The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-03-10
FOR AMBULANCES
AND EMERGENCIES.
SOCIETY COMES PROMPTLY TO THE
AID OF THE DOCTORS
DAUGHTERS.
HOW BEST TO SAVE LIFE
Rev. DR.. MACKENZIE AND DRs.
GREENLEAF AND De WITT TELL
WOMEN WHAT TO Do.

At the meeting of the Doctors Daughters
Society yesterday afternoon San Fran
cisco's society people showed their de-
termination to reform the present system
of carrying accidentally injured persons to
the hospital in patrol wagon, and further
than that to establish school for first aid
to the injured that will do away with much
of the suffering now endured as the result
of the system in vogue.
Between Polk street and Van Ness avenue
close rank of private carriages proved the
strong interest taken by society in the
matter. Within the doors of the Century
Club rooms, which are used by the Doctors
Daughters, the heavy scent of violets and
swish of silks told of the presence of the
fashionable women of the city. They were
crowded together, now and then exchang
ing whispers, but all the talk was of
bandages, linaments, splints, tourniquets
and the various accompaniment OF
hospital ward or an ambulance.
Two big DIS in yellow flowers behind the
presiding officers chair made basis for
the rest of the very elaborate decorations
that had been arranged by the young la
dies of the society. Lilies and trailing
vines were at every point of vantage, and
at the end of the hall was a welI-equipped
refreshment-room where tea, cocoa, choco-
late and such things were in readiness for
the tired or faint.
When Rev. DIR. Mackenzie called the
meeting to order he spoke strongly of the
| power OF women IN matters of illness or
accident, and while complimenting the
Doctors Daughters on the inception of their
work urged them to further efforts. AS a
practical example of what should first be
| in Of fol iri1 Tlr
Mackenzie referred the members of the
society to DR.. G. B. Somers, who would
show what could be done with the mysteri-
Gus "emergency-box," concerning which
soft whispers had been floating around
ever since the meeting had opened.
| Dr. Somers then told the ladies what
they ought to do in certain cases of acct
dental injury, and had an assistant about
| II years old, whom he said, ave will call
DR.. Merrill" Then DR.. Somers told how
| horribly the in jured were tortured by being
carted around town in patrol wagon,
without medical attendance until the hos
pital was reached. The young assistant
was a rosy-cheeked, big-eyed boy when
| DR.. Somers started with him, but when
the Receiving Hospital physician had
| finished showing what might be done with
the box and an energetic mother the boy
| looked like mummy.
There were bandages and plasters all
over his diminutive anatomy, and as he
posed as an example of what could be done
with the ''box" the ladies burst into
hearty laughter at the sight presented.
''Remember," said DR.. Somers, "that
when a boy is hurt the old paternal advice
| still is good, and he is taken to his
mother Ii mothers have these boxes and
know how to use them young lives may be
| saved" And when the physician said
this it was writ plain in every woman's
face that she was going TO have and use
when necessary an 'emergency-box" with
all the bandages, lotions and plasters
necessary for half dozen injured boys.
When DIR. Somers had shown what could
! be done by an enthusiastic Doctors Daugh-
ter and the weaknesses of the present sys-
tenn of transferring the accidentally in
jured to the hospital, DIR. Greenleaf of the
United States army chatted to the ladies
about the ambulance system in the army.
CDR. Somers has told you" said DR.. Green
leaf, that the average number of daily
| accidents is thirty or forty. Therefore in
a year you practically deal with the
wounded of the most disastrous battles
known in history. To do that in any form
nothing less than a perfected ambulance
system is competent"
DR.. Greenleaf told of the excellence of
the American ambulance service, and
showed that it has practically been adopted
by the armies of the world. The conclu-
sion was logical. San Francisco should
have an ambulance service proportionate
to her standing as a city.
When DR.. Greenleaf had concluded DR..
Dewitt spoke to the society on the neces-
sity for compact organization. BY this
time all the ladies present were so en-
thhsiastic that it seemed likely that Doc
tors Daughters with emergency boxes"
would to-day be more numerous than
mendicants. Pretty women talked of i'm
mediate aid to the injured with all the
facility of old hospital practitioners, and
then there was rustic of silk gowns and
the rooms that had echoed with surgical
terms were filled with melody, while Frank
Coffin, Mrs. Mckee and Miss Tonillon
rendered clear music to the ladies, who
slipped tea or chocolate. There were
| present:
Mrs. Hermann Oelrichs, Mrs. Henry Croker,
Mrs. Edward Newhall, Mrs, Timothy Hopkins,
| Mrs. John Swift Mrs John Merrill, Mrs. Hix-
Ter, Mrs. Phillip Mobiles, Mrs. w. Burns, Mrs. C.
C. Mcmahon, Mrs. William Fisher, Dr. Adelaide
| Brown, Mrs. Homer King. Miss Ives, Miss
Hamlin, Mrs. Cyrus Wright, Mrs. Robert Mac
| >enzie, Mrs. John Dickinson, Mrs. Voorhees,,
Mrs. Dudley Bates, Miss Crocker Miss Hobart,
Miss Owen, Miss Stubs, Mrs George Shreve,
| Miss Breeze, Miss Jennie Blair, Miss Horton,
| Miss Mackenzie.
| They have made up their minds to have
an ambulance service in San Francisco fit
to meet the daily requirements.
I'VE will furnish thefambulance, " said
Miss Croker, If the city will adopt its
use. If not we will do the best we can
with our emergency boxes, which we hope
will be used in every place where acct
dents are apt to happen"
Queen Victoria is very active at present,