Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1890-07-26


A Trained Knglish Nurbe Who 1laa No
voted Her 1slFs 20 lsiers.
Frusn the Pail Mall 0asssae.
The other day . ledy, drsgssd In neat
simple, nurses uniform, called q this Of.
fee. On her dross she wore, to my sur
prise, the order Of merit which In awarded
BY the Russian Red Cross society, bu,
which, In most casos, IL not "bodily" be.
slowed. She was Miss Kate Marsden, who
hopes 70 start within few days for : SIX
months tour through the wide domiuious
Of the great White rxar," there 10 study
TIE subject Of leprosy, which has Of late
aroused 80 much attention and interest.
What is H." I asked Miss Marsden
after she had told me Of her intention,
what ID II that induces you TO turn your
attention specially TO leprosyY' "It came
ABOUT IN rather strange way, and long
before leprosy had begun TO attract much
notice even In the medical world. l was
nurse In the Russo Turkish war In 1878,
end one day at sistovs I saw two. lspers
Tor the first time In my life. The sight Of
the disease was 10 loathsome, % altogether
appalling, and the. suffering Of tho poor
men was ~ beyond anything that I had
ever seen, that there and then vowed 70
devote my whole life and strength to
lepers, IL ever the opportunity was given
to me.
"And from that day forth have waited
for the opportunity TO fulfil the vow made
at the sight Of the two Bulgarian lepers.
The time was not yet, for many years.
Several Of my sisters we're living; they
were very much opposed to my plan, but
they have all died of consumption, one
after the cIher.
az Ara became deputy superintendent of
the Woolton Convalescent home, Liver
pool, where remained for four and half
years. Amer rest l went ou. to New
Zealand, where my last sistey was dying
of consumption. A week Nftor arrived
she died, aud accepted the place as lady
Then heard ofthe miner,in South Island,
many of whom live several days journey
away from any place where they can get
medical assistance In case of accident.
You can imagine what a mans s,ifierings
must be ii he breaks or injulos limb and
has to remain unattended TO for days and
days Till doctor Is brought 70 him, or till
he is taken a long journey to where the
nearest medical man lives. In order to en-
able them to help themselves and each
other till medical assistance can be obtained,
went among the miners all over the
island and gave ambulance lectures. II
was was strange experiences. Sometimes ]
them then gave my lecture, sat with
them by their camp fire, slept in a tent
which they had specially put up for me-
and rode off again next day to another
place.
con these tours saw good deal of lep-
rosy among the Maories, and few months
ago came home to England, thinking TO
go to Molokai.
My final object has always been, and
still il, TO study leprOsy and its various
treatments as thoroughly rs possible, and
hen to go to India to organize the care of
epers, who, in many cases, are terribly
neglected. Soon after reaching London 1
went to the Hawaiian consul, 70 see what
assistance he could give me, but he in
ormed me at once that only Roman
could be received at Molokai.
That, of course, put an end to 1t, rs belong
% the Church of England.
"This spring ! was presented to the
Ileen, and three days after the Princess
II Wales, whom some of my friends had
old of my intentions, telegraphed, asking
ne to come and see her.
cannot tell you how kind the princess
vas she promised to write at once to her
lister, the Empress of Russia, from whom
was anxious to obtain the Red Cross
)rder, which had, nominally, been
warded to me after the Russo Turks
var, but which had not received. A few
lays later l was on my way to Russia,
'btained the order without trouble and
vas specially invited to come and see the
Empress at Gatschina.
And there again l was received with |
ould hardly believe was really in the |
presence of the highest lady in the land. |
he empress would not let me stand for
moment in her presence. So i sat down,
ven while the empress remained stand |
ng, and she listened to all l had to say,
nd when l expressed the wish to study |
he leper question in Russia she promised
er help aud the emperors In this folio"
ontinued Miss Marsden, opening out one
fter the other the large white sheets
tanped with mighty official seals, and |
igned by some of the most important and |
owerful men in Russia, 81 have papers
ntitling me to go into all the hospitals, all |
he prisons and to all places where think |
can find anything connected with the
tudy of leprOsy all over Russia, Siberia, |
no Caucasus and Asiatic Russia, and to
ee everything, get all information / can,
nd take what notes and photographs like |
bout leprosy. Every official is bound to
i've me all possible assistance, and, as in
ome parts of Russia leprosy is very preva-
mt, indeed, am convinced that l could
btain information of priceless value" So |
seems indeed, and it almost makes ones
cad reel to think what the judicious use
the pen and the Photographic camera in
aucasian fOrtresses might do for Russia.
'r the leper, and, indirectly, for "all the
eOple born beneath the throne" of the
reat empire of the North.
4" don't speak Russian, and that would
ave been an obstacle. Therefore, DIR. Dun
m, the chief medical officer at st. Peters
urg, is to accompany me on the whole
,ur. the Russian government paying all
is expenses. At Riga, DIR. Duncan is to
leet me; then we go on to Moscow and
entral Russia, to Siberia, and finally
cross the Caucasus to Tifiis, Baku, whence,
ter crossing the Caspian, we take train
} Samarkand, and enter Transcaspia,
entral Asia. What shall find remains to
g seen, but it Is beyond all doubt that the
'rrible disease is prevalent in all parts of
10 empire, and TO an extent which has |