New-York tribune., 1890-05-04
IN A PUBLIC HOSPITAL.
THE FOOD, ACCOMMODATIONS AND CARE
TIE PATIENTS GET.
NARRATIVE DY ONE WHO HAS HAD THE Tx.
PERlENCE-TuE QUARTERS BROOKLYN
HAS FOR CONTAGIOUS CASES.

| hol'"O" W al uOSe VINO I've III DOaIdnghOu OF
whose families are about to leave town for the summer
ABOVE all ma this out speedily, II you have not had
smallpox measles, scarlet fever and every other disease
! placeu uhder The terrible ban " contagious"
"oh." you say, 81 would so TO a hospital"
An! Would you7 You think that that is what
hospital Is for but YOU would very likely find that
the particular hospital you wanted In such cases
not for ;0u II You live In this city and have luck on
your side. y,u might be admitted the willard Parker
hospltal Otherwise You could go TO Blackwcs Island
H. however You happen to have a home AT the other
! end Of the big bridge. the young in question
did you would find it a very different matter. lie
did.
1t happened in this way. After being for day or
two under treatment for what supposed 10 be "A
simple case Of tonsillis. he found himself morn
ing in doctors occ under the charge of Scarlatina
and compelled to cry "uncean~ to all who approached
whether stranger or friend. In his case hospital
was an obvIou, necessity hut what one? That
momentous question II took five hour To decide while
he sat in the Office waiting.
Inquiry showed that the only BROOKLYN hospital
that made practice Of taking contagious cases was
81. Catherinc's But that was fu to overlooking and
the Kings County Hospital AZ Flabush. the last
extremity. 80. while willing to pay almost price
for moro comfortable quarters. he found himself at
nGhtfall paupcr subs,ting upon the bounty Of the
people of Kings. After being arraycd in the white
coat and trousers which distinguish the noble army
of martyrs at FlatbuSh. he conducted TO bed
in tho fever ward where. on straw mattress and
pillows and between solcd sheets. whence typhoid
convalcsccnt lad removed to give him place he strovc
hard TO imagine II all dream.
DESCRIPTION or TIE WARD.
The ward double and among the largest
in the hospital. Through the middle Of the room cx-
tended long table where the convac,ccntS ate.
Along the wall, ranged twenty-five beds With
spaces Of about two feet between them Where all the
people who inhabited that ward were 10 be stored
away at night the new patient could not ric>s. bat
the answer was furnished ly the night Itself soon
coming on Then from the corners and from under
other beds mattrc-c, and blanket, were drawn. and
cds were made upon the floor, til thirty patients
found place to sleep. Besides scarlet and
typhoid fever there were. owing 10 the crowded con
dltion OF the hospital. cases " cryspcaS pneumonia
pleuri,y, diphthcria rheumaii,m ancnriNm and
scabes. The last disease the affection Of two
small boye who made thing, nycy for the other
patients and particularly delighted % indulec In as
near approach to pilow-drhs a they dared after
their beds had been made up the floor.
The ward Ia charge Of one nurse. Now thi'
nurse was not one Of those gentle women who are
rcFutcd in many hos pi'als TO make Illness rather
sweet pain. This uur-" was an lr!shman who had
been dry good clerk TIL fortune cent him 10 Ihtbu'h
in an ambulance and there be- had remained. lie
had come to he afflicted at least In li- maeiua
ton with many Il the troullcs which be- treated. and
in consequence spent most of his time sleeping. 81
night be- .ayr variety to this occupation hy talking
n Ai, sleep in - language forcihIe ii not elegant
Each morns be- rNdy 10 make oath, by a.i
heather cYcs and Christian saints. that ono WIKI Il
sleep had not been his throughout the night. Sever
tclc-. Lo good fellow and popular with d.,
charges.
At about haH pat o'clook every morning the
ward aWokc - Nfc and those who coud or would
went and placed their heads and hands under the
faucet over the sink. Tho.c Who were otherwise
f.g, f.t.f
va- ,ervcd at about ard then the preparations for
the day began. The extra uatrc-,.s having been
stored away. the floor Va, swept whit ''Ncr.t- "rre
spread upon the lci ard each patient t',a up TIE o'
cupaton best suited 80 hI, taste. That II th" ,'lra
tina patient va, reading from morning tl nisht Boo
utter Ignorance # the wcak eyes sad 60 rcrompiuy h.
disease. The eye, thenrlgc- af;craasd ,,d MI 81 j.
Luncheon Wa served ~ 1885 q. m and dinner
about noon. ~ o',oe. a hand, Dad .upI". and ly
80 night and sleep were suYpo.,d - aiV' began
their snay. The quiet Wa, -'dpm broken except i}
the howlur II some cclrou- patient or tho march 90
the attendant, who came o. carry 10 another rc-uns
place some whose rroan, lld ceased. !; va, all
done very quickly. evenly m.aGr II vc.nl work
Wa, a,ro,- the room. aid thc empty bed stood
waiting for another tenant
TnE room AND now IT is SERVED.
The foot a, T!ltbu.A como, quite near fulfilling tho
saving "Good enough what There l of 10. and plenty
Of IT such "a, n i-.7 Tho latter half If tie sentence
appcs 10 ;nc staple article, Of diet Tho former To- the
extra, on the hll q fc. The physician several times
sad in lo,c % u, patient:
l0uHs man, remember thl, J. cluiltab.c In /
stitutpn aua not ilt oh.. Aoicl'
The yoIus man Answered that Ac sass -U0h wd, the |
case. considered Tie whole thing good deal in the /
hsht Of practical loAc upon hIm.cn and tooh thing
a. they came. I'M wHs what came. At brciifi.t
hc had al the bread hc wanted with a cup ~ cofc"
That u difficult 10 tell from trl. Luncheon con
ted of ria IL lr.t
meal oi the day, 81 course. was dinner. Then.
too. bread Ia hc found aui with it went cup
Of soup ia whose depth rcpo''d somc hr,da of meat
piece oi bone and a fair supply of boiled potai".
4 plate, knife and fork accompanied th, meal, 80
that it was possible 10 fish out the solid, from the
soup and eat them extra 6oursc. At night the
Gcicaclcs were scrvcd. The bread TN, umc was
buttcrcd. Inasmuch The supply oi butter FOX the
ward limited t. about what tie man Who did
the Luttcring thought Wa, enough for ten
people, the bread had 10 be cut very
thick and the yellow coating 70 be applied very thin.
yet it a decided dcLc4cy. Win /. servcf
cup of tea, which compared llvorably with the morn
ing coffee, and after that finished thO'c VII"
wished could have their cup, rchllcd with oatmeal
Cruel A. night cup of milk Was placed by each
bed. 1t not Jersey milk Nay more, If IL was
delivered TO the steward in the form IN which he dis
tiibutcd IT, then there must be my crious con
ncction between Long Island cO"s ana Broohyn
water. Blood may De thicker than waicr but RAJ
ana another OF beef cAtaG served 10 cover many ol
the Shortcomings # The b of fare ana alao - Aecp
the blood sIll moving the scarianl patient, vclis
ON his aIIIy1 hc had been told tl.tt, II hc wished ne
could have bcci-rak. but with the permission went
the waning that II he Wisc lie would mol wl-h,
for It's quaiity Wa such that 10 one con!d eat It, aa
that what served the officer, lu ihc dining room
generally went untast"d. The patient needed Inc |
warning and c-'IcNcd brcisictL.
In common with the majority Of the patients. b.,
name the stewart, order book i0i tWo crS
day. Either Lc'au'c ihc ces laichci GU on thcll WAY
ul,tara and ihc clck. toDA lEt. from some other
odlI,c four cg.. "A week all tla patient ever
saw. The nr-t instaincut Ol eggs after his arrival
brOhcn into large tln pitcher Of mill and p''c
around the ward. Considering tiht The aai!c inh
bier u.ci by all the paticn,, the Aforesaid yOnhs
man went without hi, share In doing ~ h" was not
actaatcG by any such clvallOu, motive ~ j. placed 10
the credit OF >ir Philip sidney. lie simply had an
prejudice against drinking from the same
glass a. d nciglDOr with diptlterIa another whose
mead than rs slpc!i,