Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-11-23

pital, and with that
object in view I have refreshed my mem
ory from the pages of diary kept during
the time of my connection with the hos
pital.
Possibly it might be well to preface my
remarks in this connection by stating that
after 1 had graduated in medicine 1 real
lied that 1 needed practical experience to
assist me in healing the sick. 1t was with
view to obtaining this information that
l, with thirty-five other young NJ. DIS,
made application to take the examination
for appointment junior assistant sur
Seon in this particular hospital.
received the appointment, and upon re-
porting, was assigned to do the redress
lnSs OF the emergency cases. After having
spent six months in this preliminary line
of my chosen profession, during which
time l had ample opportunities to witness
operations and observe the handling of the
sick, 1 was assigned by the head surgeon
of the hospital to do duty with the ambu-
lance-in other words, l was now the am
bulance surgeon.
To the uninit:ated this signifies but little
To me 1t meant much. Heretofore 1 had
worked under the direction of others, but
now for the first time in my life l was to
exercise, independently, my thoughts in
medical line, and apply practically what 1
had been learning theoretically for years.
1t was in reality the beginning of my
career as medical man, and l deeply felt
L
sake and the sake of the public. Accom-
panylng this deep sense of Importance to
society, l must also confess that a feeling
OF vanity arose within me.
The First Case.
l anxiously awaited an emergency CALL"
Arrayed in my white duck suit-the intern's
un.form-1 hoped, in fact almost prayed,
for an accident, that 1 might be given an
opportunity to don the natty blue cap with
the one word, Surgeon" in large gold let
tiers, across it's 'front.' and be off with the
ambulance.
In large city one does not have to wait
long for something of this kind to mate
rialiZe; and although it seemed hours to
me, the telephone bell soon rang the jani-
tor answered it. rang the accident bell in
my room, and l was quickly in the eleva-
tor on the way to the ambulance, which
awaited me under the porch of the hospi-
tai.
Man hurt at the sewer on Water street
DOCTOR said the telephone attendant At
last my ambition was satisfied. 1 was IN
the ambulance. gong at rapid rate to the
as they heard the warning cang of the am
bulanve gong, and watched us as we pass
ed. l was wrapped in thought. What kind
OF case will 1t be? One thousand rules
on aid to the injured struggled for first
place in my brain. 1 knew them all and in
regular order while at college. Now they
were nOpeleSSly cOnIuSel, ana none seemed
strong enough to predominant, until at
least an hour after l had reached the hos
pital
l soon arrived at the place of the acct
dent. A great crowd indicated to me the
location : of my patient. With my emer-
gency grip in hand and clothed, as
thought, with an air of experience, such as
l had seen old practitioners assumed made
my way briskiy through the mass of peo-
pie. A man evidently in great pain lay on
the ground before me, his head supper ed
by one of the workmen. 1 felt like srav-
en- image. The crowd appeared to me to
know my thoughts.
The Patient Takes a Hand.
At last 1 managed to ask the injured
man how he was hurt, at the same time
mechanically cropping around in space for
his pulse. "A bucket of bricks fell on his
back from the DERRICK volunteered some
one. What would 1 do now? The books
had studied, 1 thought said nothing about
the treatment of patient who had served
as the dumping place for a bucket of
bricks. 1 tried to mediate 1 hoped that
the assembled multi ude thought that pro-
fessional. All, happy inspiration!
A little morphine would relieve the agony
the man seemed to be suffering, and would
give me more time to think! For fear that
my poor mind could not retain this one
saving thought. l rolled up the patients
sleeve. in order that l would recollact that
hypodermic injection of morphine was
proper.
What are you dom doc? None of that
stuff for me. A fellar 1 knew taken 1t
once. and he croaked de next day." said
the man who had been hurt, as 1 started
to insert the tip of the needle in his arm.
The crowd Uttered. l felt it obligatory to
do something to hide my chagrin and fol-
lowed suit with an awfully artificial laugh.
Argument useless.
Well" said l to the ambulance driver,
shrin ha
man to the hospital
Not on your tintype," responded the dy-
Ing hero, "hain't a goin' to no hospital to
have you young felars monkey1ng and eX-
perimentin' on me-
This was the last straw. My professional
pride had been wounded, so 1 turned, and
in a dignified manner left my first case
lying as l found him. Thus terminated my
primary ambulance CALL and with it my
vanity as ambulance surgeon
Thought of His Mother.
There Is plenty of light and shadow in the
life of a hospital intern. A pathetic scene
occurred as the manned and bruised body
of a seven-year-old newsboy was being hur-
ried to the hospital. Both Of his legs had
been crushed below the knees, and as 1 was
arranging the bandages on the bleeding
stumps, while the ambulance was fastening
on the little fellow. with great elaboration,
said: Doctor, see that l am treated care
owed mother and a baby sister to support"
That little man recovered.
Although an intern lives and moves where
life's shadows meet eternity's days, yet he
has humorous experiences. I can wildly
recall. an event on a certain Fourth of
July-possbly because it was the first of
twenty-eight ambulance calls 1 made on
that day. The ambulance was summoned
to a prominent residential portion of the
city. Upon arriving at the place and after
passing through the gaping crowd, always
present, entered a drug store to find three
small boys none of them over seven years
Of age. stretched on the floor. their respect
i've heads and hands swathed in bandages,
the result Of the ministrations of kind
hearted druggist. So thoroughly were they
wrapped up that only the tips of their noses
peeped through the mass of linen.
They were perfectly motionless and did
not even whimper, although the druggist
advised me at once that they were badly
hurt. From each of their well-filled pock-
cts protruded the fuses Of numerous fire
crackers, of the double-jointed species.
From the date Of the month and the odor of
burnt clothing was assisted in diagnosing
their injuries as powder burns. and had the
patients removed to the hospital. They were
carried by the attendants to the operating
fahles and as the bandaPea were being