The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-05-11
SERBIA IS SICK
UNTO DEATH
CONTINUED FROM mage II
CONTINUED froEl page IL

ooStoAS. ilS IS dUouI OAe
for every 5000 OF population.
Terrible as this lack of doctors is,
1t is as nothing in comparison with
the lack of hospitals and medical sup
plies. So scarce were the latter fol-
lowing Serbia's last great battle, that
the bandages had to be taken from
those less seriously hurt and reused
on grave cases. In the frightful fever
which burns up typhus victims, cold
packs have to be used. Aside from
there not being enough doctors and
nurses to apply these to more than
one in thousand, there was not in
all Serbia even enough sheets for
that purpose. All white cloth in Ser
bia that could possibly be used for
binding up the wounded was long ago
dedicated to that purpose.
While medical authorities say
typhus Is spread by the bite of an in
fected louise the American physicians
in Serbia are unanimous in declaring
that in reality it is highly contagious.
The deaths among doctors and nurses
has been especially high. During Feb
rnary in the vicinity of Nish, 100
physicians were stricken with the cpl
demic. The American Red Cross units
have suffered severely. So far the
deaths include Dr. MacGruder OF
Washington: DR.. James F.. Donnelly,
former quarantine officer of the port Of
New York; Dr. Albert Cook, Of Brook
Ign: Dr. Kara of Chicago, and Mrs.
Zelma Gucher of Chicago.
Many other Americans have been
fortunate enough to recover. Among
them are Drs. H. H. Hodge, of Knox
vile. and T. w. Nesbit, of Upland,
California They survived so weaken
ed, the Red Cross director ordered
them home. But the need was so
great they refused to leave and tend
cred their services to the Serbian gov
eminent, which gladly accepted them.
DR.. Ryan. of Scranton, has been down
with the malady, but is recovering.
he has been decorated with the cross
of the White Eagle by Serbia and the
cross of the Legion of Honor by
France for his heroic work in Bel
grade.
Nearly every physician in Serbia to-
day has from 1000 to 1000 patients
in his hospital camp. He has an as
sistant and one or two nurses. Al
though they try hard. it is impossible
at times to prevent the patients in de-
lirium from killing themselves.
When the epidemic was at it's height,
the mortality rose to forty per cent.
1t is now declared to be down to 10
per cent Although confident. that,
with help now at hand the disease
will be checked. the Serbian govern
ment admits that the conditions after
wards will be most pitiful All cloth
ing and personal effects must be burn
ed. The replacing of these without
outside help will be a matter of years
for the poor peasants.
A black flag in Serbia marks each
house where the disease has victims,
but each flag usually means two or
three. Twenty centuries ago in the
heart of what is now Serbia. went up
a cry for help that has since rulg
down the ages. 1t was the cry to
come to Macedonia and help us" The
same cry is ringing out today, forced
by spiritual and material anguish
far greater than that of the spiritual
need that called out its first utterance.
Serbia admittedly is looking to the
United States for much of the help
that will be necessary to save her
population from the distress in which
they now exist.