290 SUEGEONS' REPORTS NEW JERSEY FIFTH DISTRICT. 



tlif desires of tLose ai)]ioint(Ml to carry them into effect. Tbe Revised Eegulatious of tlie Provost. 



Marslial Gciierars Bureau jiartially meet tliis want, but not entirely. Second, tbaf volunteers 



and drafted men should be required to be exauiiued by the same standard, and that specific 



directions be issued for the examination of volunteers and substitutes, somewhat similar to those 



DOW furnished lor examination ol dralted men. Third, tbe mode of makiny an enrollment might 



be improved by the constant employment of enrollingoflicers in each sub-district, who should be 



paid a certain sum for each name remaining upon tbe list after being for ten days submitted to 



tbe residents of the sub-district lor correction ; such corrections only to be made as shall be clearly 



required and authorized, and the deputyprovost-niarshal or the special agent for each county to 



be tbe judge in the case; all disputed points to be referred to the board of enrollment. Fourth, 



it is manifestly unfair that aliens who are residents in the country, having been here a number of 



years, or men unfitted by physical disability, should be exempt from doing their share toward 



filling up the armies in some way. 1 would suggest that each alien who lias resided in the country 



for two years previous to the draft, and each man exempted for physical disability, should, in case 



of being drafted, be required to pay ten per cent, of bis income toward tbe expenses of tbe draft; 



and tbe amount should be assessed and collected by the officers of internal revenue in the same 



manner as the taxes upon incomes are now assessed and collected, or a definite amount might be 



paid at the time of examination. Fifth, that surgeons should have rank and jiay proportionate to 



the res[)onsibilities and amount of labor devolving upon them; that there should be such a thing 



as i)romotiou for extraordinary services ; and that tbe duties should be strictly of a professional 



character. In the present enrolbnent law and regulations, the surgeon is also, very [iroperly, a 



member of the board of enrollment; but be is required, as such, to perform a considerable amount 



of work, and assume responsibilities, which he cannot and ought not to be required to do if he is 



exi)ected to attend properly to his own department. In this respect, the position of surgeons has 



be(?n improved somewhat of late ; but a large amount of wotk still reaiains to be jxrlbrmed by them, 



not at all professional in its character, and ■which could quite as well be done by clerks or tiie other 



members of tbe board. Sixth, that some mode should be adopted whicb, without great expense 



to tbe Government, should always keep our enrollment-lists corrected, and i)repared for a call at any 



moment. In other words, '■ in time of peace " we should be fully " luepared for war." Let us have 



a complete enrollment of our national militia in the future, and let it be understood that every man 



between certain ages is liable to be called u])ou for military service, if needed. 



In conclusion, I would respectfully suggest, for the consideration of those who may feel 

 interested, that there is now, or soon will be, on record in the office of tbe surgeon in charge of the 

 Provost-Marshal-General's Bureau, a mass of documents in the shape of monthly medical reports, 

 tabulated reports of draft, final historical reports, &c., &c., from which can be collected and 

 arranged the most valuable and reliable tables of vital statistics in, existence ; and I would remark 

 that such a set of statistics, carefully compiled and elaborated, would be of immense importance 

 to the Government, to military surgeons throughout the world, and to tbe medical profession 

 generally. * * # 



ROBERT VVESTCOTT, 

 Surgeon Board of Enrollment Third District of New Jersey. 



Elizabeth, N. J., June 15, 18G5. 



NEW JERSEY— FIFTH DISTRICT.i 

 Extracts from report of Dr. J. A. Cross. 



* * * My experience in the examination of men for military service extends from 



tbe 10th day of December, 1863, to the 15th day of April, 18C5, when the Government stopped 

 recruiting. During this period, the examination of 10,017 men was recorded ; but, as no records were 

 kept, for a long time, of men rejected as volunteers, and of men whose claims for exemption were 

 not allowed before the draft, I think I am safe in estimating the whole number of men examined in 

 tbis district during that time at not less than twelve or fifteen thousand. 



The experience of an examining-surgeon, I believe, is the only one unenvied by his fellow prac- 



' No report was received lioiii tlie lonrtli district. 



