Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-11-17
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COnta gious Hospital.

take In their diagnoses. The hospital AZ
that time was in charge OF the male nurse
Pemberton. When the subsequent cases
developed. the Commissioners at once called
for DR.. hewitt and put him in charge OF the
hospital DR.. hewitt arrived at the hospital
and had everything In readiness before the
arrival Of the first patient II was not ex-
pected at that time that there would be an
epidemic, but DIR. hewitt took the precau-
ton to make a requisition for an ample
supply Of drugs and edibles as well as adj
ditional bedding.
How the Patients Fare.
While, of course. It cannot be expected
that the smallpox patients have all the
comforts of home at the hospital, or that
they are given the accommodations one
would naturally expect to find at a con-
tagious hospital, they fare very well In
deed. It was found necessary to utilize
the eastern ward and this was divided by
a partition. and the women placed in one
room, the men in the other. The rooms
are CHEEKY and bright, but the view Is any,
thing else but consolng. Through the
eastern windows the Eastern branch winds
it's circuitous route through the heavy
marshes, while the southern outlook Is
upon the work house and jail and potter's
field. In fact, the graves of the paupers
are SO close to the hospital that IL Is but
a few steps from the main entrance to
one of the graves. Inside, however, things
look very coy. large stove In the mid
die Of tie ward heats the room perfectly.
while the furniture which has been taken
from infected houses, and which has been
condemned for destruction, IL used. The
result is that quite coy, home-like APP
pearance is given to the interior, and the
patients express themselves as being COM
Portable and well satisfied. The hospital
faces to the south. AS you enter the main
door you find the physicians room. the
neat manner, and one would hardly sus-
pect that 1t was a contagious hospital I'M
less he Investigated the numerous tubes on
cultures" At the present time DR.. hewitt
is experimenting for the purpose, IL pos
sible, of discovering the germ Of SMALL
pox. or as 1t is technically known, variola.
A telephone Is also in the doctors room.
which up to short time ago kept up q
merry tinkling all the time until the doc
tor to protect himself, issued an order to
telephone headquarters requesting them to
only call him when the health officer de-
sired to communicate. Most Of these calls
came from interested relatives and friends
Of patients. To offset his order, the doc
be posted in front Of the health office twice
a day giving the condition Of all of his
charges.
Some Of the Arrangements.
Across the hall from the doctors room are
the drug room and living apartments Of
the head nurse. Pemberton. Here all OF
the drugs for the use Of the patients are
compounded, by DR.. hewitt, who is himself
a pharmacist. Walking through the hall
a large passage running east and west
leads to two large wards, one on each
side; from each OF these wards are small
rooms, which are utilized when isolation
is desired. The kitchen Is in the rear Of
the building. and here 1t Is that the food
of the patients is prepared. At the present
time DR.. hewitt is assisted by two trained
nurses from the Columbia Hospital direc-
tory, one of whom is at present acting an
cook. Margaret Pemberton the wife of the
nurse In charge. and the first one to volun-
teer her services, Isl at present critically
i'll with the disease, which she contracted
in the hospital.
While everything IL being done by the
authorities for the comfort of the patients,
yet IT IL manifest to every one that WASH
ington needs q contagious disease hospital.
The hospital which Is al present used IL in
adequate In many respects, and has not
the necessary accommodations incident to
the successful treatment OF contagious dis
eases. The Commissioners are not unmind-
full of this necessity, and even now are con-
templating the purchase Of a site for the
erection of such a hospital which will be
q credit to Washington.