The first should do the Military part, the second should compound, take charge of Medical and Surgical stores, of Returns and Accounts connected with these; and, where there is no Purveyor, of Purveyor’s and Barrack stores, provisions, cooking, washing, diets, and extras, including Returns and Accounts connected with these.
As it is, there is one Hospital Serjeant, who is Ward-Master, Serjeant, Steward, Clerk, Dispenser, Purveyor’s Clerk, and Head-Nurse—a kind of “Maître Jacques,” as in Molière’s “Avare.”
One man cannot do all these things.
A Female should be the Head-Nurse—a Serjeant should be the Serjeant and Clerk—a Ward-Master the Steward, Dispenser, Ward-Master, and Purveyor’s Clerk.
And here I must deplore the confusion unavoidable in these definitions of proposed duties, while we have no separate system for Regimental and General Hospitals.
What Dr. Menzies declared, in his evidence as to the General Hospitals at Scutari, is strictly true, and one great cause of our failure at Scutari:—“I have followed the general rules for Regimental Hospitals, so far as I could.”
While Regimental Hospitals are what they are, females never can be admitted there. On the other hand, if General Hospitals be established, one happy consequence will be that the cooking and washing will be taken out of the hands of the Hospital Serjeant, and regularly organized, it is hoped under a Captain-Superintendent of Orderlies. All Purveyor’s and Barrack stores, that is, Hospital stores and furniture will, it is hoped, fall under the charge of a Steward; Medical and Surgical stores under that of an Apothecary.
It will only remain to place a female Head-Nurse in charge of all that concerns the bed-side of a patient, and the duties of the Orderlies about the bed-side, and a Ward-Master in charge of everything else belonging to the Orderlies and Patients.
But, if it should be determined to retain everywhere the old Regimental system, it is only just to add this very strong testimony and appeal in favour of the old Hospital Sergeant, who indeed deserves it:—
“I may take this opportunity of stating my conviction that, from the very arduous, constant, and responsible duties of the Hospital Sergeant, and his influence for good or ill among the non-commissioned officers and men of the regiment, it is particularly required for the good of the service that he should be put at least on the same footing in rank and pay as a first-class staff sergeant. He ought to pass an examination by a Board of Medical Officers as to his fitness for compounding medicines on the same footing as a druggist in England. My Hospital Sergeant, who has been eight years a sergeant, three of which as Hospital Sergeant, receives at present 1s. 10d. pay per diem, and an allowance of 4d. per diem as Hospital Orderly; at the same time that there are sergeants in the ranks of the regiment four years junior to him as a non-commissioned officer who are receiving 2s. 10d. pay per diem.
“My experience leads me to consider that the regimental bandsmen are not, as a body, likely to be sufficiently strong or able men for the duty of carrying the wounded to be consigned to them.
“(Signed) Thomas Longmore,
“Surgeon 19th Regiment.”