PERMANENT AND FIELD HOSPITALS. Modern military hospitals may be divided into two general classes—permanent, and war or field hospitals. To the former belong the hospitals attached to army posts and permanent military stations, a-s well as such institutions as the General Military • Hospital, Fort Bayard. N. M.: Netley Hospital, England : and the Val-de-Grace. Paris, France. The United States Army shares with the Navy the advantages of the general hospital at Hot Springs, Ark., which is set apart for patients suffering from such diseases as the waters of the hot springs have the reputation of benefit ing, except that cases of venereal diseases are not admitted. Admission to this hospital is re strieted to the army mail IlaVy, including officers of the revenue-cutter service and of the marine hoxpnful serNicc, and honorably discharged J °I dlers and sailors of the regular and volunteer army and navy, in the following order of prefer OPT (I) Officers and enlisted men of the army, luny, and marine corps on the active lists, and cadets at the military and naval academics; (2) officers and enlisted men of the same survive on the retired lists; (3) officers of the revenue cutt•r service and of the marine-hospital serv ice: 11 ) honorably discharged soldiers and sailors of the regular and volunteer :triny rind navy may be admitted by authority of the Surgeon-General When there are vacant beds. The general hospi tal at Fort 11:iard, N. Al.. is set apart as at sanitarium for the treatment of officers and en listed men of the army sulfering from pulmonary tuberculosis. In the regular hospital service of the United Strttes at limited lumber of women are employed as hospital matrons at posts and arsenals. and also as nurses in numbers fixed by the Surgeon-General, as deseribed below.
hospitals are organized according to the needs and character of the campaign. the theatre if operations, climate. rind season of the year— the primary object being to evacuate the front of sick and disabled wit limit. interfering the mobility of the combatant•. in connec tion with field hospitals there is always present the transport difficulty. consequently every effort is made to lighten the total weight of equipment carried. !tearer and ambulance companies and field hospitals are essentially mobile units—their equipment. usually consisting, of a few small tents without beds. In the British-Boer 1Var of I899 the English field hospital weighed about eight tons, ricemumodated 100 patients. and could lie pitched or struck and packed on wagons in an hour's time. Stationary hospitals are usually rest camps on long of communication. (,'t to oil hospitals are places to whieh all sick and wounded are ultimately sent : where all im portant surgical and medical treatment. not Mt per:ttivcly urgent. is carried out : and where it is determined whether the patient shall be returned to civil life or active service. in eVc ry army Fpecial eon's of men are enlisted and trained during time of peace: the 1'1(.1,1.110,1dt:11 section
during the great annual army ma 1111`11VTPS of Europe receiving very practical instruction. While all civilized countries are quick to avail themselves of needed improvements, France is usually in tlac lead.
llos•ervi. TnviNs. Modern wars of Continen tal Europe have developed a phase of hospital service peculiar to themselves and known as hos pital trains, of which there are three distinct types—permanent, improvised, and ordinary. The first named will sen.e as an illustration. They are eonstructed so as to contain kitchen, storeroom. and compartments for the sick, who are invariably lying-down patients. demanding •constant attention. There is through communica tion from the front to rear. in Germany they are known as Lazaret-Zage, and consist of 41 carriages. with an average total capacity of 300 patients; the Trains-Ranitaires-Permanents of the French have 23 coaches, with a capacity of 128; the Austrian Eisenhahn Sanitiits.Zage, 19 car riages and 101 sick-berths: and the Italian Treni acpcda/i• ranging from 19 to 24 carriages. with accommodations for about 200. There are also similar trains belonging to the Soci6te Franeaise, and the Austro-Hungarian Knighhts of Malta. Hospital trains are conspicuously marked with the badge of the Genova SOeiet3•, 1111t are so ar anged internally that distinctions of rank and caste are rigorously maintained in the accommo dations set apart for sutTerers, utterly regardless of the necessities or circumstances of the case.
Tut: Aftm• Nuitst: l'oites is an auxiliary branch of the medical deportment. in accord ance with an army bill passed February 2. 1901, it, was ordered that army nurses should be as signed to duty at military hospitals, and at hos pitals where more than one nurse is serving one will be assigned to duty as chief. 'Phew are ap pointed for three years, two years of which period must be served without the limit of the States. The pay rind allowance of a nurse on ac tive service is $40 per month, when on duty in the United States and abroad. Chief nurses receive $5 extra, except where there are live or more nurses under them, when they receive $10 extra, and $25 extra when they have charge of ten or more subordinates. Nurses are retired on reach ing the age of forty-five years, or if they cease for live years to practice their profession, or if they become permanently incapacitated, from ill ness or other good or sullivient reason. The uni form of the eta's: consists of a waist and skirt of suitable white material. adjustable white bishop eollar, apron. and Call. The badge he corps is the cross of the medical depart ment and hospital corps, in green euamol with gilt edge, pinned on the left side of the collar of the uniform, or on a corresponding part of the nurse's dress she is not in uniform. See MEDICAL 1)F.PARTMENT ; and SURUERY, M I LITA In%