The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1905-03-10
THE SHIPS SURGEON
He HAS A BUSY TIME OF 1T ON BOARD
A TRANSATLANTIC LINER.

The Position Is Not n Sinecure, and
the Doctor Must BE IL Man CT Wide
Attainments and as Progressive as
His Colleagues on shore.
If You would lie so good, sir. there
is Il woman in the port aft hospital
who is much in need of your services,
sir" was the Salutation of the third
cabin steward as he awakened the ship
surgeon from comfortable sleep and
spoiled 4 delightful dream concerning
Il nautical elySium where people We're
never i'll and where ship surgeons Were
allowed to sleep uninterruptedly each
night.
1t was O'Clock. on Il miserable morn
ing. y heavy gale from the northeast
had blown steadily for thirty hours,
Kicking Up Il nasty sea. Despite the
great length Of the ocean greyhound,
she plunged about in the turbulent wa
ter like some frightened monster. Her
enormous head plowed through the
mighty waves and sent mountains of
spray flying to the very stern.
W III 'ill d!ttllls DJll VI i lIN ~
clans innate desire to relieve suffer
ing the ship surgeon got into his clothes
and started for the scene of his labors.
The decks We're wet with rain and fly
ing spray. and the rolling of the ship
added 10 the discomforts of perambula-
ton. As the doctor passed Il compan-
ionway leading from the weather side
- cit 81, N,I
against the vessel and sent Il torrent
of water through the passage. The
surgeons cap went by the board, and
his OvCrc0at was drenched. He was
tempted to he angry, but as his mind
Earked back to other days, when on
cold, wet nights lie had driven ten
miles or NOE over the bleak New
Hampshire hills on eTrands of mercy,
he congratulated himself on having the
stanchcst of decks under his feet in
stead of being compelled to guide a
horse through the murby, impenetrable
darkness.
In few moments the doctor had
ushercd into the world little life, and,
though the vessel rolled and pitched,
causing the hospital TO assume all sorts
of crazy positions at times, he felt
amply repaid for the loss of sleep, for
this tiny boy had by Il few days es-
capped bcin" born on the soil of Il des-
potic European nation.
And this ushered in one of the doc
tors busy days. No sooner had he
comfortably cnsc0nccd himself ON his
settec for nap until the first bUgle
call than he was summoned TO attend
a sailor who had Scalded his leg and
foot while preparing to swab one of
the decks Before the sailors needs
had been attended 10 it was breakfast
time That gave Il brief breathing
space.
At 0 o'clock the round of visits COM
mcnccd. In Tie forward port hospital
= Storage passenger was found to be
III with pneumonia, showing Il tempera-
tuYc Of Iu4 degrees; Il steward had
acute ncplr!tis, i fireman tonsilais and
Il 10y septic hand, which lie had
brought aboard. Iii the after hospitals.
devoted to women, there were also va
rious eases. \ woman taken acutely
and maniucaily insane after leaving
port demanded Il good deal OF atten-
ton. \ young woman with pleurisy,
an old lady with facial neuralgia, a
child with laryngitis and another with
Il bronchial cold each took up portion
of the surgeons time.
AT 1880 o'clock came inspection. For
an hour the captain, purser, surgeon
and chief steward thoroughly inspected
the ship from stern to stem. Every
part of the vessel, from the first cabin
10 the third class and from the saloon
to the iircmen's forecastle, was gone
over. Matters of ventilation, cleanli-
ness and order were considered, and
nothing which did not meet the appro-
baton of the officers escaped detection.
The thoroughncss exercised in this i'll
spcction is such that the stewards
show the greatest vigilance. Neatness,
order and cleanliness have TO be en-
forced on shipboard.
After inspection the surgeon made
his cabin calls. Fortunately NAL de
mcr and minor ailments were all that
claimed his time Then followed the
surgery hour, at which twenty-five of
the third cabin passengers and mem
bers OF the crew asked for medical adj
vice The cases were nearly all Of
minor naturc-coughs, colds, sprains,
cuts and the like. Most of the third
cabin passengers We're seaSick, and the
majority were more than willing to lie
in their bcrths until the gale subsidized.
During the afternoon the surgeon
had an opportunity 10 get Il two hour
nap. Then came the evening hospital
calls aud lit $50 o'clock the evening
surgery hour. At this time it was nee
cssiry t. rcluce a hernia and to fit a
truss. y bad case of varicose ulcer
was treated, ana Il couple of stitches
We're taken in tie scalp of a pugna-
cious Irishaan vino had GecrieI Eng
lands greatness in Tie hearing of
loyal Britisher. \ fireman overcome by