{"value"=>"<p>Hospital reports represents the efforts of Statistical Bureau staff to collect and analyze data on the losses and gains of soldiers, as well as additional information on the flow of patients, at U.S. military hospitals over time. Materials consist of daily morning reports; quarter monthly and weekly reports; monthly abstracts with working drafts, and yearly reports. Also present are hospital lists showing names of men received; a small number of reports from miscellaneous hospitals, and notably, a report on Sharpsburg area hospitals visited after the battle of Antietam.</p> <p>Hospital reports were compiled by U.S. hospital staff, and were either copied by Army clerical staff for the USSC, or transcribed by USSC from the original records. The Bureau then tabulated the reports to show hospital and patient data for periods of days, weeks, months, or entire years. This allowed for the analysis of the flow of patients according to time, hospital, or region, which could be used as a means of generally monitoring the condition and care of troops, and to study the impact of battles, disease and other factors of military service on the health of men. After the U.S. War Department restricted USSC access to hospital report records in July 1864, and it became clear in 1865 that the Surgeon General’s Office was conducting its own studies, the Sanitary Commission decided to suspend any further analysis of existing data based on Gould’s recommendation.</p> <p>The bulk of hospital reports are printed forms containing data on the number of soldiers lost and gained (through admission, release, transfer, death and other actions) at particular hospitals during the reporting period, as recorded within prescribed column headings. Most of the data presented on hospital reports is numerical, although soldiers’ names, rank and condition, and remarks are sometimes present. Individual soldier names can be found on morning reports of hospitals, hospital lists, and weekly hospital reports.</p> <p>The daily morning reports of hospitals were the foundational records from which many of the hospital reports for longer time spans were derived, although the amount of information collected varies for each hospital. Morning reports not only provided the basis for statistical analysis but were also the means by which an individual soldier's hospital location and condition could be identified. As such, these reports also provided information for the USSC's Hospital Directory, which was initiated in late 1862 to support civilian inquiries about the status of missing, sick or wounded soldiers.</p> <p>The arrangement of each type of hospital report is described below. Reports which are arranged geographically generally reflect the Northeast-to-South-to-West arrangement which is used through the Statistical Bureau’s work.</p> <p>Many of the reports and abstracts were originally bundled within wrappers, which were labeled with descriptions of the documents within. Detailed descriptions were retained when necessary. Date spans represent the actual dates of the events recorded. It appears that a number of hospital reports were destroyed during the USSC’s post-war arrangements.</p>"}