El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1915-03-23
SERVIANS NEED
CLEANSING FIRE
Nothing but Flames Will
Eradicate Typhus, Says
Sir Thomas Upton.

London. Eng. March 23-Nothing but
a consuming fire will destroy the
typhus epidemic in Servia, according to
Sir Thomas Libton, who has returned
after an extended stay in Servia-. He
said infected houses and the clothing
Of the people, filled with disease bear
ing vermin. must be burned. SIR Thorn
as described appalling conditions
throughout Servia.
L met on the country roads the sick
too weak TO crawl TO a hospital Bull
Often a woman and children were lead
ing builOcl1s, the husband and father IL
the cart raving with fever Scarcely
enough people remain unstricken to dig
graves for the bodies which lie eN-
posed in the cemeteries.
The situation is entirely beyond the
control of the present force, which im-
pera lively needs all the help il can get,
tents. hospitals doctors, nurses, modern
appliances and clothing TO replace the
garments full of typhus bearing YER
min
American Doctor Hero.
Describing the hospital at Ghevegli
where occurred the death of DIT. James
I. Donnelly,. of the American Red Cross.
whom Sir Thomas calls one Of the
greatest heroes Of the war. he said;
The place is a village in a barren,
unculJivated country. the hospital an
old tobacco factory. formerly belonging
to Abdul Hamid. In il were crowded
1900 persons, without blankets or mat
tresses or even straW-men lying In the
clothes in which they had lived in the
trenches Tor months. sWarming with
vermin. All diseases-typhus, typhoid.
dysentery and smallpoX-were herded
together. In such a state DR.. Donneuy
found the hospital, where he had a
force of six American doctors, Il Amer
lean nurses and three Servian doctors
Doctors and Nurses stricken
When I visited the hospital three
American doctors and three Servian
doctors and nine nurses were them
selves sick.
The patients were waited on by Aus
trian prisoners The fumes OF reeklnS
wounds and fever were unbearable. The
patients objected to the windows being
opened and DR.. Donnelly was forced TO
break the panes-
Boilers Save soc Lives.
The first thing DIT. Donnelly did on
his arrival was 10 test the water, which
he found infected. He then imprOvised
boilers Of oil drums, in which to boil
THE boilers saved 500 lives" said DR..
Donnelly. He also built ovens in which
TO bake the clothes Of the patients. but
he was not provided with proper ster-
IiZing apparatus.
People Are accomplishing.
VANS: they have never word OF COM
plant In one ward / saw a fever pa
tient, his magnificent voice booming
songs to cheer his comrades Some
We're in a delirium, calling for mother.
g. one source of infection is the army
black bread. which is the only ration
Of the troops. The patients in the hos
pitfalls receive daily a Loaf which they
put in their bed or under their pillow.
Later the unused lOayes are bought by
peddIers and resold, spreading disease
among the people. who are medivaeI
as far as sanitary conditions are con-
cerned.
The street cleaning and hospital
waiting are done by Austrians. who are
rapidly thinning out from ryphus and
other diseases The best hospital in the
Balkans is al Belgrade under DIT. Ed
ward W. Ryan. of the American contiu-
gent. where there are 2900 patients.
DIT. Ryan kept the hospital neutral dur
ing the Austrian occupation and accom-
plished wonders automatically at that
time He is worshipped by the people.
'Dr. Ryan says that the greatest la
Dor is keeping the hospital free from
vermiu- The typhus afflidts men most
severely. Women come next, and chill
dren for the most part recover The
symptoms i'm the present epidemic begin
like those Of grippe. The disease lasts
IS days with feper and delirium.'