The Red Cloud chief., 1880-12-16
A REALLY GOOD CASE.


EVERY one knows that st. Michael's.
as we shall take the liberty Of calling II.
is the largest and most celebrated oil
the London hospitals. II is situated
quite in the heart of the city, and is
about equidistant from London Bridge.
Westminster, Cover Street. Smithfield
and White Chapel. / was student there.
and there the happiest days of my life
were passed. And now 10 my story.
A large number of the stdents had
gone down for the short Christmas va
cation, and I should have gone also,
but was lust then dresser to Carver
Smith, and could not leave town; more
over, il was my week of residence.
must beg you TO remember, what Is
perhaps but little understood by the
general public, that a large part of the
watching and care, and a certain pro-
portion also Of the treatment OF hospital
patients deyolye upon assistants select
cd from the senior students. Some oil
the less important appointments. such
as the "dresscrships," are held by
every student in turn; but the more re-
sponsible offices, some of which require
twelve months residence in the hospi-
tai, can only be gained by a few men
each year; and for these appointments,
which are esteemed positions of great
trust and honor, and which are exceed
ingly valuable as stepping-stones TO
professional success, there is very keen
competition. On the surgical side of
the hospital, each of the four visiting
surgeons had a resident house-surgeon;
and to be Sir Carver Smiths III. S."
was one of the highest ambitions of a
"St. Nike" for Sir Carver was at that
time one of the leading English sur
geons.
A man named George Adams
held the post at this time; and
as he is the hero of my story
so far as ! have a hero, i will just say
q word about him. He was one of those
men that we occasionally meet with,
who seem to stand head and shoulders
above their fellows-vcry quiet and re-
served, and, when he chose, quite in
scrutable. No one knew where he
came from. But his very great ability,
his calmness j mall emergencies-Inever
saw him discomposed except once-his
mature judgment and his great kind
ness won him the respect alike of the
students, the nursing staff and the sur
geons. Under him were four dressers,
Junior men, who assisted in the hospi-
tai under his direction. l was n OF
them. Each week one of us resided in
the hospital; and, as l said, Christmas
week fe:: to my turn, and that is how
came TO spend Christmas at st.
Michaers. l ought to add that there
were four assistant-surgeons to the hos
pital; but their care was over the out
patient department, and it was only
in the absence of the visiting sur
geors that they had any duty in the
wards.
Well, it was Christmas night, and
our work for the day was done, except
some late visits to the wards by-and-by;
and of course any casualties that might
turn up. But Christmas day is usually
pretty slack in that respect. 1t is med.
zeal rather than surgical casualties that
Christmas day produces. We had got
up in, honor of the day a little enter.
tainment in an empty ward, for any OF
the hospital inmates who cared to at
tend and were able to do so.
We had a famous little programme.
One or two of our residents could play
and sing well; another had a curious
facility in whistling to the piano; an
other was an amateur ventriloquist and
prestidigitateur; and l fancy there were
also some rccitatiOns and tableaux to
come of. Also, there was N of the
patients. an old sailor, who could sing
in a grand rich stentorian baritone and
bring down tho house. Our Chairman
Adams, of course-had Just begun.
and was delivering himself in q semi.
serious way of some very eloquent re.
marks, amid great applause -for moth
inc pleases the lower classes better
than a few oratorical fiourishes-when,
.tinkle. tinkle, tinkle, tinkle,' went 8
small -high-pitched simperious bell. i,
was the accident bell!
Oh. We lay mortals, We little know
how the social and domestic joys of s
medical man are at the mercy of the
bell! We invite our friends to tea, we
welcome them, and anticipate a pleas
ant evening, and-there goes the bell
We turn into bed on q cold night, and
Just get warn and snug when-thert
goes the bell! My bellexperiences be-
gan that night at st. Michaers, and
Shall mol soon forget it.
1t was Sir Carver's .~taking-in week.
and his assistants had to attend to the
accidents. Adams nodded to me; and
off | went to investigate, knowing thai
it might be anything from q cut finger
to a railway smash. / found a scene o.
considerable excitement in the accident
room. Two policemen, aided by s
crossing-sweeper and a cabman, hac
Just brought in a patient, and some
other spectators had pushed their way
in out of curiosity.
"Just happened outside, sir; knocked
down by a runaway cab, sir"
"Lost a lot of blood: 'fraid it's a bad
case, SIR" Thus the policemen.
"Ask Mr.. Adams to com down a
once; and clear the ROOM" I said.
1t was a young fair-haired girl o.
eighteen or nineteen, perfectly pale
unconscious and almost pulseless. A
strange contrast to her rough, swarthy,
weather-beaten bearers. A deep wound
in the neck was bleeding ~profusely; but
on tearing opel the dress. I found ]
could stop the h~emorrhage almost en-.
tirely with my finger.
Adams was there Immediately; in s
minute he knew all about it, and had
settled his course of action. Quietly
he said: Send for Sir Carver. Take
her to the theater (operating-room) a,
once. Ask the other men to come, and
get everything ready for operation
And then tonne: '.Keep up steady press
ure, and don't take your finger away
for an instant" .
Nothing could be found out concern
ing her. No one was with her wher
she was struck down. She was very
t~astefully, though not extensively,
dressed. Her features were exceeding.
ly regular and pretty, and when the
color was in her face she must have
possessed q very considerable share Of
good looks Nothing but q purse and 9
handkerchief we're found in her pock.
ct. The former was well filled and the
latter was marked ssE. Stead" Adams
said at once that she was q lady.
j do not know whether it ever hap.
pened before at st. Michaers that on
the occurrence of sudden emergency
no n of the surgical staff was at hand.
Strange to say, it happened so tonight.