The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1915-06-02
Only 800 Physicians to Min
lister to a Population of
5000, 900 People
AMERICAN DOCTOR
DIED FROM TYPHUS
His Companion Stricken with Disease
But Recoverable Quarantine Ex-
ists-Army Suffers Less from Dis
ease Than Rest of Country.

1oub nCCONS1C0-1NO NuctA obnb4AAS La
ists-Army Suffers Less from Dis
ease Than Rest of Country.
PARIS, June DIR. Barton McCosh |
Buckingham of Red Hook, n Y, who |
was sent to Paris last fall by the New |
York Sun on a fund supplied by the |
Duchess de Talleyrand Gamma Gould), has
returned from Serbia, where he proceed |
ed in answer to call for American ply
sicans DR. Coollingham worked in Ser
bia with DR.. Albert Cook of Brooklyn, n.
Y, another physician sent to Europe by
the fund supplied by the Duchess of Tai
leyrand DIR. Cook died from typhus.
DR. Cookingham began work on Janu-
airy ] at Nalyevo, a town OF 5000 popu-
lation, increased to 1900 on account of
the war. From the moment he began
there We're always from 500 to / 900 sur
gical cases on hand, with only two doc
tors, one of them Dir. Cookingham himself
to do the work They had a small and
poorly equipped hospital, but no supplies,
drugs or nurses, except some Austrian
prisoners who volunteered them services
The SeTvia civilians were lacking in
Education" Dir. Cookingham said, "and
could be of little help in the great amount
Of work confronting the two doctors.
THE typhus epidemic began on Novem-
Der / and thereafter there were practi-
Ically 80 deaths daily at Valyevo, chiefly
among the soldiers and prisoners This
lrate Of mortality continued at Nalyevo
iand in the rest of Serbia the normal death
rate was exceeded by about 70 per cent.
DR.. Cooks Martyrdom Honored
After Dr. Cook had contracted typhus
: his condition was aggravated by the lack
s., of proper nursing facilities. On January
| IS his condition became very grave and
on February - he died After his death
the Serbian government in recognition of
This distinguished services granted his
mother and wife 10000 francs ($2, 00O)
and promised to erect monument to his
memory"
Dr. Coollingham fell i'll with typhus on
january 20 and had nearly recovered by
February Z, when he was attacked with
the more severe form of the disease, called
tyPhus exanthomatus. This form of the
ldisease lasted for three weeks during
which time his temperature rose to 104
and 1O6 degrees, without falling for an
entire fortnight. He was completely de-
irious for two weeks and lost 30 pounds
He received practically no treatment the
three Serbian doctors then in the town
having no medicines.
DR.. Cookingham told The Suns CORE
spondent that Serbia is one of the most
primitive countries medically, as well as
IN about every other respect. 1t has 800
physicians to attend a population of about
100000, and, from the American view
point, these physicians would scarcely be
classed as competent medical practition-
ers
He describes the conditions in Serbia as
; most pitiable. There is no sanitation and
no medical material. The typhus cases
are placed in the hospitals with the surgi
cal cases. There are lice everywhere, the
very ground swarming with them, so that
1t is impossible to escape being bitten
Those who do not contract typhus, he
says, must be naturally immune or must
have been bitten only by the few lice that
have not already nipped typhus patient
Typhus in -Four Countries.
There are no such things as sheets.
DIR. Cookingham lay miserably on a mat
tress which was placed on the floor, Their,
being no bedstead Smallpox abound
q Everywhere, he said, and the sufferer
continue to walk the streets and even fire
. Iquent the restaurants at Belgrade n,
!, quarantine exists. The populations fatal
> ism and superstition would make the en-
> lofceInenJ OF quarantine most difficult
! He says that there is great deal o
. cholera in Belgrade and that typhus il
:, raging in Montenegro, Bosnia and Here
9 Igovlna but not in Greece
!, The Serbian army near the Austrian
!, front has suffered less from typhus thai
= the rest of the country. Communication
. with this army has been reduced to tn
:. minimum in the hope that the men will
be spared from the disease
There is nothing to eat in all Serbia
!, he says, except prunes, cabbage, it'll
i Ipork and inferior sugar, which sells 70
6 eight cents pound. Oranges sell for 4,
: and 80 cents apiece. There is no wood o
!. lcoal
= The population is much perturbed a
= ltaly's Intervention, and would have pre-
terred that country to remain neutral, a
it is believed that the allies have prom
ised Italy the entire Dalmatian coast.
DIR. Buckingham says that Sir Thoma
lLipton rendered great services to Serbia
: especially by securing publicity for tn
Il lcountry's needs. He believes that tn
! typhus epidemic there is the worst {
modern times and that it is CROWN
] worse. He hopes to return after his cor
valeseense with a sanitary outfit from til
! United States.