The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1849-01-27
Visit 10 the N. o. Cholera
Hospital. .

Ne rev Ut, llHNillNllli l'lN'l'g w fH'H'
ark, gives IN tho Mobile Daily Advertiser Of
iIhe 9Th ult,Hn interesting account Of brief
lvisitto New Ohenns, whittier lac was Hllruc-
ted 10y n desire 10 ascertain tho charaeler of
the prevailing epidemic ,hnylug nlso a ron sell
died lhefe tnmedicnr practice, Ilis letter o.
pens 10 Us u inferior view ofNio famous
Charity Hospital
"Yih the synntomsof hm disonse, aud
tho Rppchrauru 0t those suffering ron ~, lllr
prevalence Of tie Arialic rhOleu iU Newark
n. j., in 1872, whore then wns, aud where,
fnr uiuny successive weeks WINS occupied
almost exclusively (ns duty 'ilouuudcd) ~ nj
tendance upon Ac sick and JtIg dying, had
rendered ne f,uilinr. II had cHTried OIL scy,
-'eni orhy phrihh0ners Ihcrci y itUt ruirrcti
NY own ihmily; had suffered from II uiyselN
aud IN 1884 IL prevailed with fatal nnliguiiy
ou hoard Ola steamer GA Whirt iirnvclird
zap lho Mississippi ia ST. Louis.
hndlong been satisfied thui thc dsense
WINS NOS contagious so'luii from aud pfter
~ attendance 90 The fret case which Indeed
died before ny oScs, Ia ls;f2,J Nns inll.
I COM ibcod that danger TO those attending on
ttclo)cu patients is moi Ia Ia unprecedented,
! should ~ soon npprchcud Infection nom AZ
tcnding on cue suffering from rheumatism
.
cholera patient. Tic poisonous mlnsma is,l
suppose. Inhaled IN the air We breathe, and
uoi derived from coptact VIII NE patient
lief Mobile, December 25th,on tie steam
or California. Tuesday morning., a lille "
ter smri,c, WcWere Ia The irnii pnssine lfom
tho lake 10 tlie rity AGor Lrrakist pro
posed To- my bon, DR.. joe. &. H., that We
should ,ist iho CHARITY Hospital together
lic conceded iu opinion with me, hut the
2 risk, whatever IL might Lee, Incurred 10y
NV visit 10 tbs rtty nj itch tine
would not loo materially Increased hy walk
tlrougl.ihe wnrds ofihe Hospital. As-~e
entered the hospiinliwc found numbers pour.
Z ing IN with new patients, of every age, aud
o. both seNes--n mnI"riiy ofthrin eV,denlly
. lilil and German cmigrnnts, nnh, innncdl-
/ ntcn preceding me, walked three men and
one woman, euch hcnriiig n sick cbilil IN
'fhcr arms, md each carrying n paper, Tint
toes 10 hr n lirrWli Of ndmiinnccs
{ We pissed INTO every ward on each of tho
three stories of this spacious cdiilre. eN-'
hnmine, hr, ly nearly every patient Ia cnclt
wnrd the wnrds for surgical eases cxceIed,)
and found there patients IN every s,ngo OF
Ihc drense, from cases oftwU or three lioura'
Standing totliose sunk iu ,he lasi elnges Of
col,npsr and dying M stood 10y them.
There was no nis,uking the disease. The
-;::2ken' eve, surrounded iy i;s ta-s Brown n.
reolu, the fnllen muscles a.d shrunken fea-
lures, The cold exlremi,ics,the puseless wrists,
the corrugated skin orilc fingers and hands,
tho livid blue of The nails, md oiieniincs the
entire hnndf, the feet, and even rouEidcru.
hle part of the limbs, The cold damp breath, !
the deep, whispering voice, The frequent
vomiting, with It's peculiar sound not ensily to
lie forgotten and the singular and .nn;:=tskc
nble odor of some of the discharges, all
brought back forcihy 10 NV mud rhe scenes
aud the Eufierings orle32 in NcwmtS and Of I
1884 on the Mississippi
IL was gratifying TO see, also, quite mum.
her Of cholera patients who were evidently
safely past the worst Stages orthc disease, and
were convalescing. OnG poor fellow, whose
several enormous bllSIcrs towering very
considerable portion Of the surface of bod !
W were laid open 10 my Inspection by the
physician ofthe wnrd, replied to my inqui- !
ries, thn, "he ttH 6rg rate" Poor fellow lac !
rrjoieed, and with reason, to find that the |
worst of his disease was over. His pains
were now sunative.
III one ofiie upper wards, under the care 7
Of DR.. Ross, was striking exenpli6cn,ion |
Of the epiitr influence. As we entered |
win The physician, an assistant physician +
came IN, saving. .'Dr Ross, hive YOU seen,
this morning, the onc-eyed man whose been
here some days, under treatment for rhou-
malisln7 lie was seized with cholern synl,'-
IOus tins morning tl.st fstIE az Gre oclnckIn
III wns then post clpyon.) True cnohgh-
there he ny collapse fast coming on; his
lands already cold uudlivid, aud tic skin
shrunk aud wrinkicd, us IL from ha,ing lain
naceraItt,u trT1r vurrIr nrrr tt--t,ior-.ti fund
Strictly analogous 60 what We saw here inf
1880 awl. Gu fever and nEur, rheumatism. and
even common hcndnchs and ordinary hecd.
ing M the iosr, hnve seen run into yellow
fever, the cpflomic then prevailing, md ter
inmate fatally
Tie whole oftIc Charity Hospital present
.,I a i,nsy sreHe, l,at every ward wa---eleai,.
The beds were numerous, 5nH M ucruTrrri,
teNceptinr some six or eight, from which
cholera patient had HAT morning been ,iis-
Charged cured fhC urtrscs were attentive (
10 their appropriate duties, aud here and
there might besccn the dark dress of one of
the Sisters Of Charity. moving from bed 10
he'd, OH her mission of mcrry.
One ward particularly attracted my alien
ton. la ii saw no cholew patients lying
nearly MI or them appeared relieved, It not
convuiesriug. This ward fs under The care
Of Dr. a. Mott, who has, il is said, been re-
lnnrknlhy happy in the lssnc OF bis lrea,nehl
of patients Iroiiced, IN the wide passage n
near the door apeUipg Inte t'is-war'l, Soti
of brazier holding burning Goals, over which
was sprinkled some spicy preparation, iumi-
rating well several of tho wards. On step
ping a second time Into large'ward on thel4
sccoud floor, saw touching specinclc.-
On the floor lay little boy about eight or
nine wears old. in n IiIinhlc condition, col.
inpeeI. cold aud Iiyid. lie was one of Tie
litlle sufferers whom had seen borGe inlO
the hospital rs Ientered. a. his hcad~kHelt
the father, on the floor, boiling in his aTns n
fittiU u;rt f,,tt ,,r Ate yeHrs alb nearly az ht
4 4. 4 tt, J