Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-06-19
WHERE TO BE SILK
n spital Life as Seen bY a
Patient.
SOCIETY IN A HOSPITAL
Queer soFts OF Fnsndships That Spring
Up Among the Inmafes-Dcyo-
uon Of tne Muses.

sne mlidls OF the street. 10 Dc eoaflned
IN one Was calamity that vac regarded
a. equivalent TO q slow aud tOFtn0as
death aud recovery wss viewed as some
thing little snort OF a miracle Bat the
paoiIe mas changed, although there still
rensin persons who think the staff or
hospital are tlrnds that slash i've pso-
pies bodies 20 see them squirm AMI
that the nurses are weird, uucsnDY
creatures VINO subsst exclusively on
drug sore decOctionS- The persons
VINO now object To hospital treatment
are those whose ailments have always
been treated al home aud who, as =
rule. never saw toe inside of hos
pstal- sonle time ago reporter for
TaE HEEALD was detailed TO spend a
few weeks at 81. Marks He protested
against the assignment. but yielded
when he was informed that b. proba-
~ wouldn't get we'll II he dian't go
there. for ne chung To life with all the
reso. ate tenacity of 4 man that SILL had
nye days salary coming ~ him.
There Is something terribly oppres-
eve To = patient when ne first enters
the doors of a hospital. There Is u
dreadful Stiffness about the place,
broken only by the soft football OF
uninterrupted nurse or the PAINFUL
grooming OF a patent III one OF the
wards. When ne - put IN the elevator
10 Re taken to his room he immediately
sees or tnIHks he sees. that II was man
ufactured exclusively 10 escort the
-. a. Ia.
morgue; and he insglnes that there
are whole tiers OF them up IN the oper-
sting room waiting impatiently To be
taken down and pat on ice. But when
ne reaches MS rOom without encounter
ing any eo-pses that aguish feeling be-
gus IA sub-ide.
Mast Ne Very sick.
However, tbs re - a dim apprehen-
sion on the part OF the patient that he
must be very rich - be sent 10 IA hos
pital. But the nurse looks 40 cheerful
when she gives him his sponge oatn aid
takes his tenn . allure that he forgets
To he depressed. and finally hnds him
sell staring Al the aba AK wallis. wonder
rug 4 be really 10 IN hospital. or If he
hasn't been attending the anniversary
banquet OF the Royal Sons of Bscchus
aud - Just recovering consciousness.
These are the meaitatIons OF u person
who enters hospital when he Is CON-
Ing down with = fever. OF conrse If
he persists IN being smashed all To
pieces before being taken there ne can
hardly expect to experience such phllo-
sophical reflections.
After one grts started on MS hospital
existence there ISN'T much variation to
the ordinary samcness OF life, and ne
probably wouldn't rsmember II II there
were. He has confused recollection
That the pignt nurse came IN about
half-past SIX or seven every morning
and bAthed ms face and hands Then
at O'Clock his temperature WAS taken
by the head nucsc ard he received his
customary allowance OF medicine. THIS
was continued ut intervals of four
hours. Occasionally a visitor WAS per-
united to enter the room. provided he
didn't stay too long. The head nurse
IL very particular about the society ex-
iste,lce OF the patient, and wnen yisl-
tor has oeen III room a suitable length
OF time he or she receives gentle hint
that lOpg calls are not IN good form
among ''our set IN the hospital. To
anybody that had ever been sick At
nome and endured tl,e continued mis-
Directed sympathy Of misgu ded rela-
tlves, such relief il u boon too great
q De expressed Iu language.
ceavai-.ssng in a Hospital.
When convaIescence begins life 10
really a luxury, that y II the nurse has
proper conception OF the patlentsap-
petite. There - something delightfully."-
.xhIlarasiug Ia watching the return of
health winnie in u hospital. Ii - like
ten
mass OF decsying veg, tation. While ali
around ven ia suffering and disease
you feel new strength and vitality COM
ing To- you. aud instead OF a depress u Z
influence your own condition seems
the M re encouraging by compaTi ON
with the disease and misery THAT sur
rounds you. ~ such times the patient
feels his own ailments sink into insIg-
nificance beside the great infinite sea of
human suffering. Of the margin of
which he just catches n glimpse and =
conception. The man who never re-
covers hrs health IN = hospital will
never realize how small part cf the
worlds misery ~ constituted 10y hrs IN
dsviduat ailments.
A esueer sort of sociabiiify develops
between the patients after they have
So far recovered strength 81 to he taken
IA wheel chairs down the long corridors.
fntruductiOns are unnecessary. You
meet another patient. and stfaghtway
al informal friendship springs mp lie
may be only one of the 400. while you
may occupy an exalted place among
the $50. but that doesn't make any diff
ference. A bond OF mutual sympathy
draws you together, and you discuss
each others ailments and diet With an
Interest known only TO the man that
has been there himself One never en-
rlyss conversation more thsn when
listening to q travelling man dsscrine
the cxquisite icy that followed The
first baked apple gwen hIm To eat after
hs fever lad broken.
In hospital the man with The
brn ken leg doesnt aeei any pFesents-
ton ~ The man who hss had pneumo-
MA. and the individual who has been
run over by freight train becomes
very ehumny with the man recovering
from acute delirium trsmens.
rs~ ess,. ss ssa.rss<.
The only csst = that inspired nv -.
verify OF ailments The man who M,
had his femur scrsped IL spt tn patron
tss the man Who rad typhoid fever
aad the woman that hsd tuner re-
moved hss . scrt of confem stuous Dat >
fer her sess fortunsts SISTER Who had
nothing but infammsfory rheumatism
Ttisa great place 20 Study old phases
az human nature fro@ new sts2i
poiats-
Hospital nurses. 80 . rule. are The
verv .sIt OF tne earth. No enc real
isss thfs NOR. vlsidiy than the man