The Panola weekly star. (Sardis, Miss.) 1882-18??, 1886-01-30
V~ACClNATiNG MADMEN.
Dealing With -Four Hundred az
Them and Ono Sane Man.

Thorn and Ono Sane Man.
"Tho Blackwcll's Island smalI.po,
scare, y said o Now York phv.iciaI
prominence, reminds nc II a scare
the same character that invaded nm,
Of our public institutions. Blackv,
island among them, In the winter ~.
1870 was doing duty on ward
Island then One day early nthe ai
noon o dery were received 10 waco
The inmates Of the insane ngyl.l
Blackwell Island takes cara of N
female lnnalic., while thc male uut
tunale, arc housed IN yer, conform
quarters on Ward, Island II .o
pcned That All but two members of ~,
medical stan were BY he city when NJ.
order arrived The .wo looked NJ
other. We mutually wondered whclb.-
we could finish the lob before dnrL
iherc Were over -four hundred patient.
10 be operated upon, and all Of tbpm
were crazy. Now, when Won think N
w. mere is nothing mall IN the task Of
Vaceinating four hundred persons no.
sessrl with an average amount Of com.
mon sense. The ordinary sane ppr.un
does not enjoy vaccination, thopch
nave seen persons who had so ,ta
mAtkh upon lbeir arms and lees th,I
could account for them IN no other ,rat
ihhh ina The owner Of the scars liked n
be ~ q constant state Of inflammation
You can easily imagine, then nat
the loh Of %vaccinating over four hun.
area more or less violent l%nnntlcs did
nor strike as as an easy one But W.
nun waste much time in speculation
lhe patient. were divided ACCORDING IN
the character " their complaints. Tho
most violent were IN Ward / mo
hetpers were instructed TO prepare thn
lunalcs Is well a. they rauId Tor IN.
approaching ordeal This consisted
SIMPLY IN rolling upthc iacket and shirt
sleeves on the loft arm, 50 that no time
would DC lost after we had entered ,
"aid ms wa done in every case
and perhaps saved a few mlnntes =,
time IN the whole afternoon Why M,
mofef simply because Just a. soon ~
q Keeper had turned his back after ron-
ing up a patients sleeves the n,t,ent
turned them down again. The l[nnstios ]
hal never seen i done before II was
. novelty I o which the most Of tbom
nun object and il amused them N d
unuo The work w took our station NJ /,
,ne 'hd ot a ward nearest the door 4 =
Keeper carried the points and .looJ q
Ieaut 70 render any assistance thai ii
might be needed The l~unntics In H. a
mild wards were ranged in donhle cnl. a
nmn aud approached MS In Indian 6io y
nacn column was marshaled by Two a,
h,tlets' one % the head and tho :,
other NJ the foot. | took tbo head d
~ one column while my canfrerr b,
looAed after the other. II was q,
lnlck work when the l%nnatir. d,5n', a,
KICK. A razor-likc scalpel o[nieLiy 81
'cooped away the cuticlc and made an NJ
opening Tor the vaccine. After n l,,,la n
practice We became 80 eSpor, ma H. Il.
INMATES seemed fascinated h, the on;"t N
n,91.menl- OF The flashing knives. Inc Ii
~re,idening Of the skin. the little 9,
IHtts Of blood and the regular styla NJ IA
10TH ABOUT The affair. Each Of tbam III
w ordered not 20 turn down III sIes,o m,
MN The blood had dried some ob.,o1 !,
nc order roligiou.lY. and marched hi
,ooat The ward until lookup time. win A,
htir eyes rivotcd on the lncer,,inn ~
had a curious fascination for so,,a t,,
~ tnel would have made trouble had in
attempt bean made TO cover IA nm M
lheFs' NE moment they left our mr.. bel
nee and were beyond the reach 81 the In
'sPefs eyes, pulled their sleeves down "a.
! the most nneoncerned manner ami al
eemed to forge, all about lho ons,s' ~,
on Tie moment Il was finished Other. WI
gam would twist their hand. nntfi
reached the newlp.made wmnJ
i,h their lips, and then thay Womb
y y som with demonstrations Of Do. Al
;nl. Is # they liked the taste. ana
,tls' ~ a matter-of-f fact fashion. asu !
i''efly pad been taken with their peY. II !
which they could not prevent IN, Cal
mon they were determined ia ohiitas' Tho
Y q Tar a. they could. 80
"nh uhree-quartcrs Of the patiants ~.
: hlade very fast time. much tas,e, mif
ian we would have made had ,hs, ein.
cen sane, ~ In this case a good maas ~,
Them would have asked nnneassss., nIn
iessions before they would have sub' Ca,
ll,ed. y not a few would have hi,
icked Out At the last moment With wa,
me Of The violent ~lunatios We had ! inn,
arm time. One old gentleman. Who n
fefA years before hal proclaimed pa.
mseii Emperor Of Russia. 0nily ~ ,ba
-ea 10 be yaccinated. and threatened inn,
nave 4 thousand blows Of tho knou, naa
'mlhlsiercd 10 each Of us. One keeper ,s,
W His Maiesty's legs, while W. bsr
hers elnng to bis arms while / mn, M sa,.
gulsi1e quantity Of virus into hls arm tro,
Ut was another who had been a ply. OF
nan ~ good practice. who gnye ia "A
cd deal Of bother. He wa. onnassd eoa
the system and denounced /, al n I,
lie OF hsrhatism. Then therp was ne ami.
m who thought he was a pincushion "
yelled IKE a Comanche Indian cer,
ever be was touched A touch Tho,
drove the pins into his hear, yas'
said. The man WIN believed bIm' Il ;,
|, 20 PC 4 eos afforded some amuse. dese
=. 'os Two visitors who entered the Car,
- saie Fe were Al work. He and
.asea himself BY pinchinr hls blaadine An.
re said he wanted 10 nroyiae ~ n,
= f"f NE vaccination Of the wo,Il d.
msn vho arr constantly par=assh x :,
--s'z< 80 ara seeking their live. n, A.
: k>eiam 4 - not ~cra for may
z2ff 8 ksnssalI found nee- hll
q f1kza. a.x4.x.r" '1N1 eillal
~ 1rIor ~es..-s-ase shem while have