The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-07-13

the unhappy father had been forced at
| last, being in utter despair and know
ing that it was the only hope of saw
ing the child from death of torture.
to take a Ratchet and cut off both the
little ones feet.
With such knowledge as this
to sustain him, DR.. Grenfell
and his band of doctors and
Eliot Curwen and the Misses
Cecilia Williams and Ada Carwardine
fought their way through the long
seasons on the coast, and then, on
their brief visits to civilization, fought
to arouse men to help them in their
efforts. Bit by bit they obtained as
sistance. First they got a rowboat.
Then somebody else helped them to
buy a steam launch. Finally another
sailing vessel was added to their tiny
fleet. But still they knew that all
this was but scratching at the out
side of a mountain of misery. And
they fought on until now they have
the little but beautifully equipped
steamship Strathcona, given largely
through the efforts of Lord Strathcona,
while two hospitals are established on
the coast, and one is open in Northern
Newfoundland where the conditions Of
life are almost as hard.
The Strathcona is a steel steamer
of eighty-four tons, SO built that she
can haul her propeller up and proceed
with sail alone. Her hospital is amid
ships, and it is fitted with electric
light and a fine X-ray outfit. 1t is
used almost constantly. In her first
year more than one thousand persons
sought help from her. And each hos
pital since then has treated more than
that number each year, making a
total of more than three thousand,
who, in the old days, had no recourse
except to lie in their rude surround
ings and go through torment until
they died.
Sick Calls by Dog Sledge. .
Yet, still the service can only reach
a percentage of those who need it.
For through the winter months even
the brave hearts on the Strathcona
can not force her through the ice that
girdles the coasts as with an iron
ring. Then the doctors must sally out
in dog sledges to pay their sick calls,
and often they go for hundred miles
to find their patient. What such
medical practice means is told we'll by
the simple report of one of the doc
tors at the hospital, Mr.. Simpson. He
says:
"A man from Ha-Ha arrived, and
his wife 1t was exceedingly cold,
with a dead head wind, but on we
went over hill and dale, across frozen
ponds and lakes and bays, along fro
zen brooks and streams, until at last
Pistolet Bay was reached. Now came
our hardest work. A light drift of
snow was blowing up with the wind,
and once out on the bay no shelterlng
land was near. More than once we
70 other
patches of frost-bite on nose, ears
and cheek Vigorous treatment, how
ever soon restored the circulation. Ehe
poor dogs had hard work against the
cutting wind, but eventually we ar
rived safely at our destination, ana
although our patient had been twelve
hours in distress, and her friends in
much anxiety, we were able very
quickly to relieve her, and set at rest
the fears entertained for her safety.
From November IA to March 29 DR..
Macpherson of the Battle Harbor Hos
pital travelled 1883 miles, by sledge,
srowshoes and boat, and paid $50 Wis
it's. He missed scarcely hut or tent
on the whole coast from PauPs River
above the Straits of Belle Isle, to Rig
olet, under latitude SIS. He found TWEEN
ty-six dying persons, some of whom he
saved, while he made the last hours
at least easier for the rest He found
a woman who had been walking
around for two weeks with broken
and unset arm. He stitched up the
forearm of fisherman who had been
in agony from a great cash made many
weeks before that never healed.
Scurvy another affection that curses
the jewellers on the inhospitable coast,
was found in many places. One case
had gone so far that it had produced
internal hemorrhage and required ex-
tensive operation. A crippled girl was
found and sent by dog team to the
hospital, where she was cured suf-
ficiently to enable her to move around
freely. A woman was treated who was
dying from cancer. She had never been
seen by a doctor or indeed by any one
except poor, ignorant persons like her.
SELF who had not tried to do anything
to relieve her agony.
In one day alone the surgeons open
ed five badly poisoned wounds-for not
only do the implements used in fishing
naturally poison the cuts they make,
but the cold weather makes it almost
impossible for the fishermen to wash
their injuries properly with warm wa
ter, as even firewood is scarce on many
hundred miles of shore and almost en-
tirely wanting in the northern parts
of the land.
Strnthcona's HOO Miles.
A year ago this July the Strathcona
| had just completed a voyage of more
| than eleven hundred miles, during
which she visited Sc harbors. Among
major operations, they had one ampu-
| tation of the foot. one amputation