Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1885-05-26
THE sR1DOCrOR


posed. Upon these jealous and pains
taking officials fall hundred petty cares
of which the passengers know nothing.
To mention at once one of his most dlsa-
greeable duties: the ventilation and dis
injecting of tlAe ship is all carried on under
tho doctors directions, and in rough
weather he is sometimes obliged to issue
formal orders TO steerage passengers to
leave their poorly lighted hunks below
TO come into the keen air and spray. In
rare cases, force has actually been en-
pl0yed to make people leave their beds:
there are ominous threatenings and
gr0ntings. but returning health makes
the recalcitrant patients ashamed Of their
obstinacy. Indeed, the saloon passen-
gers are now and then more refractory
than the humble denizens of the steer
age. The doctor and the purser, too.
together share the burden of innUmcrable
questions hurled at the captain by the
passengers Ten thousand demands con
corning everything, from the science of
navigation to the prospect of a safe and
speedy arrival, are heaped upon the
unusually good natured trio of officials,
every one of whom has probably been
asked each question at least q hundred
times before. Even when the passage
from port to port is smooth there is
enough for conscientious medical OH
Ger to do; but when the rough gales
swo0p down on the Atlantic, the labor is
quite trying.
I'm the midst of a terrible cyclone.
some years ago, recently, said veteran
sea doctor to the writer, "when the good
ship literally stood on her beam ends,
and when it seemed as if she would be
swept away into the abyss, suddenly
felt the Qualms of seasickness creeping
over me. It was the first time had been
thus affected for many years, but they
were none the less terrible, and / felt
like crawling into my room and resign
ing myself to them just as / was about
10 do this, was told that sailor in the
forecastle had one of his legs broken and
/ was compelled to 90 to him and summon
all my skill and nerve for difficult case
of surgical practice. Scarcely had I
finished this exhausting work when
another sailor on deck was nearly killed,
and / had to spend the rest of the day
over him. Before / had finished the
second operation | had quite forgotten
my own illness !"
Sometimes, despite the elaborate pre-
cautions taken by the agents of steam
ship companies in shipping passengers,
the doctor awakens after the voyage is
begun to the horrible consciousness that
he is face to face with an infectious dis
ease, which may spread throughout the
ship and result in destroying the reputa-
ton of the line. He sets To work to iso-
late the people who are ILL II smallpox
is the disorder, he persuades every one
except the sick that it is nothing of tho
kind, and in the meantime takes extra
ordinary pains to get the sufferers out of
sight. He extemporizcs hospital, and
places trusty attendant in charge; he
issues orders that no cabin passengers
shell be allowed to visit the Storage,
and that no occupant of the steer
age shall appear on the saloon
decks. He deluges every hole and
corner with disinfectants, and when
asked by passengers why it is done, an
swers that tone can never be too careful
at sea. If a patient dies of smallpox
he is buried at midnight, or at an hour
in the morning when it is believed that
all the passengers are profoundly asleep.
'sDo you meet much with diphtheria
on your voyagessn the writer inquired
Of the doctor above referred 10.
why, yes, lots of it; and it is a ques-
ton which is the worse of the two on
board ship, smallpox or diphtheria.
Only few weeks ago, while on q voy-
age to England, mother III the steerage
sent for me, and when / went to her,
implored me on her knees to save her
two children from diphtheria, with
which they seemed threatened. oh,
doctorl' she said, sobbing as if her heart
would break, 'diphtheria has robbed me
of every near relative have in the world,
except these two children. NY husband
and three of my babes died of it, and
now it has come again. Well, bless my
hearth worked over those children as
/ have rarely worked before or since.
But the disease had certainly declared
itself on board, and although / took
every precaution, one of the children
died before reaching the port, and the
other in a hotel at Liverpool. The
mother resigned herself solemnly to her
great grief. She said that when they
were taken i'll she knew they would not
recover"
sDoctor," said the purser. who was
present at the interview we are describ-
ing, ttell him about that Denver man. "
siAhl yes, !" rejoined the doctor, the
certainly was the coolest man / ever
saw on death bed on an ocean steamer.
The second night out from New York /
was called to his cabin. He lay in his
berth, this tall, gaunt Westerner, look
ing already like q corpse. AS / went in
he said. cheerily. Doctor, it looks like
I'd made a mistake. reckon ought
not to come to sea Just now, but l did
kinder think my strength'd hold out to
get me 10 Italy, and there / might git
round again. | knelt down by his
side and carefully examined him.
told him that had he asked my advice
before coming, | should certainly have
forbidden him to undertake the voyage.
He smiled feebIy and said, i knew ye
would, and that's the reason / didn't ask
We. Wife an I made that up between
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