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Regulations for the Medical Department
of the Military Forces of South Carolina
By R.W. Gibbes, M.D., Physician and Surgeon General:

Electronic Edition.

South Carolina. Medical Department.
R.W. Gibbes, M.D., Physician and Surgeon General.


Funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services
supported the electronic publication of this title.


Text scanned (OCR) by Hope McCullough
Images scanned by Hope McCullough
Text encoded by Joshua McKim and Natalia Smith
First edition, 1999
ca. 30K
Academic Affairs Library, UNC-CH
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,
1999.

No copyright in the United States

Call number 2129.1 Conf., 1861 (Rare Book Collection, UNC-CH)



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Library of Congress Subject Headings

LC Subject Headings:




        

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REGULATIONS
FOR THE
MEDICAL DEPARTMENT
OF THE
MILITARY FORCES
OF
SOUTH CAROLINA.

BY

R. W. GIBBES, M. D.,

PHYSICIAN AND SURGEON GENERAL.

COLUMBIA.:
SOUTH CAROLINIAN STEAM PRINTING OFFICE.
1861.


Page 3

REGULATIONS
FOR THE
MEDICAL DEPARTMENT.

        1. The Surgeon General, under the authority of the Governor, and the Militia Laws of the State, is charged with the administrative details of the Medical Department, the government of hospitals, the regulation of the duties of Surgeons and Assistant Surgeons, and the appointment of Surgeons or Assistant Surgeons, where needed, for local or detached service. He will issue orders and instructions relating to their professional duties, and all communications from them, which require his action, will be made directly to him.

        2. The medical supplies required by Surgeons and Assistant Surgeons will be ordered by the Surgeon General, by a requisition on the Commissary General of Purchases--a duplicate of the requisition of the Surgeon or Assistant Surgeon being furnished to be filed.

        3. When a medical officer transfers medical supplies to another, or to a different post, he will take a receipt for the same.

        4. Medical officers will account for all medical supplies that come into their possession.

        5. The senior medical officer of a hospital will distribute the patients, according to convenience and the nature of their complaints, into wards or divisions, under the particular charge of the Assistant Surgeons, and will visit them himself each day, as frequently as the sick or wounded may require, accompanied by the Assistant, Hospital Steward and Nurse.

        6. His prescriptions of medicine and diet are daily to be written down in a register, with the name of the patient and number of the


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bed; and the Assistant or Steward, in his absence, will see that the directions are carried out.

        7. He will, if in charge of a hospital or post, with the approval of the commanding officer, appoint a steward, cooks and nurses, who will be under his orders.

        8. He will enforce the proper hospital regulations to promote health and prevent contagion, by ventilated and not crowded rooms, scrupulous cleanliness, changes of bed linen, &c.

        9. At the Surgeon's call the sick in each company will be conducted to the hospital by the First Sergeant, who will hand to the Surgeon in his company book a list of all the sick, on which list the Surgeon shall state who are to remain or go into hospital; who are to return to quarters as sick or convalescent; what duties the convalescents in quarters are capable of, or any other information in regard to the sick of the company which he may have to communicate to the commander, and report to him. (Form 1.)

        10. Soldiers in hospital, patients or attendants, except stewards, shall be mustered on the rolls of the hospital department.

        11. When a patient is transferred from one hospital to another, the medical officer shall send with him an account of his case and the treatment. (Form 4.)

        12. The regulations for the service of hospitals apply as far as practicable to the service in the field.

        13. The senior medical officer of each hospital, post, regiment or detachment, will keep the following records: a register of patients (Form 2); a prescription and diet book (Form 3); a case book; copies of his requisitions; monthly returns of sick and wounded; an order and letter book, in which will be transcribed all orders and letters relating to his duties.

        14. Ordinarily, hospital attendants are allowed as follows: to a general hospital, one steward, one nurse to ten patients, one matron to twenty, and one cook to thirty; to a post or garrison of one company, one steward, one nurse, one cook and one matron, and for every two companies more, one nurse; at arsenals, where the number of men is not less than fourteen, one matron is allowed.

        15. Medical officers, in giving certificates of disability, are to take particular care in all cases which have been under their charge,


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and especially in epilepsy, convulsions, chronic rheumatism, gout, derangement of the urinary organs, ophthalmia, ulcers, or any obscure diseases.

        16. As soon as companies are organized and offered for service, the Surgeon or Assistant Surgeon will examine the members and vaccinate them, if necessary.

        17. Every medical officer will report to the Surgeon General the date when he arrives at a station, or when he leaves it, and his orders in the case.

        18. Surgeons will make to the Surgeon General a monthly return (Form 7) of the medical officers of the Command, and a consolidated monthly report of the sick and wounded from the several reports made to them; giving the disease, name, regiment and company, discharges and deaths. (Form 5.) Also a return of medicines, instruments, hospital stores, furniture, &c. (Form 6.)

        19. If it be at any time necessary to employ a private physician, the commanding officer may do it by written contract, reporting a duplicate to the Surgeon General.

        20. Assistant Surgeons will obey the orders of their Senior Surgeon; see that subordinate officers do their duty, and aid in enforcing the regulations of the hospital.

        21. The Steward will take charge of all hospital stores, instruments, furniture of every description, and supplies for the sick; keep a roster of nurses and attendants, and make out returns for rations, according to the number in hospital; receive and distribute rations, and submit his book to the Surgeon, monthly, for examination, or oftener if required. He will issue the stores to nurses and cooks, and enter the amount delivered in his book. He will be responsible for furniture, bedding, cooking utensils, &c., and keep the store-room neat and clean. (Form 6.)

        22. In the management of hospitals and posts, cleanliness, order, regularity in meals, attention to cooking, and special care of the sick and wounded, are particularly enjoined upon the medical officers.

        23. In passing a recruit, the medical officer is to examine him stripped; to see that be has free use of all his limbs; that his chest is ample; that his hearing, vision, and speech are perfect; that he has no tumors, or ulcerated, or extensively cicatrized legs; no rupture or chronic cutaneous affection; that he has not received any contusion, or wound of the head, that may impair his faculties; that he is not a drunkard; is not subject to convulsions; and has no infectious disorder, nor any other that may unfit him for military service.


Page 6

FORM 1.

MORNING REPORT OF THE SURGEON OF A REGIMENT, POST OR GARRISON.

        

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FORM 1. MORNING REPORT OF THE SURGEON OF A REGIMENT, POST OR GARRISON.


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FORM 2.

REGISTER.

        

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FORM 2. REGISTER.


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FORM 3.

PRESCRIPTION BOOK AND DIET BOOK.

        

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FORM 3. PRESCRIPTION BOOK AND DIET BOOK.

        The spaces in the Prescription Book are to be filled up with the prescriptions at length, the times of administering the medicines, and the quantities to be given at each time. The diet of the patients will be divided into full, half, and low, to be designated in the Diet Book by the letters F., H. And L.; and in order that the Steward may have precise instructions for delivering the Hospital Stores, &c., the Surgeon will, from time to time, insert in the Diet Book written directions of the quantity of each article in his store-room, which he may think necessary to each degree of diet. To each ten patients, for example, on low diet, a certain quantity of tea, sugar, &c. To each ten on half diet, a certain quantity of rice, milk, &c. These proportions would soon become familiar to the Steward, who has only to refer to the letters of the Diet Book, to ascertain the whole quantity of any article to be delivered for the day, as well as the quantity for each ward. When any liquor is directed, or any other article not contained in these general instructions of the Surgeon, the precise quantity directed for each patient will be noted in the Diet Book.


Page 9

FORM 4.

REPORT TO BE SENT WITH PATIENTS TO A GENERAL HOSPITAL.

        

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FORM 4. REPORT TO BE SENT WITH PATIENTS TO A GENERAL HOSPITAL.


Page 10

FORM 5.

DISCHARGES AND DEATHS.

        

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FORM 5. DISCHARGES AND DEATHS.


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FORM 6.

RETURN OF MEDICINES, INSTRUMENTS, HOSPITAL STORES, FURNITURE, &C.

        

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FORM 6. RETURN OF MEDICINES, INSTRUMENTS, HOSPITAL STORES, FURNITURE, &c.


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FORM 7.

MONTHLY REPORT of the Sick and Wounded at for the month ending 18

        

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FORM 7. MONTHLY REPORT of the Sick and Wounded.


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FORM 7.--(Continued.)

        

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FORM 7. - (Continued.)


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FORM 7.--(Continued)

        

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FORM 7. - (Continued)


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FORM 8.

REPORT OF RECRUITS examined by at for the month ending day of 18

        

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FORM 8.


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