Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1892-12-17
OUTSIDE PATIENTS.
BUSY MORNING SCENES IN A NEW
YORK HOSPITAL.

Dressing Wounds by the Score-MOnoto-
nous Calling OF Numbers-The Brusque
Manners of Gentle Fingered Surgeons.
Scenes That Are Touching.
rs there anybody under seventyW They
are all under seventy, so far as age is con
eerned, but that is not what the surgeon
Is crying about. lis there anybody under
seventy" he repeats, and then, very rap
idly, "seventy-one, seventy-two, seventy
three, seventy So here you are" And
he takes man, seats him on stool,
flashes a pair of scissors around IA band
aged arm, and in twinkling has laid
the flesh bare and is examining 1t. Then,
without asking any questions, he washes,
dries, cleans, anOints, runs his ribbonlike
bandages around the wounded limb again
with swift and skillful fingers, and lifts
the man from the stool. It is all done in n
fash
Come again tomorrow" lac says, and
then again: as there anybody under sew
entyY Anybody under sevenuy, seventy
one, seventy -two'--
That is the way it goes ou FOR hours in
terminably, IL seems TO the Watcher. as
there anybody under"-
1t is in the surgeons room Of hospital,
where the daily food OF wounded humani-
ty IL being carried up by the tide of dis
tress to be cared for and bandaged. There
are dozen surgeons there and always
two score or more of patients. The owners
Of crushed skulls, broken limbs, bruised
faces and slashed or burned flesh are let
into the room in patches" They are
Of L.. 81. LaA hutg
and they are cared for as their number
comes around No. | is first; No. 80 has
something of wait, and No 1872 finds "A
long interval between the time he is
checked" at the hospital door and the
minute he finds himself in busy sur
geon's hands. 1t is first come, first served,
and that is why that monotonous cry con
stantly arises from the surgeon, us there
ybOdy UNDER
1t is a sorry side Of life that one sees here.
The people ARE nearly all Of them poor
desperately poor They cannot afford the
luxury Of a private physician. however re
we're their wounds or however eager they
are 70 get back 10 their work, and so they
come and stand in line, waiting for their
numbers 10 be called, that they may go up
and suffer, perhaps a great deal, that after
ward they may suffer less They are of all
ages, in rags many Of them, some of them
limpinR on crutches, some Of them with
their heads and faces swathed deeply in
bandages, some Of them with hands
wrapped around and around until they are
Hs big ~ feather pillows, some Of them
with feet crushed and mangled, and all Of
them miserable and suffering. And among
them are the white apruned swift fingered,
hurrying surgeons, dressing wounds by the
dozen. dressing some Of them marvelouHly
quick, and always going on 10 the next
without "A pause, with no tremOr at the
touch Of any wound, however deep OF foul
and with no (which of the lips at any cry
or fiinching from pain.
"ls there anybody under eighty-fiyei
Eighty six, eighty seven SO, here you
are No; 20 to the next table. You can't be
dressed here, you are infected. II there
anybody under eighty eighth
There II short pause; then, sharply:
! Eighty ninel l. there anybody under
ninetyi All, here you are. Let me see
your card, for every patient has card,
Oh which IL written little history Of his
reception At the hospital, his trouble and
how he has been treated Where's your
cardY
No answer to this.
where's your card card, cardi"
Still no answer
Cant speak English, ehf'
| Then follows n series 81 pantomime. The
card il hshed out, the patient II placed on
the stool, and of come the bBndages from
his hand. The surgeons fingers move 30
lightly and rapidly that before one knows
that the man has been touched he has
clipped of his stool TO the floor and on his
knees, with biz stomach pressed close 10
the stool, his eyes shut, his teeth lock- ed,
and his one whole hand clinched and quiv.
ering he fights his pain while his wound IN
dressed He has not opened his mouth,
for these people are used 70 suffering; they
have 20 bear IL, but when be gets up five
minutes later with "A spOtlessly white and
clean looking bandage on his hand he looks
rs IL he had marched into the valley Of tor
ture and had only crawled out again.
Come again day after tomorrow" says
the surgeon, and then the same old, IFS
there anybody
II is a boy this time When the linen
strips are removed from his head you see
that he has deep cash over his eye. He
/ is "A little pale but he does not even within
per, for be has been through IL all before,
and knows what must be, must be-
Now, when ! Was little boy" says the
surgeon. taking the boy between his knees
and looking down into the young eyes
you should have seen the cut had. That
was cut, and he Tattles along with his
cheerful talk, all the while his skillful
fingers fitting around that wound until
he leans back, gives half sigh and says
"You needn't come till next Monday" II
Is all over before the boy knows II.
IT'S busy day today" he says brightly
and then, "is there anybody below 1907 Il
there anybody And then you get out
and walk through into the open air, which
Is sweet and pure and refreshing. But
something seems TO follow you. II II th'
OdOr Of carboiic acid and iodoform, and il
sends a digging sensation through you
brain, 50 that cut IN the street, wher'
wheels are pounding on the payements anc
! men are pushing and huTying you car
almost hear it-that mOnOtOnOus, Deyei
ending rs there anybody UNDER
New York Tribune.