbitrary in as in all other things, and held the medical o.nceis responsible for tlie lives of his troops. ..lanniUai —Who was himself a student of medicine— took care that his troups should have abundant mcai'•a! attendance. The Itoman Generals were distinguished for their care of the siciv. of l nil armies. The lionian Surgeon was exemptetl from all taxes —(we cannot say as much for llic Knglish Surgeon who in common with all otlier otiicers pays—strange to say—an income u'x, even in .Sew Zealand.) . , , J n our own army the art of surgery mar e littie progress for many reigns. . l iuring the reign of it-dward 11., we. .in '* Chinn*ge*an" with every 1,000 men. -T v.asoniv Id. a day. , . „„ itenrv V.. when proceeding on his OonniKjil."l wars, took with him one surgeon | and a v :;istants. Their pay.was sl.ll trii'i"!,'. l'»t every soldier was required to ]>ay two-p^ iiK'titii its "regards" for the surgeon. I ndcr .!:i!;;es 1, a somewhat bettei ''' 1 ion of the '.Medical Staff was eflected. o ci:ois received fjs. Bd. ; apo tlieca.i'ies -j*- : and Ivetrimenud surgeons 4s. per day. j From that period up to the present tberi- . • been a gradual improvement in the pOni-i 0 - 1 cjiiohiiuents of army surgeons. In 1773 the Army Medical Department re-organised, the daily pay of the •"reused to Us., the stoppages from tiie . o oiscotitinueci, and tho practice which b<v P ie

vaflcd of buying and selling surgeoncies prphibichange took placc, and the foits mS..? tS P «? P °- itioU solllcw liiit akin u H mII I , , I^ll ; tIu}1 ' ifprovomonts in pay J, T]; , o l » l, l^ Vcbccn «' ad « si "cc 1 J Hone anrf V 1 as it now exists, at tl f rst .o n ' oaC ' divided into two sections, m n n" FOSC<I ot Atcdif ' :ll StairOfliccrs ; the llu> SinU- C " ,nK ' lltal Surgeons. The officers of ll™ ■ l ( ' ol ! s,st ol Inspectors General of 27 Deputy (10., the functions of S nfl-i IUCn art ; purely inspectioiial, also, 112 Th'.. sV'n^r^l!' 8 ' Assistant Surgeons. 'f Olheers in IN'ew Zealand im> composed .Attached to the lioyal Artillery, Military Jain, and each Line Ivegiment. there is one ourgeon, and Assistant Surgeon, and these gentlemen in conjunction with their brother olheers on the Stall; have added -really to the reputation ol the Department, both with regard 0 professional skill, and what is perhaps as important kind and careful attention to the sick. (~ , ° hound to allude to the services of Dr. ,! '. Surgeon Major. wliose constant •mention to the wives and children of soldiers, has gamed for him their grateful remembrance, -tlie banitary Ofhccr of ISew Zealand is Dr. A.acktnnon (ov th I'cgt.). who has been attached to the Stall ot the army, and upon whom ileol\ es all responsibility in connection with sanitary matters. ~^ I [ connection with or subordinate to the Medical Department, there is what may be termed a "* Store! )epartinent. Themedical stores in JV'. 1 .- 1 ""dor the care ami management of.J. Collin, Eso., Apothecary and Dispenser to the .troops. LJie duties incumbent upon this gentleman are ol a character requiring great care and attention, and we are satisfied Mr. Collin has din-barged those tin ties in such a way as to elicit the wannest commendations from his superiors. ilr. Collin ranks as a lieutenant in the army, and is deservedly esteemed and respected by all with whom he comes in contact, either in matters of business or pleasure. 'Ihehigh state of elliciency to which the Medical Department has attained can be best explained by a retrospective view of medical men as they once existed with respect to the army. ISow skill and kindness are combined. The quick restoration and sound cure of a patient is ambition of the medical oflicer. The sympathies of the human heart are allowed to be drawn out, and kind treatment is no longer surprising. It was not always so. At one tune it was a part of the medical ofliccr s iaith that all his patients were malingerers, and systems of something very like tyranny were adopted to get rid of his patients. Dressing the beds—seeing that they were in line—being considered more important than attending to the wants of the patients. Of course, under such circum stances, the medicines used were truly the •• simples" of the pharmacopoeia. 'Ihe prescribing of these simples was left en-tirely.-or almost so. to corporals or orderlies, as may be seen by the following anecdote : —A young medical man on duty at a certain hospital, having proceeded to the surgery for the purpose ol enjoying its pleasant lire, was suddenly started lrom his no doubt plen>ing dreams, bv the appearance of a clumsy uncouth figure, evidently an " orderly." bearing three large bottles in his arms, and demanding, as if at the bar of a medical tap-room. "Two sarsaparillas and a cough mixture for !Xo. 11:" of course the orderly had mistaken the officer for the corporal, the presiding genius of this temple of physic. In a future article, under the head of Anecdocia. we may give further illustrations of the mode of training adopted in bv-gone days, to complete the education of Army and Medical officers, but only with the view of showing the great improvements that have taken place in every branch of the Medical Department. THE AltllY HOStMT.U, COlll'S. " In omnia jniruliis." In an article on the Purveyor's Department we intimated our intention to publish, as far as we knew . Ihe history of ihe above corps, and we now proceed to give a brief outline of its original formation, present position, and general utility. The original designation of this corps was the " Medical Staff Corps." It was created during the Crimean war (June, 1555), to supply one of the greatest wants in our hospital arrangements, and trained on the plan of the French Cm:ipar/nictv de /'/ 'ijirmfcv It will always be found of the greatest use whenever an army takes the field, and in garrison it furnishes a verv valuable auxiliary stall to our. Medical and Purveying otiicers. When first formed, the corps consisted of men sneciall'." enlisted, and ot volunteers from the Army. It was composed ol nine companies (making a total r.f 703 of all ranks). Each company was calculated lor attendance in an hospital of 500 patients. For the Purveyor's Department, each companj' consisted of 1 stew ard, t assistant stewards, 13 issuers, 2 washermen. and :> assistant cooks. For the .Medical Department, 1 warilmaster, S assistant wardmasters. 2 barbers, and 50 orderlies. AVheit this corps first came into existence, although a portion of it was placed at the disposal of the Purveyor's Department, as a corps, it was under the" control and superintendence of the Principal Medical officer at each station. After the Crimean war the corps w as weeded of ail unqualified men. and organized under a new warrant, dated Ist August, 185/, which was issued to constitute a new corps of attendants at the Miiitarv hospitals, for the better care of the sick and "wounded of the Army, to be stvied the "Army Hospital Corps." 1 nlioconlanee with ibis warrant, detachments of tlie corps w ere attached to each regimental hospital, but were still under the control of the principal medical oJliccr at each station. After a three rears' trial this system was found to work ver'- bad! v. In the first placc the corps had no ofiieer of its own to look to the advancement of its interests. JNo matter how efficient and wcl conducted the non-commissioned otiicers and men of the corps might be, there was no o'licer to notice or recommend (hem ior merited promotion. In fact, its organization .renerallv was so defective, as to necesState the formation of a spccial _ conimi.tee to report upon the working of the existing reguations, -and to suggest such amendment as would be best calculated to increase the efficiency °' hckl its first sitting on the 7th December. 18C0, at the Army Medical Department. Whitehall. The Committee brought Its labours to a .dose in Feb., 1301, a tcrexaimni„,r a "Teat number of stall, regimental, medical -pd other officers, also non-commissioned officer* and men of the corps, the comnutttce suggested, the men belonging to his department, and that iv„,„t m . (:,>n»ril and Purvcvor-in-Chiel should'eaeh be responsible for the eilicient work- • ,ff iltei" respective portions ot the corps. Tfi the suggestions olTcrcd by the committee J"e approved of by the Secretary ot State ior \\'-i- and the Commander-in-Chief. Under present arrangements every Bcgnnenl fundd.es its own attendants m the following proportion Sergeants. Privates. Halt. of fn fan try ... L ;'<• Kegl . of Cavalry -L I!att. M. Train •• 1 T P.atty. of Artillery ... • J ' Tl'^'frit!V ]'fos))it;d Corps furnishing general with orderlies, cooks, i Worelco',.-,, ,u»l each Regimental jiospitpl.

The non-commissioned otiicers and men of this corps are all trained and instructed at the depot, Victoria Hospital, i\"etley, in 11 general knowledge of Human Anatomy, including the names, position, &e., of the principal arteries, and the mode of arresting hcemorrliage from thorn ; the piopei mode of carrying wounded off the field, with special reference to the nature ami position ol wounds —of applying blisters, leeches, to,nentations, .fce. ; of making and applying bandages, minor dressings, trusses, and lining splints. Ot the management of helpless patients, with rolci-. once to cleanliness, feeding, and administration of medicine. Tho names anil uses of the surgical instruments, and appliances in general use. The mode of resuscitating a person apparently drowned. The use of splints and apparatus for fractures and dislocations. The use of the thermometer, want duties, and ventilation of same. Observations of the sick as regards secretions, expectorations, pulse, skin, appetite, intelligence, breathing, sleep, state ol wounds, eruptions, >.tc. Eroni the foregoing- it will be seen at a glance that the non-commissioned oliiccrs anil men of the Army Hospital Corps must be men of very superior intelligence, and in order to flic proper discharge ol their manifold duties, they must be exceedingly sober men. Considering their qualifications and attainments —wc are of opinion that this corps is anything but. well paid, and cannot understand why, improving 011 the old Medical Stall I orps, the authorities should have "' improved mrni/ a large portion of their pay. AA ith regard lo the discipline of (his corps, their exists a very just ground for complaint, in tho absence of a corps oflicer- —by whom if necessary, they might- bo punished—or if deserving, recommended tor promotion. Tho present- system of attaching detachments of the corps to regiments, is most objectionable, anil we are glad to learn that an alteration is likely to take place in this respect. A\ e understand a new oliice hasbeeu instituted in connection with the corps, viz., Caplains id Orderlies, who are fo have sole charge_of the pay and discipline of tlie corps. A\ hen this arrangement litis boon matured, noii-commi.-e ioned officers and 111011 of tlie corps will have their claims fo promotion properly attended to, and their general interests well represented. We can only say that if the detachments ol this corps perform their duties as well in other stations as lhey have in A'ew Zealand, lliere will be abundant room for strong recommendations in favour of its non-conimissioiied oliiccrs and men. The members of the corps serving inKiw Zealand have well sustained the rcpulati<m ol not only their own peculiar branch—but oi the army generally. The*strength of the corps in 2?cw Zealand is as follows :— J'/wrr>;m'l>' JJranch. 1 Sergeant-Major 1 Ist class Sergeant 7 class Sergeants lil Privates. Jledical JSrttnch. 2 Ist class Sergeants S 2nd class Sergeants ■17 Privates. which is not considered Miflicienl lor all purposes, considering the force located here. AYe cannol bring those remarks to a close without" expressing a hope that the non-comiuis-sioned head of this corps (serving in >icv. Zealand). Ssergcant-Major John Collins, may be promoted to the new oliice referred to —viz.. Captain of Orderlies. V> e have know 11 Ser-geant-.Major Collins for years, and it affords us sincere pleasure to be able to testify to his exemplary conduct, his thorough know ledge and ; strict pirformttnee of the duties of his oliice. ; and his peculiar fitness lbr the position roicrrcd ! to. His services during both the last and \ present campaign, together v. th his superior education ami decided iaienr. justly entitle him ; lo an advantageous promotion. I n conclusion, we may a dd. that, there are j detachments of the Army Hospital Corps at , nearly every station under the Crown, except j the East Indies ; out even there the corps ban served —(under its old name. Medical Stall Corps)—as it was actively employed during the Mutiny, and also in China during the last war. The strength of the whole corps is as under : — 13 Sergeant-Majors. '2 t Ist class Sergeants. 183 aiiif class-Sergeants, 70'J privates' and 1 Quarter-Master and Adjutant at Head Quarters.