The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-08-19
journal Special Service.

For the theater is the celebrated one.
zeal school and hospital. The leading.
actor is some skilled and courageous
surgeon. The audience is composed Of
doctors, old and young, natives and
foreigners, all gathered for the single
purpose of perfecting their knowledge
OF the science of saving human lives.
The subject Of the drama is usually
some patient such as the medical fra
ternity in this country acknowledges
can be found, excepting now and then,
only in the metropolis; for here in
New York are millions of all sorts and
conditions Of men. Here are quarters
each with it's own distinctive army Of
foreigners-an Italian quarter as large
as seaport on the Mediterranean, a
Jewish quarter like another Kishinef,
a Greek quarter, hardly less impressive
than Athens itself; and in these vari-
Gus quarters disease takes on curious
forms. The Post Graduate hospital,
where special attention is paid to the
most difficult and battling cases, is con-
Sequently q sort Of composite institu-
ton suggestive of all the European
centers; and. that is what makes the
school the Mecca of advanced students
of medicine and surgery. -.
Operating Tneater. s.:
OF this school the most conspicuous
feature is the operating theater. AS in
an ordinary theater, work on the stage
begins before the audience is seated.
First Of all, an orderly washes the mar
BILE walls of the pit and the tiled floor
Of the stage itself, for the scene Of the
drama about to be enacted must be as
speckless as human hands can make it.
Then the nurse who plays the role of
sponge wringer-a quiet, prepossessing
YOUNG woman, attirvd in blue, whose
particular duty it is to look out for the
sponges and tampons-appears on the
stage. For, the s pace Of five minutes,
she does nothing but, wash her hands
and her arms and then for three min
utes more she immerses them in a solu-
| ton Of bichloride of mercury. After
Her arms and hands are absolutely free
from germs and she must take care not
to touch any unsterilized object until
the performance is over.
Next the assistant nurse takes three
big white pitchers and plunges them in
a germicidal bath and then fills them
with microbe-ki4ling solutions in which
from time to time the surgeon will dip
his fingers. She also places an, antisep
to stand, and in a tray she lays a steri
lized napkin to hold dressings, sponges
and tam pons. It is part of her duty? tt
keep tally on these things as she hands
them to the surgeon. Over the frame
Of her table, and over that of the table
which the surgeon is to use, she
stretches a white sterilized hood fol
and the instruments from any chance
microbe that may descend from the
gallery. .-.. ~~~t
4 Head Nurses Part. ~,.
! The next person to arrive on tn,
i scene is the head nurse. Her dutie
preliminary to the opening Of the dram;
consist chiefly in selecting from a cab
met behind the scenes, which belong
to the surgeon who is soon to appear
the Instruments to be used during tn,
operation: These are sterilized, wrapped
sterilized tray. ..:,>t- -: ri
Now it is almost time for the dram;
to open, and the audience begins t,
gather. Some of those in attendanc
come from a clinic or lecture and other
from a demonstration in one of tn
wards in the hospital. They take thei
seats with a solemnity that BELTS tn
occasion. Once the doors are opened
ton of the theater set apart for tn
audience is emi-circular. The rows o
seats, incline quite sharply from
height little above the stage to tn
: doors leading to the corridor,
The scene might be described as bare
On the stage is only such furniture a
will positively be needed. The onl,
colors in the scene are the dress Of tn
assistant nurse and the green, viole
and copper-shaded bottles in a glas
cabinet on one side Of the stage. which
as the sunlight coming thru the glas
roof strikes them, throw brillian
. shadows upon the cleaning white floor
! At last the star performer enters, an
as he crosses the stage there is sligh
murmur which corresponds to the az
plause of the audience in an ordinar
theater. For moment he retires be
i ilized and his costume put on. Whe
ne reappears, he is wearing what look
like priest s robe. and bit of head
gear which, many=colored as a Scotch
) mans bonnet, might in other circum
. stances b described as dashing. 81. rz
- 2: y On Comes the 'svictim. !
Now all is ready, for the performance
The door at the side of the stage opeI
) ing in the direction Of the hospital j
}; thrown back and the subject Of tn
!, drama is wheeled in unconscious an
| placed upon the table near which tn
ing. With that each spectator in til
J seats above leans forward in his anxiet
to catch every word and every motto
Of the chief actor. Then comes the prt
Iogue. The surgeon recites the histor
8 Eof the trouble that laid the patient Low
: and then outlines his course Of action
!, After this prologue the surgeon b,
! gins the work Of restoring. the sick PEE
! son to health. The miracle play is OF
) Everything moves with wonderf,
= quickness and precision. The strain o
!, the audience is intense: in fact,
) seems that some of. the spectators al
in danger of falling over the railing S
!, eager are they to see what is going OF
. Presently all lean back and give
sigh Of relief: The performance-an
;. the strain--are over. The miracle hs
: been worked. The subject is still VI
conscious, but he will awake in til
< sweet. white bed in the hospital t
: know that in short time he will b
{ as a new man. On all sides may b
3 heard expressions Of congratulatiol
t Few, theaters in the world are til
! scenes of SO many successful and in
8 portant performances as this one.
Meantime, the hero, as he might /
7 called, retires again behind the scene
8 to remove his robe and bonnet an
81 was hhis hands in the antiseptic soil
y ton; the head nurse removes his VOL
Y / der-working instruments and til
sponge-wringe disposes Of the remain
{ ing dressings. In ia few minutes til
theater is empty, but the stage is 500
ready for the next performances.
s.