The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1914-02-17

fession has so far not been given the
means TO combat it with that has
been given to some Of the other raw
ages .
Malaria is pervasive and insidi-
Gus. It saDs the system. 1t brings
WEAKNESS of body and dullness of
mind. 1t is deadly itself sometimes
and it furnishes the foothold for
other and more deadly diseases. It
makes life more or less burden for
all afflicted with it; and many a poor
/ human blamed for laziness has in
stead been afflicted with a lassitude
that he was no more responsible for
than the rest OF the community.
A story illustrating the kinship be-
tween yellow fever and malaria has
! been told the Star by an ex-army
surgeon, who served in the Santiago
campaign in the summer of '9S. He
arrived at Siboney from New York
shortly after General Skaters army
landed and was at once sent to the
front
He told a somewhat amusing but
pathetic story OF the lack OF conven-
fence and system that prevailed in
the American army. There was the
greatest plenty of some things that
were not needed. Many things sore
" needed were not to be obtained
for love or money. Supplies were
piled up by the boat-load in some
places, while a few miles away the
sick and wounded suffered and died
for lack Of bare necessities.
After the capture of Santiago, the
narrator found himself and a few
other surgeons in charge of a field
tiago bay. The island was a small
one and all supplies, even wood for
the cooking fires, had to be brought
in row boats from the mainland.
There were plenty of supplies, but
| very few of the medicines and foods
needed for the sick and convalescent
were obtainable-either they were
not in the city, or they were hidden
! out Of sight in the general mass of
! ineficiency. He told a very inter-
| esting and touching story Of the hard
/ work and heroism OF the other doc
! tors, and the single nurse. Several
Of the doctors and finally the nurse
| died and were buried on the island.
The nurse was lady from New Or
leans, and fell victim as much to
the lack of proper food and medi-
cine as over work and disease Some
OF the doctors as we'll as many of the
patients had to be wrapped in their
blankets and buried. There were
plenty of collins in the city, but
sometimes it was impossible to OBJ.
! tain them when needed.
1t was hard to tell the difference
laria and yellow fever Both were
much alike. If one became sick, tht
only thing to do was to give hin
me1icine-if he was better next day
| 1t ODdOIS ma tti Ia II liz wa
worse, it was probably yellow fever
1t was a good deal like the test be
tween toadstools and mushroom
eat the fungus; if you lived it was
; toadstool.
So the dreadful days wore on, an
; the red-tape tied inefficiency of gu
| own service cut bigger gaps in tn
! all the Spanish bullets. The littl
$ group of surgeons on the island wer
: in despair.
: One day it occurred to one of Their
Y to write letter TO Miss Helen Goult
i one of the noblest of American won
k en-, whose generosity during the wa
: brought relief to many a sufferin
/. soldier. and kept the shadow {
y death from being cast over many
household He described the stu;
q ton tersely, mailed the letter an
: waited almost without hope, for
q seemed to him that Miss Gould ha
l. already had so many calls MAD
IS Lpcn her, it was likely she would di
Ie regard this one.
J. In the course of three or fol
IT days the letter reached New Yol
N and Miss Gould, and in less than
N many hours flashed back cabl
Of gram to the well-nigh hopeless har
,e on the island that they were TO cab
a Miss Gould at her expense what tn,
wanted and a special boat shou
at bring the supplies as fast as stea
II could drive it across the sea
Mt They put their heads togethe
r that little bunch of men, who h;
st grimly stood in what they beliey'
OF the last ditch of duty TO their cou
m try and profession an hour befor