Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-07-23
Hunger ryphus I'm Rus.ia.

From the London Graphic.
Very early in the history Of the Russian
famine the erection of special typhus hospitals
IN many districts became a matter Of necessity.
More especially this the case in the eastern
provinces. such rs Samara. Saratoff, Kazan and
Nijni-Novgorod- Ii was in these provinces that
the famine was felt most severely. for the as-
sistance that was sent 20 the ADMINISTRATOR
districts dad not reach the distant and dreary
wllds OF Samara and Saratoff till February.
while IN kiszan and Tuia and other provinces
possessing better railway communication sun
plies OF food were distributed in November and
December. At first the starving and diseased
peasantry had TO rely on private aid alone
which in many cases meant VERY little. for the
landed gentry are not, taken n whole. a rich
class. Those villages were indeed fortunate
which were near the estate of some rich land
owner who was willing 10 fit up a cottage az a
hospital and procure a stock of medicines and
surgical appliances. The estate OF one ladv
have the pleasure OF knowing is about 300 miles
from the nearest railway station When she
saw the necessity arising for obtaining relief
she had 10 organize n system of carting corn
&c. TO the eight or nine villages in her district
She had only about twenty horses available and
consequently ut first very little progress was
made. The sickness increased To an alarming
extent and the mortality from typhus became
very high When assistance arrived IN the
early part OF this year from ST. Petersburg in
the shape of truck loads of corn. fresh horses
and contributions of money and clothing the
peasants were too i'll to be able 10 help them
selves. The two or three hospitals were full
every cottage had one or two cases OF fever in
some form. In one cottage two corpses were
found laid on the floor, three sick persons we're
on the stove and four or five children were
huddled together by the stove endeavoring 10
keep Themselves warm. And this by no
means solitary case. At last. after weary
months OF suspense, the authorities bethought
Themselves of the need that existed for sending
medical help 20 the distressed districts and
accordingly doctors and nurses and no spital mp
pliances were sent down 20 those districts which
appeared 90 be most in want Of medical atten-
ton. An illustration of one of these log
hut hospitals shows a few plank beds roughly
knocked together. a few makeshift arrange
ments for the supply OF hot water and other re-
quirements. doctor and a few nurses. a modi-
cine chest and a bundle Of linen and clothing
and there was a hospital ready for the patients.
But although not ideally perfect these hospitals
have proved n great blessing 20 the poor. igno-
rant, plague-stricken villagers, whose ideas Of
health and sanitation are always of the crudest
description. Besides the typhus aud kindred
feyers the famine has brought forth a special
kind of scurvy of n very malignant character.
and hundreds Of people being treated BY
these hospital doctors for this disease the most
loathsome and repulsive IL has been nv
lot TO come across. And this il but one Of the
effects OF living for months on bread composed
of bark and weeds aud clay mixed with a very
small percentage Of flour.