The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-02-14
BOOKS TO PILLS
City Makes School Into Hospital
to Fight Flu.
Children Struggle With Death
Instead of 'Rithmetic.
THE EXPERIMENT is COMPLETE
Seven Wards Completely Filled
Since Established.
Man Responsible for 1t
Victim of Epidemic.
THE EXPERIMENT is COMPLETE

Her name is Mary Catherine Griffev.
She is only three years old but already
tragedy has visited her in the death of
her father. Perhaps she does not
know; it would be better so. She is
lying in . bed at the city's emergency
Flu hospital in the old Garfield school
building at Thirteenth and Quincy.
smiling a beautifully innocent, child
smile from beneath the covers. Just
a short time ago she lowered at the
point of death; for three days she was
blue with pneumonia Now she is
asking for bacon and eggs:
Baby Griffeys is not an exceptional
case. There are many similar ones at
the hospital. which the city literally
threw toGether-but orderly-to meet
the emergency created by the flu cpl
deniic. Tho walls of the old school
building, long accustomed to the
prosaic happenings of school room life.
have Witnessed a conglomerate mass of
human motions--sldncss, tragedy,
grit, kindness, unself.sh service and at
times flashes of humor. Where they
saw before youthful struggles to mas
ter SOM difficult problem, they now
sec battles-and they are grim ores,
toto defect the reaDer's scythe.
School-rooiu pranks have ven way to
the determined business of saving
lives. An enforced silence nov greets
the ear whore youthful voices once
rang in happiness and good times.
Transformation Was Rapid.
The transformation of Garfield
school into a hospital necessarily was
q rapid one. The building. which has
not been used as a school for few
years. was in poor repair 1t was
being used some by a society, but
there was still much dirt that had to
be cleaned out before the building
would be ready for care of the sick.
In an incredibly short time. the build
ing was cleaned, the broken-down
ventilation system restored to work
ing order and the old furnace put into
shape. Supplies, rushed from Camp
Funston. were installed and, where
there had been an old, rundown school
building, there is now a clean, modern,
we'll equipped hospital. Perhaps the
appointments are not so fine as in
private institutions of this character,
but the building is clean, warm, well
ventilated and well lighted and affords
all the means needed for the care of
the patients.
Mrs John White is supervisor of
nurses. Mrs. White. herself with a
family at home, came to the health
departments rescue" as Dr. Earle G..
brown. city nealtn OFFICER puts II.
Mrs. White is a graduate of st. Fran
els hospital and has shown herself to
he capable and efficient in her work.
She has n corps of twelve trained
nurses and several other attendants.
including kitchen help. The nurses
are: Misses Blanche and Irene Boud-
renu. Miss Anne Towle. Miss Elizabeth
McAuliffe. Mrs. Carson, Miss Esther
sullivan, Miss Sarah Zeller, Mrs. Mona
Tolliver, Miss Centek. Miss Canivan,
Miss Jacobson and Miss Dumars. Miss
Frances Lowe, Commissioner McGif-
fert's stenographer, is in charge of the
office work at the hospital. Several
of the nurses saw overseas service.
Contains Seven Wards.
There are seven wards. four on the
first floor and three on the second.
When the patient is brought to the
hospital. he is taken to one of the
wards just inside the door. The one
on the right of the hall is for men,
the one on the left for women. When
he shows sufficient improvement, he
is taken upstairs to the convalescent