The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1894-02-28
SMALLPOX PATIENTS
How They Are Handled in the Big
City Of Chicago
The Unenviable Job of the Men Who
Transfer the Victims OF the Dread
Dtsease from Their Bcmes TO
she Pest H0use.

When the electric call bell rings Il IS
for no Measure drive on which the OH
GERS Of the health department are
about to embark. II is one Of great
danger Every precsution has TO De
taken 20 prevent the disease IRON
which the patient they are called upon
70 remove Is suffering froDa selzing
themselves. At the ambulance barn
are two suits Of clothes-oue for each
mau-which they don preparatory 70
sallvfng forth on their duty. Each
suit has first 10 be thoroughly cisin-
fec+ed that no trace Of a single small
pox microbe may be found in the folds
Of the garments. The same Is true OF
the van. That must also have been
made perfectly free from any infections
matter.
II Is cutie an easy matter, says the
Chicago Herald, for person attacked
with smallpox to be removed 70 the
hospital before the disease has reached
its continent stage In that case moth
ing Is necessary but that the patient
shall put on his warmest clothes and
step into the van. where he viii take a
seat on a chair in which be viii be en-
seonced until he arrives at the hos
ritaf- where he is turned over to the
5octo-s and nurses Toayoi6 any dan
ger Of infection or the carrying about
with them Of disease germs the driver
and attendant disinfect themselves
and change their clothes
When the case is a continent one the
ARRANGEMENTS necessary become Of a
more complicated nature and the two
officials concerned have = much harder
task before them. The patient has To
be dressed. a great difficulty in many
cases. for the attendant has, as far as
possible. to avoid touching an exposed
part The patient, too, is usually per
fectIv helpless, a state Of affairs that
II Is difficult 10 contend with. All this
done. there is still the getting ont Of
the patient 10 the ambulance, and that
is done on the stretcher.
The greatest trouble is caused by de-
l;rous patients who constantly kick of
their shoes and make breaks Tor the
door Of the van The attendant, who
ALWAYS travels inside the vehicle TO
look after its pa tients, has then hard
time Of it., He cannot knock his charge
on the head or resort TO any kind Of
force except TO seize him by his clothes
and forcibly hold him down on the
stretcher. Sometimes, too, he IS quiet
IL humorous in his conduct while in q
delirium-
The gloves are useful in more cases
than one. If the boxer wears them TO
protect his knuciles, so does the
person who attends TO the burial Of
the corpse of q person who has died Of
smallpox. The very worst cases are
scarcely ever removed alive from the
home to the hospital Neither are
those Of persons who 20 can afford pro
vide for them in thei- own houses
where they can be thoroughly isolated
should the medical inspector of the
health department pronounce recovery
impossible the sufferer Is isolated, the
house carded and none but the regular
attendants of the sufferer are allowed
on the premises.
When death occurs outside the pest
house the attendants put on their
gloves 70 pay call The gloves are Of
heavy leather and the call is upon the
dead and not upon the living. It Is
not with d desire TO pay their respects
10 anyone that IL is made, but il IS that
the living and otherwise healthy mil
liens Of the city may not have plague
spot in thIr midst an hour longer than
Is absolutely necessary. The two men
carry with them a plentiful supply Of
carbolie acid, for the corpse must be
well sponged with that. Every tissue
Of the body is saturated with the pow
erful chemical, and as far as possible
every trace OF the dread disease which
caused death is removed
Even when the body has thus been
treated sufficient care has not been
taken to prevent the disease from
spreading, and the body has to be
wrapped in clothes provided by the de-
ceased's friends all saturated with car
bolic acid, and on the top OF every
thing is put a sheet saturated with
carbolic acid In the meantime the
measurements have been taken and
coffin provided either by the city or by
the relatives. The corpse having been
placed in this, it IS then inclosed in a
zinc-lined box, which is always neces-
sary in smallpox cases. Both coffin
and zinc-lined box must be sealed up
and then it Is Immediately placed in
the hearse and driven TO the cemetery.