New-York tribune., 1903-06-12
DEEP SEAHOSPITAL SHIPS
Maintained for Newfoundland Fish
Pr771Sn.


humane auxiliary. and has to depend for the treat
ment of its sick and injured upon the ministrations
of the medical services of its rivals or else has 10
suffer the loss of time and business involved IN
coming land to place helpless under proper
care
The Newfoundland Medical Mission has been at
work now some twelve years and is splendidly or
ganized and equipped. The mission is branch OF
that which works among the British searnen ana
fisher folk, AMI its extension to Newfoundland mas
been of immense benefit To-day ii maintains three
hospitals-one on the French Shore" and two on
Labrador each with a resident doctor a trained
English nurse staff of local assistants ana
stout steam launch for the conveyance OF patients
In addition there is fine modern yacht, the
Strathcona, steamer of 600 tons. built oy Aoiu
Strathcona, and presented by him TO me ihiesiol
In this ship the superintendent Dr. GrehIel q -
every season from the Grand Banks 10 fauoSo-l
Bay treating all who come to him for ald regaru-
less of race class condition, the same RUE p
vaing in all the other branches of the mission
The total cost of this work each year is no"
about S20N00 and the number OF house pdtleilts
(serious cases 1902 10 and Of out patier's
2 664 Some thirty-fve operations under an9stheucs
undertaken. and eight deaths occurred III 'le
hospitals or OIL the ship. The majority OF these
cases had no chance whatever Of any other skilled
assistance 1t was a question OF better OF
worse treatment but Of suffering or dying "l'houl
medical aid at all other than what the nlisSloH
afforded Some of the cases unique IN meol-
cal annals The two-year-old child OF la
rador settler wandered away from the doorstep
in the winter and when found both her feet were
frostbitten Modification set in, and to save ner
life the father chopped off both extremlces WIN
his wood In due course the MISSION uo'toI
cached the place with his dog sled. and found the
little sufferer almost deaths door But ne treat
ed the stJmps scientifically and preserved the cHilo
in health even if she is stricken with this inrrny
The child has now been fitted with artificial legs
and adopted by an English family. Another case
is that of little boy. the four-year-old son OF .e
Hudson Bay Company's factor at Hlgolet 0ta'i0i
who was worried by savage Esqutmau dogs uflti
there were eighty-seven separate bites on MS puiy
body He was hurriedly brought to the hedrest
hospital where he eventually recovered thoush d'
first little hope entertained OF TINS
Equally remarkable are the cures effected among
the fishermen on the Banks. Most OF these are
surgical cases Men crushed by falhhs oI
breaking spars, have ribs or limbs 1ractuieu III
storms or are the victims OF gunshot acclueIIOs
The strathcona in her cruises meets most OF
these and the patients either transferred 10
her or If not bad enough this, treated on ooaro
their own vessels If the cases are desperate OF
the yachts accommodations crowded the snip -
ordered to one of the hospitals and the man Is
housed there Shippers, too. make for these centres
Of their own accord when mishap occurs 70 tilVi
crews and the yacht is not near. trench' foIIu-
euese Canadians Americ&rs-an avail themselves
of the missions and their generosity gets abundant
play here The story is told of one Yankee skipper
who asked the hospital doctor if he would hke
fresh fish the patients. and. being answered. III
the affirmative sent ashore a haIrbut weighing
a
carry Staff and patients ate Of it while they
could but had ultimately to bury its remainder
some distance away. being without sufhclent lcs 10
nreserve il But apart from this. these fishermen
all nav in cash their medicine and food' the
eaafarer as class being about the most inde-
pendent man alive and knowing only too We'll from
sad experience afioat what a boon II IS 10 secure
such rinistrations in time sickness misfortune
The ship and the hospitals have the latest oeVlces
in medical science. including the X-ray apparatus
They are lighted by electricity. and are as we'll kept
as much more pretentous institutions Inc New
foundland fishermen. working from their own coast
and Labrador and only days run seaward' DO nor
need hospital ship much as they do kindred
institution on shore, and that is why these three
buildings have been erected. Fully twenty thou
sand Newfoundland engaged in the hshery
on the Ranks and Labrador every season, and until
the mission was established they had no medical
aid whatever. Even as it is now. there Is Work loI
larger staff than employed but this Is natu-
rally limited by the funds the missions disposal
Another work which it does that is of great good
is in feeding the hungry and clothing the naked
'Ivyeres" dive heres, or permanent lnhapltaht9
of Labrador when the approach Of winter threat
ems these wretched beings with death in It's worst
form-i e. from starvation and cold
Some idea of the misery these Labradorians en-
dure can be realized from the fact that Whle the
population of Newfoundland increased by IL per
cent during the last decade that OF Labrador ue-
cIined from 4211 to 1856. The decline would nave
been much greater but that the mission was there
to arrest it by medical services ana providing 1000
raiment when bad fSherieS leIt oedth
otherwise No self-sacrifcing life can De
imagined than that of these medical missionaries
poughng the ocean in their hospital snip or max
ing long Journeys up and down the cQasd by 44aT
monotony is broken only BY t4e h6b sas AZ
Of the mail stfaeT pHdr IRON to set ct of and take on mails
and and from May until November the mission boats
medical skill and creature comforts 10 the thou
sands of fisher folk who are opgea 10 0epetl9 & r4G
these attentions upon the philanthhToPc eaTr[s do
alone of this splendid institution "hch is doing
The hospital service for the French fishermen
de Mer This association fitted out tlne schooner.
the St Pierre of St Mal9, and dlspatcned f hea @
be driven on the Newfoundland coast and com
petely wrecked on her hrst voyage T[ 'IT by a
other of the same name. In 1909 TINS snip was
Win a steamer the St FRANCOIS dAssse. fine
shin of 72O tons, 800 horsepower and ten knots
be economized whenever possible In the CON
struction and arrangement OF ;hls snip everything
provided for the sick and injured fishermen VINO
we're to be treated her she being an ideal naval
NOS Water bath for the ang and castaways
IN raon1 a siIrgerv for dressing wounds. dsin-
fecting chamber and the hospital proper. rms
nompany is twenty-Seven more. including two ply
sicans four male nurses and priest 10 minister
There are about eight Thousand Frenehmen en-
gagged the Grand Banks every sumner @ snG aso a
70 @ ene fb euSs uTevyfoundland French shore During
the six months of her work she communicated with
J9 French fishing vessels, had SeNenty-Iour SICK
persons as in patients and treated Si7 lighter cases
BESIDES this she rescued twenty-one persons who
were adrift in their dories ana came WItln slghI
vessels which had picked them up and she took on
the sinking hull Of the trench schooneF GavaIra.S M
of these she conveyed TO St. Flerre- Mlqueloh
where the marine authoTtes 10 iooked adter a @ tner
needs the ship carrying stores OF cGthins 70 pIoP
erly clothe such unfortunates as she might Hllo