The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1901-05-25

necessary to send member OF her house
hold to the hospital. Mrs. Lowry arranged
that Miss Malmberg should have a private
room and receive special care if her case
required ii. She was taken to the hospi-
tai very i'll. and on her arrival another
patient was taken from small room over
the kitchen to make a place for her.
Fresh linen was put on the bed, but the
room received no other attention. Be-
fore this an attempt had been made to
put her in the ward with other patients,
but she declined to go to bed, sitting on
the stairs until other arrangements had
been made. She protested to Dr.. Clark
when he came to see about her and put
her in such a room. He replied roughly:
You ought to be glad to get bed at ell
to sleep in"
The anti-toxin treatment was given to
Miss Malmberg Immediately after her re-
ception and she was given cup contain
ing a gargle mixture with di-
rections to use it every fifteen
minutes. There were no instruc-
tions for its use and no attention was paid
to her to know whether she used it at all.
The contagious hospital was then crowded
and there were but two nurses for all the
patients. After a few days these were
removed and one careless and lazy nurse
took her place, who did practically nothing
for the patients. During the eleven days
Miss Malmberg was in bed, the nurse
simply came in to bring her food three
times a day. At first she was bathed
regularly and her hair combed, but after
the change of nurses this was not done.
No Medicine.
All the time she was in bed no medicine
was provided for her and Dr. Clark never
prescribed any He never came into her
room TO her certain knowledge, but for one
day and one night she was very delirious.
During the night she attempted to escape
by the window and the nurses had severe
struggle with her. They telephoned DR..
Clark, as she was afterWard told by a
nurse, but he did not respond and they
gave her dose of morphine to quiet her.
The next morning she was still delirious
but thinks Dr. Clark came in at that time.
Two or three other times he loked in at
the door but did not examine her. She
was provided with spring water because
that was paid for specially in her case,
but the city patients drank the water from
the hydrants There was but one bath
room and one set washbowI for the use of
all the patients.
After getting up, Miss Malmberg's
throat did not clear and the nurse, now
a competent but overworked one, became
no effect and finally Miss Malmberg wrote
to Mrs. Lowry telling her of the way she
was being neglected The butler at once
went to the hospital and saw the girl in
the yard outside OF the contagious build
ing. He looked into her throat and found
it in very bad condition During all of
this time inquiries were being made daily
from Mrs. Lowry's and Dr. Clark was re-
porting that Molly was getting along nicely
and needed nothing.
Could Not Depend on Clark.
Learning that DR.. Clark could not be
depended upon in the least, no further
attention was paid to him. Medicine was
sent in by another physician and a doctor
who visited the contagious ward to see
special patient examined Miss Malmberg's
throat and agreed to take care of her. if
nothing was said to DR.. Clark about it.
He prescribed for her and visited her
daily On account of the long neglect.
the healing Of her throat was very slow
and she was in the hospital nearly five
weeks.
Interest in the patients and a friendly
feeling toward an overworked nurse, who
In one case did not get to bed for forty
eight hours continuously, led her to assist
in the care Of the patients as soon as she
was able. In this way she became ac-
quainted with the treatment accorded to
others.
No Doctor for Five Days.
There were frequently days that DR..
Clark did not visit the ward and once for
five days neither he nor any doctor from
the hospital came near, although the nurse
telephoned for DR.. Clark repeatedly. Dur
ing this prolonged absence a little child
col m hn foT xr-it
oped diphtheria and came very near
deaths door.
One Disease After Another.
It was not uncommon for patients to
have one contagious disease after another,
from not being properly isolated
When partly recovered, Miss Malmberg
gave up her room to a patient for whom
they had no private room, on condition
that she could stay with the nurse so long
as she was there. In few days both she
and the nurse wer turned out to make
room for someone else and for the rest of
her time she slept with a child suffering
from diphtheria.
Clark Swears at Her.
Miss Malmberg knew she. was not get
ting the treatment stipulated and paid
for, and on at least one occasion, when
this was called to DR.. Clarks attention.
he swore at her. He was always rough,
both in manner and language, with the
nurses and city patients.
1t took nearly all of the nurses time
to see that patients got their meals and
the most ordinary care. The convalescent
patients washed the dishes, cleaned the
rooms and waited upon the other pa
tients.
Dishwashing by. Patients.
The dishwashlng was done in some
cases by patients peeling with scarlet
fever. The food furnished was very or
binary and uninviting, and the nurse, no
matter how willing, had not time to pre-
pare special diet dishes. Miss Malmberg
spent much time making eggnog for those
who needed something different from or
binary food.
Cases OF Neglect.
Miss Malmberg gives many specific In
stances Of neglect Of other patients One
Of these. an old man named Swanson
had an ulcer on his back that the doctor
who treated him before he was taken to
the hospital had directed should be
dressed twice a day. This was allowed to
go a week without attention.
Another man had been sent to the gem
SIdl hoSPALdA viii puSu1OHld- ne was
taken with diptheria and sent to the con-
tagious ward. He had entirely recovered
from this and. been discharged, but his
case had meanwhile developed into con-
sumption and he needed continued hospi-
tai care. Being unwilling to send him
back to the general hospital, he has been
Continued on seventh Page.