Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1915-04-27
THE TYPHUS
An American Doctor Writes Of Some
of Its Characteristics.

The Serbian agricultural reliei
committee of America, headquar-
ters in Washington, is in receipt OF
the following letter from DR.. Barton
Cookingham, stationed at Valjevo
Serbia, written while the physician
was a victim Of typhus fever. The
Doctor Cooke mentioned in the letter
is DR.. Albert S. Cooke Of Brooklyn
who died three days after the letter
was written:
Right at the start am going to
take you by surprise and tell you that
owing to an attack of 'typhus recur-
rams l have not had an opportunity
to write before. While writing this
l am about two feet away from Cooke
who is on his back with the same
malady, and, as he is very weak, he
is in no condition to write, much as
he wants to. I am at present in what
they call the interval, which lasts q
varying length Of time. At the end OF
that period, the fever returns again
and you have to go through the same
thing over again. Twice usually ends
it, but leaves you very weak and thin.
1 have lost about forty pounds al
ready.
when we arrived here we were
put under contract to the Serbian
government at the tune Of 600 franc
month We were each put In
charge of hospital. Cooke got
what they call the gymnasium and
drew the military hospital, which was
formerly a hotel. The dressing and
operating room, where we do all our
work, is large and contains four
tables. There are absolutely nc
antiseptic Surroundings and no means
of making any. My place is so crude
that I will not attempt to do any
operating there. No matter how
competent an operator is his efforts
are more or less in vain in this place
After a person has been operated
on he must have milk and eggs
Here there is none OF either. We
have bought eggs and milk for them
at times, but our salaries will not al.
low us to feed whole hospital
They have no beds to lie upon.
pile of straw upon the floor in some
cases-and nothing in others-an
swers for beds. In my place they ART
oil NJ &
room, as there is no other place fol
them. 1t is pitiful when one think!
what a lot of good beds would dc
scattered around Serbia,
Our mortality has been high be.
cause there has been nothing for the
| poor beggars to eat post operative
Everything is sickness here now. Ty'
phus is taking it's toll. Cookies hos
| pital is closed, and the other surgica
hospitals, run by the Dutch mission
is closed because the surgeon-in chic
with most of his staff, is critically il
with 'typhus abdominalis.'
| LAS a result Of the shortage o.
bandages and cotton, cases tina
should have been dressed every day
had to go over, and death usual!
terminated the poor fellows suffer
ing. They have absolutely nothing
in the way of either-there is none II
the country.
THE town is in very bad condi
ton. showing very markedly the eff
| fects of the war There is absolute
| ly no sanitation and filth abounds
everywhere. The people say this il
one of the most picturesque towns il
Serbia in times Of peace.
1--WE need most everything, especi
ally ether and cotton bandages, bu
anything would not be out of place
even cigars and cigarettes" ."-Lette
from Serbian Relief Committee.