Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1894-11-14
THE BLACK BOTTLE.
ONE OF THE SUPERSTlTIONS OF
BELLEVUE HOSPITAL.

BELLEVUE HOSPITAL.
Belief That Its Contents Are Used to Re-
move Uninteresting Patients-The Fatal
Bed Superstition Ignorant Rounders
Spread Silly Stories.
No one can be an inmate of Bellevue
hospital for any length of time without
hearing of the famous 'black bottle. F"
The superstition connected with it is
very grewsome, yet it is believed in i'm
plicitly by many of the patients. Brief
ly told, it is as follows:
The opinion is prevalent among the
poor that Bellevue hospital is school
of experiment for the instruction of
young surgeons and physicians, and
that only cases of peculiar novelty and
interest are wanted there. If patient
happens to be good subject for the
operating table or clinical lecture, he
OF she is welcome to all that institution
affords; otherwise the sooner the poor
creature makes room for more inter
esting patient the better. Nor are the
physicians and nurses supposed to enter
tain any scruples of conscience as to the
means they employ in effecting such
removals. In cases of lingering sickness
where there is no hope of an ultimate
recovery they are supposed to hasten
the end by administering fatal dose
out of the mysterious black bottle. After
taking it the patient falls asleep never
to awaken.
This superstition originated. from the
fact that morphine and other drugs OF 8
poisonous character used in the hospital
are always kept in bottles of particu-
larly suspicious appearance. They are
made of dark blue glass; with CORFU
gated surface, and are distinguished by
flaming red labels, on which is printed
the emblem of a skull and crossbones,
fianked by the word 'Poison. Now, it
frequently happens that morphine is
administered to those who are dying of
painful diseases in order to mitigate
the severity of their sufferings, but the
ignorant patients around do not under
stand this They see the nurse take the
dreaded black bottle from the medicine
chest, measure out portion of its con-
tents in a glass and give it to their
comrade to drink. Then they shake
their heads ominously and whisper to
one another i'll frightened tones.
''They are giving him the black bot
tie. Poor fellow, they are tired of himl
He's been occupying wanted room, but
he'll be on his way to the morgue soon
enough now"
When the sick man dies, the other
patients do not attribute his death to
natural causes, but to the mysterious
poison contained in the black bottle. No
amount of reasoning could convince
them otherwise. Once nurse tried to
argue an old patient out of the supersti-
tion, but he maintained his belief in it
as obstinately as ever and answered:
''Don't tell me. I'll believe my own
eyes sooner than what other folks say.
If there isn't death in the black bottle.
why is it marked with skull and cross-
bones? And why is Poison printed on
it? Tell me that. :"
1t is needless to say that the bottles
containing poisonous drugs are so Ia
beled to insure the safety Of the pa
tients The corrugated surface is a
further precautionary measure, for no
one could be mistaken, even in the
dark, as to what such vial contained.
The sense of touch would warn the
nurse where that of sight might fail.
In Bellevue hospital the greatest care
is exercised over poisonous drugs. They
are kept under lock and key in strong
closet specially prepared for them in
the pharmacy, and the door is furnish
ed with an automatic arrangement that
rings an electric bell whenever it is
opened.
The black bottle superstition is by no
means the only one associated with hos
pitals. There are certain beds in almost
every hospital that are considered un-
lucky The old hospital FOUNDERS know
them and are probably responsible for
keeping alive the superstition concern
ing them. A hospital rounder is per.
son who makes capital out Of a chronic
ailment. He makes the rounds Of the
hospitals in precisely the same way
that the habitual vagrant makes the
rounds of the police station lodging
houses. He is pretty we'll posted on the
affairs of the institutions that have har-
bored him and takes particular pains to
impart his information to the other pa
tients. He treasures in his memory
every grewsome detail that comes to his
notice and that may serve to embellish
his stories. If a new patient happens to
be brought to the ward of which he is
an inmate and laid on the cot that is
supposed to be unlucky. he takes ad-
vantage Of the first opportunity to steal
to his side aud whisper: "Get them to
move yer outer that bed as soon as yer
can. Ye're courtin death to lie there.
Five have died in it the past fortnight. "
Such an announcement cannot fail to
inspire the newcomer with terror, es-
pecially if he is not educated above the
belief in superstitions, yet if the ward
is full he is compelled to occupy the
unlucky cot, prey to the most gloomy
forebodings The unlucky bed is al
ways that in which the greatest number
of deaths have occurred, and there is
generally one in each ward that can
claim such distinction.-NewY York
Press.
An Anecdote of james Payn.