CHAPTER IV.

A Visit from Scutari-Visit from Miss Stanley-Death of Mr. Edmondes-Lethargy produced by Fever-Remarkable Recovery from Fever-An Irishman's Thankfulness-Arrangement of Offices-Illness among the Nurses-The Grave of Polycarp-His Martyrdom-A Statue of Jupiter-Revovery of its Head-Bay of Smyrna-Village of BoudjaSoldiers' Burying-ground - American Missionaries A Jewish Convert-Fresh Arrival of Patients-Removal to the Turkish Hospital-Our Harsh Treatment-Prohibition of Tracts-Sectarian Jealousy-Distinction of Sects-Ignorance of Religion-Illness of the Physicians-Mr. H—'s Recovery.

ON the same morning as Drusilla Smyth died, a party of ladies and nurses for Koulali and Scutari arrived, under the protection of our good chaplain; they breakfasted with us, and walked round the hospital, although we were so much occupied as to be unable to go with them and give them details. Before leaving, they, by their own request, received the Holy Communion, administered to them by their own chaplain.

I should have said, about the end of March, Mr. Bracebridge arrived at Smyrna. He breakfasted once

VISIT FROM MISS STANLEY.

59

with us; but otherwise I hardly saw him; nor did I hear what he thought of the hospital, nor the object of his visit. The deaths then had decreased, being on an average one in two hundred each day; but among the staff, in which I include doctors, dispensers, ladies, nurses, and orderlies, there was much sickness, which daily seemed on the increase.

Miss Stanley paid us a visit on her way home, on the 5th of April. She stayed a few days with Dr. Meyer, who had arrived some time before, and visited our house and the hospital frequently. She expressed her surprise at finding our table neatly laid out, and that we all sat down to breakfast and dinner together, if possible, and unless something necessarily detained us at the hospital-telling us, that at Koulali each got her food and cooked it in any way and at any time she could. Perhaps this could not have been prevented at that particular time at Koulali ; but we thought it a far less waste of time, health, and everything, to have our food arranged as it was -although afterwards, when the work at the hospital was much less, and our agreement with Mr. Meil had expired, it was found advisable and more economical to have it on a different plan.

Miss Hutton, who succeeded Miss Stanley as lady superintendent at Koulali, was then on her way there,

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DEATH OF MR. EDMONDES.

and landed at Smyrna, when she paid a visit to Miss O, who was an old friend of hers.

Mr. Haddow, who had officiated as chaplain since our arrival, having been obliged to quit Scutari, on account of his health, left us, and returned to Scutari with the Koulali party, and was succeeded by Mr. Windsor.

On the 21st, one of the ladies returned to England; and the courier and his son were sent back, there being no further use for them.

One of the dispensers, Mr. Edmondes, was now dangerously ill with fever. He was stationed at the lazaretto; and on his falling ill, was brought to the hospital, where a small vacant ward was assigned to him, as he could be better and more constantly attended to there, than at his own quarters; and he certainly lacked neither attention nor skill. Dr. Martin hardly ever left his bed-side; but, in spite of all, he died on the 23rd, after an illness of only a few days and painful, indeed, was the task of writing to his friends, to tell of his death, for he was "the only son of his mother, and she was a widow."

Immediately on Mr. Edmondes' death, the other dispenser, Mr. Trotman, was seized with fever, and had a most lengthened and dangerous illness. This fever, which appeared in almost every ward, was

LETHARGY PRODUCED BY FEVER.

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The first case I saw

indeed most deadly and severe. was in my own division. D, a soldier of the 34th, who had been acting as orderly (and who, I heard, had been a most hard-working and attentive one), suddenly sickened, and his case very rapidly assumed the worst form. He had been seized in the orderlies' room, and for a day remained there; but was afterwards removed to one of my wards, on the basement-floor. I never saw any one so suddenly and utterly prostrated: it seemed almost hopeless to attempt to do anything for him; and so, I suspect, the surgeon thought; for, giving general instructions, he left me to do pretty much as I pleased. I remember so well what an intense desire possessed me to prolong that man's life. He was in the stage of fever in which it is necessary to give constant stimulants, and nourishment if possible; but that, in general, they will not take, except perhaps a mouthful at a time of beef-tea; indeed, they are very unwilling to take anything, and dislike being roused from their lethargic state; but it must be done, or they would slumber on into that lethargy from which, in this world, there is no awaking; so every five or ten minutes I used to pour restoratives, a very small quantity at a time, down poor D's throat, who swallowed it with many a groan-being just able to swallow, and no more. This went on all day; and

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REMARKABLE RECOVERY

at night Mr. Coote kindly walked with me to the hospital, to see how he was, and to recommend him to the especial care of the nurse and orderly who were to sit up with him. Three or four doctors were standing round his bed: all said there was not a vestige of hope; and I went away with a heavy heart, charging both nurse and orderly to give him perpetual stimulants-which they must have done, for by the morning he had nearly finished a bottle of brandy.

Next day, at an early hour, I stood at the door of the ward. How my heart beat! I had seen no one who could tell me whether he was alive or dead. At last I summoned courage, and went in, when I saw two orderlies standing by the bed, and Dstretched on it but whether alive or dead, I could not tell, though he looked more like the latter. There I stood at the door, literally unable to move, until the orderly who had been up all night turned round and saw me: a smile broke over his face, as he exclaimed, “All right, Ma'am! Jem's alive!" I am very sorry I have forgotten this orderly's name: he was an Irishman and a soldier-one whose gentleness and attention equalled, indeed almost surpassed, any woman's I ever saw. He soon after left for the Crimea. Yes, "Jem" was alive; but that was all; and that day was a repetition of the last, the