The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1869-03-20
PUBLISHED AND EDITED IgN
HENRY NJ. tttFNf.f.

ridSr. 1pvrri with marble tiIc-. runs through tire
buIlIius from uprth e. south. The llIti-'mc
sIc-trc j. MT visible uu"u tie ground ln"r. but
ON either hanl UI~u the doors of physicians ,
uurs,-', uui mltr,n's apartments. - 1T st'r'-
ruvms, otlic,s. aud ,u~ct-. Al here i- c'mI1rH
tivrly pure uud oricrly. The doctors sitting
ruum command % view 1T ihc East River, whi"i'
huws 80 nearly b,u,ath his windows that the
passing, s,hplusr- almu-t brush them with their
-uils Here thc great Sound steamers Iu-s ut five
o'clock J.. VI, ami here thc sclhir,l' c'mc and
~. truliu. their uululatu- lines IT Hight acr,s-
the stream. Ia thc spring, mighty river OF
broken icr r,ur- @, and ir, with the Tides. grind
in. like un Arctic lie uIpn the foundations II
the ru,sy island In the summer every breath of
the Cccau brcczrs comics here, and here in the
winter You may fancy yourself in Bhcring'-
Straits or the Uebof>k. 80 iTigd und lonely does
the place appear. NJ such solitude, such near
rcmotcnr~s. exists anywhere iu the ucigihurhUOd
Of New York.
We see boat approaching. manned by siN stall
wari Pcnitcutiary c1n,iyt- clad ~ tc striped uni
form IL their Orirr. aud commanded by an armed
keeper lie sets ashore. upon the granite pier. a
couple of patients whose inccs flame with the
smallpox eruption. The matron bustlc~ down
to the landing, which i but twenty steps from
the hospital door. and receives them; they
carried past You to the wards upon the second
floor. You question the physician uncl~ily about
the protective power uf vaccination. -. How
long does it Iast?'' You inquire.
Generally, for q lifetime; but not always"
says the doctor.
But how can tell, then. that am protected
by my vaccination ~ ten wears ngo?''
.You cannot tell. The only safe way Is to be
yaccinatcd every seven or eight ycars.''
..Supposius 1 were unprotected to-day. would
there be any way for mc 10 avoid catching the
smallpox in these warjs?''
.' Certainly saws the doctor. III You had
never been vaccmaiel. you might 20 through the
hospital to-day. and receive the cuntngion of the
disease: and vet completely arrest its develop
mcnt by being yacciuatei any time during the
next two days; for the effect of the vaccine
matter i developed in the system ut least three
days earlier than that Of the contagion which it
destroys
Thus reassurcd. You resolve 70 head eT your
risk Of smallpox when YOU get back - town.
You boldly enter. with the doctor, the sick
wards. \ powerful and peculiar odgr assails
your nOstril-. You see bcis occupied by sufferers
in every stage Of 5hc disease. The windows are
left open, even in cold weather, and fires are
burning 20 keep up the circulation Of the air.
The times are long gone by when the patient was
subjected 70 tie heating ;rcltmeut;' the object
Is now rather 10 rcprc-s tire development Of the
l0athsomc eruption. CJOlin. lotions and drinks,
stimulants and nutritious food, and the almost
total disusc Cf medicines. now ciameterizc the
treatment Of smallpox. The results Of this
method are very satisfactory. Ninety per- cent.
Of the ca-c- admitted 10 thi- hospital rccDycr,-a
proportion bat two pr c.Hf. less than that Of the
recOyerics in general hospitals like Bellevue.
Statistical table are kept. recording the Iarticu
lars Of each years medical history III the hospi-
tai; and the ambition Of the doctor j. TO leave q
more successful record than that of his Trcdc-
ecss0r. One physician, who had brought down
the previous deltil-rutc Of eleven per oeHf. to
seven per cent, was ;,s much pleased rs 4 j1ckcy
might be who lad run a race against Time, in
stead Of against Death.
YOu observe much variety in the apparent
social scale Of the different inmates Of the Small
POx Hospital. The laws of the city require all
of this disease, whether occurring in siianties
Or in brown stone Louses, 70 Doe sent to this hps-
pital and though this law. Ike most Others in
New York, l. habitualIy eyaded. Yet Patients of
respectable petition sometimes get % this part Of
BLACKWELL I-land. The average stay in hospital
J. about ten days.
The hospital attendants, OF ten cJuyicts, are
an unreliable -et. know physician who was
testing. the value II acOutc a. "a remedy IN small
pox. Going o. the bed Of hi- patient, he left
the glass IN which b. had just measured the
poison standing In hi- medicine ci-c. The minute
hi7 back was tuTuci Li- crraud bDy, Il young
-cIInp from tbe Pcnitcntiary, took the oppprtu-
nifty to make a rad uIyn tire whiskey closet. in
cautiously left unlocked. For a goblet, he took
the vet uuwa-hcd medicine measure. The cpn-c-
gucnoss may D. imagined. The doctor immcdi-
ately found a wOrse ease upon his hands than
-rnall-pDx. The crraud boy waz badly poisoned
and worse scared; nothing but the most active
remedies -aycI bis life. He morality was not
improved by the accident; but "a violent dread Of
the doctors whi-kcy -cizeI upon him, and there
,sa- one le-s thief about the establishment than
before. : very large proportion Of tic patients
and the o,ugiet- upon BLACKWELL Island are
druukarI- Ly habit, and thieves 10y protection.
People aEc allowed, upon sufficient REASONS bc-
inz shown ~ yi-it the Small-PDz Hospital. but.
a. may De- -upl1-ed, thi- j. not very attractive
place with cIriD-ity -cck.r-. The current Of
yi-itDr- di-eniar. from dly r. day 10 tie Charity
H,-rital, the Peuitentary, tho Alm-hou-c-. the
Iuratic Asylum, tIo Work IIou-c. AMI other IN .
-titutipn- q, the n1rthwari uIDu toe sam" i-Liui
some of the-e 80 may yi-it at "a future day.
C,L,ur-. .