The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1885-09-30
A Cholera Hospital in Madrid.

A correspondent of the Pail Nall Ga
eette, in describing a visit to cholera
hospital, says: ''The first wards we
entered were those of the convalescents.
They consisted of two large, light and
airy rooms, beautifully clean Gas, indeed,
the whole of the hospital was), in the
first of which were about six or seven
men sitting about and seemingly doing
nothing but passing the time away by
chatting. They looked to me quite well,
though mostly very thin. 1t was a
novel sight too see so many poor
Spaniards in so remarkable state of
cleanliness. / expect it was the only
part of the treatment they found un-
pleasant-th baths There is no door
between the mems and women's wards,
and we merely had to step through "A
doorway innocent of curtain or any
thing. | saw Just about the same num-
Der of women, some of them, poor
things, looking very ill indeed. Their
faces were not pale, but thin and drawn.
One pleasant looking girl | asked how
she was. Very tired, very weak, but
getting better If it had not been for
the assurance of the nurse, | should
have thought she was dying. He said
that in one or two days at most all the
cases would be discharged. just as |
was about to leave the ward, in came
sister with the afternoons chocolate. 1t
was worth whileto to see the way in which
she was welcomed. The patients adore
the good sisters, and not without reason
Before leaving the convalescent ward |
was shown a poor little fellow whose
father and only brother had been swept
away by the disase, and the little chap
left alone. His mother had long been
dead. The boy seemed quite a pet In
the ward, and was evidently well salts
fled with his present quarters.
"Coming out of the ward, we turned
sharp round to the left and entered
room No. 2 This was a long, narrow
room. along one side of which were
ranged twenty beds, each one tenanted
by man. These were bad cases, and
seemed in quite a stupor. One thing |
must not omit to notice. On entering
this ward | had removed my hat. One
man. who seemed in the last stage OF
exhaustion, and who was lying staring at
us with fixed, CLASSY eyes, slowly and
with painful effort raised his hand to
his head and took off sort of skull
cap he was wearing. Polite are these
people to the last. Three or four beds
further on | noticed, close together, two
beds, in which were the two worse cases
The men were terrible sight. Their
| lips were the color of old parchment
their eyes closed, seemingly unconscious
and dreadfully, terribly thin. 1hell
cheek bones seemed almost as IT they
would start through their faces. To-day,
said the nurse, they die. And thought
they would be glad enough to do st
from their appearance. On reaching tnt
end of this ward we turned again to the
| left into square room, in which were {
| few women, all very i'll. In one corne
of the room / saw little cot. 1t wa
tenanted by quite a young infant
should think not more than or l.
months old. 1t had been in the hospita
over twenty DAYS, and poor child, boT'
| traces Of having suffered very much
| One of its arms was lying outside th'
coverlet. aud looked like little stick o
wood. TO me this little waif, lyins
there alone and in such state, was tn
most painful sight in the whole hospital
and do not mind confessing-w ID.
should I?-that for moment had 7
bite my lips pretty hard, and choK
down something that would have beer
very malapropos in person yiewinl
| the cases in quite professional capacity
| In this ward / had chat with one Q
| the sisters-a bright, bonny woman
whose very presence must have been ol
one would think, as much efficacy q
the physic.
after my chat was conducted up
large staircase to see the six new case
which had Just come in and been put
bed. They were all girls, and q
inmates Of the orphan school here. On
J or two Of them seemed to be in pair
convulsively lifting their arms an
drawing up their legs. Here was ~
r oths< sister, who gave me at solre lengt
J the treatment to which patients az
j subiecsed. and the symptoms by whic
cholera il told As these are pretty we
known. | shall not repeat them her
j except, perhaps, to mention that for 9
} davs person i'll Of the cholera is keE
without any food whatever, beyond
!. little ten and warm rum.