Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-05-23
F A c ! N G P E R | L
The Heroism Which Watched Over the
Smallpox Patient
A Lonely Vigil Behind the Dead Line
Cut on From All Outside
Communication.

There are not many people who would
like to undertake the care of a smallpox
case. 1t means exile from the world and
solitary confinement under the most unin-
wiling circumstances. No one dares come
near the person who thus sacrifices him
self; even his food is brought to the danger
line, and he has to go out under cover of
night to get 1t. So 1t was a strange and
not altogether pleasant experience that
Dr. j. Ramsay hewitt, the physician in
charge of the smallpox hospital, has re-
Gently passed through
Two years ago case Of smallpox was
discovered In one Of the principal hotels
and the patient was promptly removed to
the hospital. 1t was at this time that the
Commissioners appointed DIR. hewitt the
physician in charge of the hospital. He had
but recently graduated from the Columbian
Medical College, although he had had con-
siderable hospital experience. He bravely
took charge of the case and nursed the man
back TO health After the patient was dis
charged DR.. hewitt, at the suggestion of
the Commissioners, visited several of the
principal cities for the purpose of acquaint-
ing himself with the best modes of treat
ment for smallpox and also to get some
ideas on contagious hospitals. Some time
after his return the Commissioners, in
recognition Of his services, appointed him
f~--~~'
now holds.
When Coxey's army arrived in Washing
ton the health officer became fearful lest
some contagious disease break out in the
camp. The men had come from all sec
tons of the country, and 1t was well known
that smallpox was epidemic In several of
the western cities. So the old hospital was
renovated and patched up in case of an
emergency. The emergency came Friday
evening, May IL, when the railroad officials
notified Health Officer Hammett of a sus-
picious case that had recently arrived in
the city. Dr. Hammett at once sent for
DR.. hewitt, and the two found the patient
sitting on the curb at the Baltimore and
Potomac railroad station, surrounded by
large crowd. which three policemen were
trying to keep back. 1t only required a
cursory examination to convince the ply
sicians of the nature of the disease, which
even then was in an advanced stage, the
body being covered with pustules. 1t was
decided to send the patient to the small
pox hospital. and one of the wagons used
in the pound service was utilized to make
the transfer. Then the question arose.
Who would treat the case? 1t required the
presence of a physician at the hospital all
the time, and 1t was unsafe to have him
leave. DIR. Hammett urged DIR. hewitt to
take charge of the case. The latter said he
would undertake it provided the Commits
sioners ordered 1t. Dr. Hammett said he
would assume the responsibility, and Dr.
hewitt left for the hospital after hurredly
arranging his private practice. He arrived
I,
readiness when the dog catchers' wagon
rolled up before the door.
Inside the Dead Line.
In the meantime Dr. hewitt had hustled
the nurse out Of bed. and had given him
bath and vaccinated him. The patient
was removed to one of the little rooms on
the west front and put to bed. Then COM
menced a period of watchful anxiety. Cut
off from friends and associates. the time
spent there is a hundred fold worse than
the penitentiary. The next morning a
requisition was made out for the necessary
medicines and provisions, and communicat-
ed to messenger from the health office.
who stood hundred yards away.
Among other things, the requisition con-
tain ed an item for oil stove. for the
doctor who lives at the smallpox hospital
has to be well up in the culinary art or
undertake period of fasting. The nurse
cooks for the patient, and II would be taxi
Ing great chances for the doctor to eat the
things he cooked. That morning the dead
line was drawn. That is, line was mark
ed off all about the hospital and quarar-
tine flags located to warn the uninitiated
that the hospital was occupied. And sc
the doctor took up his weary task. Every
morning he would take bath, and chang
ing his wooden clothes for a suit of rubber,
would make morning call upon the pa
tfent. When he returned he would take an
other bath and change his clothes Then
he would cook his breakfast. During the
H. term between that time and dinner and
between dinner and supper he would read
or take a walk along the boulevard de pot
ter's field and gaze wistfully in the direc-
ton of civilization. Sometimes a figure
would approach cautiously to one part of
the dead line where a monster box was
located. and raising the lid, would throw
something in and slam 1t down and run.
Then the doctor would smile. A good angel
"a material one) from the cemetery close
by had remembered the doctors fondness
for pie, and mad braved the chances of
Catching smallpox to serve hun. That box
was a great institution, and rivaled the
famous receptacle of Pandora, for out of
its capacious interior came everything, from
tooth brush to bucket of coal.
The Sad. Desolate End.
And so the daily routine would go, with
slight deviation when the patient would
get delirious, and it required the utmost
strength OF the nurse and the doctor to
keep him In the room. AS the disease pro-
crossed the patients face swelled out of all
proportion and the disease became continent.
The body was a sickening sight. Sunday
the patients temperature became subnor-
NAL and the doctor began to look for the
end. To be prepared he notified the intan-
dent of the Washington Asylum to dig a
grave ten feet deep, and five convicts were
Immediately set to work. On Monday the
patient rallied and Monday night became
wildly delirious. All night long the nurse
and doctor staid by him, and toward morn
ing he fell into doZe and died at 10:15
Tuesday morning. The health officer was
Immediately notified and plain pine coffin
was hurried to the hospital.
The body was placed tenderly in the coffin
and removed to the grave. 1t a sad
and impressive spectacle. The nurse at
one end and the doctor at the other end
OF the coffin bore 1t down the hill to the
grave, while the rain fell in torrents. AS an
extra precaution the body was satura .ed
with a solution of bichloride of mercury be-
fore II was lowered into the grave. Then
as the pitiless rain beat down upon the
barred heads of the nurse and the physician
the latter took a small prayer book from
his pocket and read the funeral. service.
For an instant the sun burst through the
clouds and shed its rays on a sad spectacle.
The prayer book was dropped into the
grave and then the two men began to ill
it UP. Remus Nelson had been given a
Christian burial. When the doctor returned
to the hospital all of the bedding used by
the patient was taken into the field and
burned. The clothes worn by the nurse and
the doctor were also burned, and the hos
pital thoroughly fumigated.
THE EFFECTS OF POISON.