The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-08-12
WON'T LET WORK PROCEED
FOUR WEEKS IN A HOSPITAL
A Common Ward Better Than Pri
V9Ge Room.
(C0pyright 1889.l

NEW YORK, Aug. 10-I never knew ex-
actly how it happened-that accident of
mine-but do remember a swift ride in a
smooth rolling vehicle, a sudden stop, and
then l found myself lying on table with
man of professional aspect bending over
me and feeling of my bones to see if any
OF them still remained intact There was a
man there too, an official of some sort, who
asked me number OF entirely unnecessary
questions about my age, civil condition and
residence, to which | replied in a weary
and needless fashion. Tnen it seems to me
that | was carried somewhere, | neither
knew nor cared where, placed on an eleva-
tor and taken somewhe Q else, and then at
last | was IN bed. l could not have been at
home, because there was very pretty
young woman in a snow white cap bending
over end asking me how | felt.
think told her that | felt sleepy. At
all events, l remember nothing more of
what happened that night. When [ awoke
it was broad daylight, and | found myself
in great room, in which were a score or
more Of beds, each with an occupant. |
realized then for the first time that | was in
a hospital ward, and then began to woA-
der how l got there. did not wonder 10 g.
because my head was still aching and
heavy, so put aside the problem for fu-
ture CO sideratiOn and, besides, at this mo-
ment, the same pretty young woman in the
snow white cap was bearing down on me
from the other end of the long room, and
was by all odds the most pleasing object
within my range of vision.
She came again to my bedside, smiled
upon me with winning sweetness, and asked
how | felt. In return | asked her who she
was, and she told ne that she was a trained
nurse and that [ was then in Ward | OF the
New York hospital, to which | had been
brought the night before from the scene of
my accident. Then she asked me if [ would
like some breakfast. l said that L would,
and she went off to get it,
That was the beginning of my hospital
expert ence, and for fully a month [ re-
mained an inmate of Ward |, waiting for
my wounds to heal, and slowly recovering
from the effects of my fall. had heard
great deal about hospital life, and the suf-
ferings endured by patients, and mad often
" wondered how it would seem TO live in a
room with twenty or thirty wounded and
dying people lying about one. | had al
ways determined that if misfortune ever
brought me within the walls Of a hospital
| would secure for myself the luxury of
private room. 1t might do for bricklayers
and mechanics to lie in an ordinary ward
with their fellows, but | W is confident that
l was too delicately constituted to put up
with such promiscuous company. By the
time | had been there a week, | had got
rid of that idea, as well as good many
others concerning hospital life. [ found
out, too, that patient is by no means bad
" off in a weli-appointed, well conducted
hospital like the one to which | had been
taken. Indeed there are a great many
people who derive benefit in mora ways
than one from the regular life, simple food
and freedom from excitement which con
stitute par5 Of the treatment.
We used to awake at what was to me an
unheard Of hour in the morning, and at
SIX O'Clock breakfast was served. The meal
was carried on trays to those who were not
able to leave their beds, and then the con-
valescent patients filed iuto the next room
and ate their breakfast around big table,
after the manner of civilized human beings,
he first time | laughed since my arrival
was when my eyes fell upon the melancholy
procession of the halt the manned and the
blind hobbling in, some on crutches, others
with a cane, and others with
an arm in a sling, to the morning
meal. After breakfast, the nurses made
the round of the ward, made the beds,
placing on each a snow white COverlet,
which was always removed at night, and
dressing the wounds OF those who required
it. This duty completed, a number Of BAN
dages were given to the patients to roll a task
which occupied about an hour, and which
|, for my part, heartily enjoyed, as it was
the only regular duty that mad b. perform.
About 10 o'clock the house surgeon ap-
peared, accompanied by one or two assist
ants, and made a tour of the ward stop
ping at each bed. and often examining
wounds or fractures. The first time | saw
these sawbones enter | shuddered, for |
thought they were going to perform some
operation; but my neigh6or in the adjoin-
Ing bed relieved me by telling me that all
operations we're performed in the theater
upstairs.
At IL o'clock visitors began to arrive
and from that hour until in the evening
there were always two or three or more TO
be seen talking TO their friends. The next
event on the days programme was dinner,
which was served at IL o'clock, and
consisted Of soup, meat, vegetables and
bread. with sometimes a simple dessert At
8 O lock the surgeons made their sec
ond round this time in company with the
mead surgeon Of the hospital. Supper was
served at and by o'clock the lights
we're turned down. the patients tucked
a say in bed, aud We went to sleep.
Not an exciting life that, but healthy