[No. 6.]

THE COMMITTEE ON NAVAL AFFAIRS,

December 9, 1909.

STATEMENT OF SURG. GEN. P. M. RIXEY, U. S. NAVY, CHIEF OF THE BUREAU OF MEDICINE AND SURGERY.

The CHAIRMAN. We go now to page 68, Medical Department, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery: "For surgeons' necessaries for vessels in commission, navy-yards, naval stations, Marine Corps, and for the civil establishment at the several naval hospitals, navy-yards, naval medical supply depots, naval medical school, and Naval Academy, three hundred and fifteen thousand dollars." There is an increase of $15,000 over last year. What is the necessity for that?

Admiral RIXEY. That is due to the increase in the personnel2,000 additional enlisted men and 1,000 apprentices. This is a proportional increase that we have to make whenever the personnel is increased.

The CHAIRMAN. Whenever you increase the number of men, you increase this item?

Admiral RIXEY. Yes, sir.

Mr. LOUDENSLAGER. What is the new language there for?
The CHAIRMAN. That is a change of name.

Mr. LOUDENSLAGER. "Medical supply depots"-that is merely a change of name, do you say?

Admiral RIXEY. That is all, sir-only a change of name. We are using the others all the time, but in the appropriations you have held on to the old ones, such as Laboratory for Medical Supply Depot. The department authorized the changes as they clearly defined their use under the bureau. The term "laboratory" is a misnomer when applied to a supply depot.

The CHAIRMAN. "Contingent, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery.' That is the same as last year, except the change in the name of these institutions; and the amount is $76,650. There is an increase of $6,950. What is the necessity for that?

Admiral RIXEY. We have 2,000 additional men and 1,000 apprentices. Of course there is a proportionate increase in the contingent expenses of handling those men, which amounts to $4,950. Then, $2,000 will be required for the cost of printing for the Medical Department of the Naval Service, heretofore paid from the Navy Department appropriation. The allotment for printing must now be paid from this appropriation. This printing embraces all the forms, reports, etc., of this bureau.

The CHAIRMAN. The item for "Transportation of remains" is the same as last year, is it not?

Admiral RIXEY. The same as last year.

The CHAIRMAN. That covers your bureau, does it not?
Admiral RIXEY. Except public works.

The CHAIRMAN. Are there any public works here at all?
Admiral RIXEY. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. Where is that?

Admiral RIXEY. Page 65.

The CHAIRMAN. "Naval hospital, Great Lakes: For the continuance of erection of naval hospital buildings, to cost not to exceed two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, as authorized by the act of Congress approved May thirteenth, nineteen hundred and eight, one hundred and fifty thousand dollars, fifty thousand dollars." How much have we appropriated already?

Admiral RIXEY. One hundred thousand dollars.

The CHAIRMAN. You are asking for $50,000 this year?

Admiral RIXEY. We are asking for $50,000; but I have seen the Secretary, and I think he will recommend the additional $100,000, for the simple reason that in accordance with the act of Congress the department has made a contract with the Noel Construction Company for the building of this hospital, and they will finish it about the 1st day of July, I think, and the money will have to be paid then; so that the appropriation of the full amount should be made if the department's obligations in this matter, entered into by authority of Congress, are to be met.

The CHAIRMAN. That is, the full amount? Admiral RIXEY. The full amount-$150,000. increase it from $50,000 to $150,000.

You will have to

The CHAIRMAN. What is the amount of the contract for it; do you know?

Admiral RIXEY. I do not know the exact amount of the contract, but it is within the appropriation.

Mr. BUTLER. Admiral, this hospital is to accommodate the apprentices under training on the Great Lakes?

Admiral RIXEY. Yes, sir; or any one in the navy.

Mr. BUTLER. It is large enough to accommodate how many sick men? Can you tell without referring to your notes?

Admiral RIXEY. We have not decided exactly the number of beds we shall put in-probably 60 to 100 beds. But the administrative portion will be arranged so that we can add wards for any number--two or three hundred more.

Mr. BUTLER. While, perhaps, you may be providing for the present for 60 or 100 beds, you can increase the accommodations if necessary?

Admiral RIXEY. It is easy to enlarge them at very little additional cost, because the main part of the hospital will be finished, and it is easy to make temporary wards. You can make wards in a very little while, often from tents; but if you do not have the administrative part you have to have wards that are movable and temporary. When you get the administrative part of the hospital you have the most necessary part for caring for the whole outfit.

Mr. PADGETT. Admiral, I should like to ask you to look at the text of the bill. What is the use or the necessity of having the words. "one hundred and fifty thousand dollars" on the last line? It seems to me there are useless words there. The paragraph reads: "Naval hospital, Great Lakes: For the continuance of erection of naval

hospital buildings, to cost not to exceed two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, as authorized by the act of Congress approved May thirteenth, nineteen hundred and eight, one hundred and fifty thousand dollars, fifty thousand dollars."

Admiral RIXEY. I do not know how that occurred.

Mr. PADGETT. It seems to me that that ought to be eliminated. Admiral RIXEY. I do not know how that was done. That does not come under my jurisdiction; but I suppose whoever was printing it Government had obligated itself by contract to pay it.

had an idea that you had that amount, $150,000, to pay, as the Mr. PADGETT. Then you want to strike out "fifty thousand dollars?" Admiral RIXEY. Strike out $50,000 and make it $150,000. Mr. PADGETT. You have both of them there now. Either the $50,000 ought to go out, or the $150,000. of them ought to go out.

The CHAIRMAN. Are there any further questions? your bureau?

Which goes out?
One or the other

Does that cover

Admiral RIXEY. That covers it. I want to ask the committee to allow to be printed in the hearing these memoranda, and I should be glad to answer any questions in regard to them that the committee may wish to ask. They refer for the most part to the bills now pending before Congress that have been introduced and approved by this committee. I have labored for a number of years to have them enacted into law.

The CHAIRMAN. We are always glad to see you, Admiral.

Admiral RIXEY. I have been conscientiously working for the best interest of this service, as well as the welfare of the sick and injured of the navy, and I am doing all in my power to bring to modern conditions everything pertaining to the physical welfare of the navy personnel. We have done much-yes, a great deal has been accomplished but there remains what these memoranda call for to perfect our work. We have a live, wide-awake, working personnel in the medical department second to none. All that we need now to bring it up to what the service should have is to reorganize and increase the efficiency of the Hospital Corps of the United States Navy. The CHAIRMAN. We reported that bill last year.

Mr. GREGG. That was favorably reported, was it not?

Admiral RIXEY. Yes, sir; that was favorably reported, and it is very important if the surgeons aboard your battle ships and cruisers are to have the assistants necessary to do the work required with credit to themselves and safety for those intrusted to their care. They must have trained assistants; and they can only have them by having these hospital corps men kept in the service after they are trained. To do that you must give them the same pay and rates that you give your enlisted men in other branches. That is all we ask. This has been approved by the Navy Department.

The second matter is the appointment of dental surgeons in the navy. That bill has been before Congress for years, one way or another; and it is important for us, in order to properly care for the men in this branch of our work.

It is well known that well-masticated food is essential to good digestion. If the teeth of our sailors were properly cared for, it is believed the Government would save more than would be required to pay for the dentists by preventing invaliding and loss of trained

men from this course. We have a makeshift in the way of having hospital stewards do the work. Now, you would not have a hospital steward work on your mouth, or have any other man work on it who was not an expert dentist; and we ought not to force our men to do it, and you should remember that they must submit to what the naval laws give them during their naval service.

Mr. BUTLER. Did not this committee report that bill favorably last year?

The CHAIRMAN. Yes; we reported it.

Admiral RIXEY. Yes, sir; you reported it, and now I am asking that you will do all in your power to have the Congress pass upon it. Mr. GREGG. Have those bills been reintroduced this session?

Admiral RIXEY. They have been introduced and it rests with this committee whether or not they become law.

Mr. GREGG. They have been reintroduced in this Congress, have they?

Admiral RIXEY. They have all been introduced in this Congress; yes, sir.

There is another important point-the medical reserve corps for the navy. The army already has one and I have this memoranda to show how it will benefit the navy, and enable us in time of need to have men we can rely upon. In other words, it keeps us in touch with the best medical talent of our country, and the service of this reserve corps would be invaluable when the country needs such services.

Referring to the Nurse Corps (female), I wish to state that it is fine work in training our hospital apprentices, boys and young men, to be efficient, trained male nurses, and go aboard the battle ships and cruisers, where the women nurses can not go, and do the work of trained nurses. One of the duties of a woman nurse in a hospital is to see that these young men are trained so as to be expert in nursing. Then, there is one other question, in regard to fleet surgeons aboard ship. The fleet surgeon to-day is a man who is required by law to be the surgeon of the ship, as well as the fleet surgeon. But so much is now required of the fleet surgeon that he should only be required to be the surgeon of the ship in an emergency, when the commander in chief thinks it is necessary for him to do so. From the SurgeonGeneral down to the assistant surgeon we are prepared to handle the scalpel or administer castor oil, but for the proper performance of his principal duties as a sanitarian, and to follow up the hygienic conditions of the fleet, it is important that the fleet surgeon should be relieved as much as possible of routine duty.

Thank you very much.

(The following papers submitted by Admiral Rixey were directed to be made part of the record:)

MEMORANDA FOR COMMITTEE.

Senate bill (S. 1017) and House bill (II. R. 6184), "To reorganize and increase the efficiency of the Hospital Corps of the United States Navy and regulate its pay, passed the House during the last session of Congress, and was reintroduced during the first session of the present Congress. This bill provided for the reorganization of the Hospital Corps, together with the creation of the grade of chief pharmacist, which represents the only additional expense involved. Pharmacists are now the only warrant officers to whom the benefits of chief warrant grade are not extended, the naval appropriation bill, approved March 3, 1909, having provided for the promotion of machinists to chief machinists. It was with the idea of correcting an unfair discrimination that the present bill was introduced.