The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-01-13
TRAINED NURSES WORK
MRS. IT. VI. sUAREZ ADDRESSES THE
LOCAL RED CROSS SOCIETY.
She He's Spent some Time in the
Philippines and Tells of the Work
of American Nurses.


ganization of the society it has sent 1850
to the Philippines. Yesterday the attrac-
ton at the meeting was trained nurse
from the Philippines in the person of Mrs.
t. NJ. suarez. formerly Miss Dunn, of Lo-
gansport, who is visiting Mrs. Frank
Jenkins, 927 Congress street. Mrs. Suarez
was one of the seventeen nurses who start
ed to Manila on the st. Paul Dec. 81 1898,
the steamer which took the Christmas pres
ents to the soldier boys. as they termed it.
because they were so delighted TO see and
welcome American women.
Mrs. Suarez described the hospitals and
the treatment Of the soldiers and gave de-
scriptions of the natives at yesterdays
meeting She said that when she first went
there the hospitals were in very poor con-
dition, but soon after Uncle Sans trained
nurses were distributed at the different
hospitals as managers and supervisors
things took on a very different appear
ance and the hospitals now have all the
conveniences that our American hospitals
have. The First Reserve Hospital in Ma
Mia is the largest. having capacity for
about eight hundred, and there arc three
others, smaller ones. At first, and up to
Feb. 4. 1892 there were only medical cases
cared for in the hospital, but when the
fighting began the nurses were kept busy
in the surgery until the middle of April.
Then the fighting was outside OF the city,
and field hospitals were established and
only the serious cases brought to the hospi-
tai, the others being cared for by the hos
pital corps of the army. The boys In the
hospital corps, Mrs. Suarez said, were very
young, between the ages of eighteen and
twenty-four years. but previous to the time
the fighting began they were in the hospi-
tails under the management of the skilled
nurses, and they were able to care for or
binary cases of sickness when the time
came. at first the nurses had very little
to work with, but the government soon sup
piled all their wants and now the hospitals
are equipped with iron beds, white sheeting.
hair mattresses and blankets for the rainy
season, and, besides, each hospital has a
diet kitchen with a trained nurse at the
head, who prepares all the liquid foods,
and another nurse is employed who cooks
other foods. Milk is very scarce in Manila
and very expensive, Mrs. Suarez says, cost
ing 20 cents a pint. This comes from Aus
tralian cows, and they require much care
to keep them alive in the climate, and only
in very urgent cases, where the patient
must have milk Is II procured.
CANNED GOODS.
eve have every variety of canned goods
in Manila, however, and the nurses are able
to make some very appetizing meals" she
continued. "Now, at the Reserve Hospital
in Manila, there are LOO nurses. and in
every hospital there is a trained nurse or
medical student at the head of every
ward in the various hospitals, and the SOL
diers are as well cared for as they would
be I'm their own homes in America" In
speaking of Manila Mrs. Suarez said: Il
am very fond of Manila, indeed; the city
is very beautiful. 1t is unlike America, but
IL has its charms Old Manila, the city
the bay. 1t Is picturesque old wall, with
mosses and vines hanging from ii. There
are carvings on IL and dates of when ii was
buiIt-some say in 1900, but cannot vouch
for it's truth 1t is forty feet wide
and forty feet high, and has four
entrances, at each one of which
there is a drawbridge. AT night the draw
bridge is closed and il is impossible 10
get into the city or out of 1t. The wall
must be at least three miles in circum-
ference and is solid mass or masonry.
The buildings are two stories nigh, ire
upper story being built OF wood The
streets are very narrow. just wide enough
for two conveyances to pass one another.
The sidewalks are four feet wide Each
building has a court. They have no Win
dows like we have, but consist OF pieces
of shells three inches square, joined to-
gether, making a slide, which Is opened
in the evening and in the daytime. suffi-
cient light coming through the shells. The
floors are all hardwood, made of either ma
hogany or ebony and kept highly polished
The houses contain but little furniture
One or two chairs, since the Americans
have been there, but the natives prefer
to sit upon the floor. The large palaces
which the Spanish government kept up for
it's officials in Manila are now utilized for
General Otiss headquarters and those OF
the army officials. There are many hand
some churches and schools. There are sew
eral beautiful drives, one following the
wall. Driving is one OF the CHIEF delights
of the inhabitants and about O'Clock In
the evening everyone goes for his after
noon drive until about s o'clock, when
| they dine. The evening meal is the heav-
| lest meal of the day. Outside or the wall
| there are several beautiful residences be-
| longing to English and Spanish families
But most of the wealthy Spaniards have
| moved back TO Spain-there are very few
| of them left in Manila. The real Fill
pinos are very small in stature. The aver
| age man only weighs about eighty pounds
| and the average woman sixty-five pounds
| They have straight, black hair, and the
| women are very proud of theirs. Their
complexion is similar to that of the Japa-
nese but their eyes are larger They
| have well-formed and white teeth AID
| high cheek bones. They are very cleanly
about their persons and dress mostly In
| light clothes. The clothing of the womer
consists of a calico skirt and a loose
jacket made from homespun material. very
| thin. a handkerchief is worn around the
F, neck and in the sun the handkerchief
| serves as a covering for the head They
/ wear wooden shoes and no stockings.
MATERIAL FOR HOUSES.
Their houses are made of material taker
| from the cocoanut tree and made into
loose frame work with a matched roof
| The house remains closed during the day
| and about o'clock the sides are raised
| and supported by bamboo poles, making
| an open veranda. On the inside the wall:
| are decorated. The houses contain but lit
| tie furniture. Their stoves resemble
| mussel shell and are made OF earth Of
| tile. They usually have about three cook
| ing utensils. a dish to cook rice in, on,
/ for fish and one for vegetables. The ma
| tives eat with their fingers. Their table
/ IL elevated a trifie from the ground anC
| they squat around IL. A native servan
| brings i'm a bowl of water and a cloth
| they all wash their hands and proceed
! 10 take with their fingers some rice from
| a bowl in the center of the table and SOM
| FISH from another dish, making a ball o
| the two with their fingers. They take kind
| of it and go back to their own simp
| fare.
| THE climate of Manila Is of an ever
| temperature. During February. and Marcl
| and April il Is very hot and although tn
| heat is intense il is not disagreeable. Tn
| rainy season begins in July and lasts 70
| three months generally