Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1915-04-12
Stories of the War
Conditions in Serbia.

Belief is becoming common in Ser
bia that the disappearing and fatal
typhus there is communicated not only
by vermin but by simple contagion
through the air breathed, according to
letter from Nine. Voya Marionko-
witch, wife of the Serbian Minister OF
Agriculture. She reports that the Ser
bian army continues generally I'M
tounched by the fever, but its raVages
among the Austrian prisoners and
civilians Of all classes all over Mace
donna and Serbia continue without
abatement. The letter is to her sister,
Mile. Helene Losanitch who is now In
| New York in the interests of Serbian
relief.
"They say it is a dirt disease" she
| writes, land yet so many Of the cases
are those of persons who frequently
| battle and Use antiseptics, that one is
| forced to Helieve the contagion is in
the very air we breathe. After every
precaution has been taken in hospi-
tails, and stricken persons isolated, the
| wounded as we'll as doctors and nurses
| continue to fall ILL.,"
Nine. Marionkovitch reports the
| death of Nine. Lukovitch, president of
| the Cerbian Circle of Sisters, who con-
| tracted typhus while on a visit of in
| spection to the hospitals at Valyevo.
| Although during her illness she knew
| she was condemned to death. she did
| not once complain, but died as heroic
woman as she had lived. says the
| writer.
1--WE greatly fear" she continued,
that during the hot weather the dis
| ease will spread as it did during the
| Bulgarian war. All our hope lies in
the Rockefeller commission, which. as
you know, came out to investigate
conditions They have promised to
recommend that the Rockefeller Foun-
dalton and the American Red Cross
send US a sanitary commission COM
| posed of bacteriologists. and Of doctors
and nurses skilled in treating tropical
diseases. Please while. you are in
America send us reports which have
been published in any Of the medical
papers of work done in connection
with typhus or other tropical diseases
1t would be of great use to our doctors
if these could be translated into Ser
| bian.
DO please tell me at once If they
have done anything in America by way
| of inoculating against typhus. AT
present there is nothing to help it but
| careful nursing. 1t is said that over
so per cent. die Of heart failure. on
| about the tenth day of the illness.
when each day brings news Of the
deaths, not only of those of our poorer
classes, but Of 50 many of those of oul
| own class. I sometimes wonder who
will be left to inherit the Greater Ser
bia which we are promised by the
we have suffered.
1--WE hear that our men as well az
the Russians who were taken prisoners
are all dying in the detention camp!
of Austria, and that the villages o.
southern Austria are even more Sc
verely stricken with typhus than thos'
here.
But for the awful depression ant
heartbreaking sorrow of this epidemic
the country would be feeling almos
normal
For once the Danube has done u
a noble service-its inundation, per
haps more than anything else, has pre-
vented the Austrians from even at
| tempting an invasion Of our land sine
they were driven out about the middl
of December. Now that our army
reformed. reclothed, revictuled. lie
them come if they want another beat
ing such as We gave them the las
time 1t is a comfort to know that tn
army has been put under shelter il
peasant houses or sheds constructe
especially for them"