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(1889)
A fervor of national pride swept Philadelphia in the short-lived,
eight-month Spanish-American War. While the United States Surgeon
General at first replied that the Pennsylvania Hospital's offer
of beds would not be needed, a later report by hospital superintendent
Daniel Test recorded otherwise:
During the past month (July, 1898) the facilities of the Hospital
have been tried as never before since its capacity has increased,
and we have again had an opportunity to witness the ability
of the Hospital to meet emergencies. On the 5th inst. ["inst." was
a 19th century abbreviation for "the present month"],
87 Soldiers were admitted and although they arrived 18 hours
before expected, every one was placed in bed in one hour. On
the 15th inst., we received 43 more and on the 20th inst.,
49 arrived ....
In September and October, the record showed an additional 113
soldiers were admitted. Altogether, 292 soldiers were cared for,
some of them transported from ports of entry other than Philadelphia
on special Red Cross trains manned by Pennsylvania Hospital staff.
The large majority of them were ill with typhoid fever.
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