A Nurse's Life in War and PeaceLaurence, E. C. (Eleanor Constance)
History
A Nurse's Life in War and Peace
Laurence, E. C. (Eleanor Constance)
Military nursing; Nursing -- Great Britain; South African War, 1899-1902 -- Medical care
We had a spell of very hot weather between the 16th and the 21st, and
on the 20th we had another sad death, a young St. John's Ambulance man,
who was admitted on the 16th with acute rheumatism (he had had enteric
in South Africa). It was my night on duty, and at 11.45 I did not think
he seemed so well, and I found his temperature had run up to 105°, and
his pulse was very bad; we did everything that was possible for the poor
boy, but his temperature continued to rise and his heart to fail; he was
dreadfully breathless, and it was so difficult to prop him up enough in
the bunks; by 1 A.M. his temperature had reached 106.6°, and he knew
that he was dying, and was able to tell me where to write to his mother.
He died very soon after.
It was dreadfully sad for the other men, as, of course, they were all
awake, and in such terribly close quarters--one man in the bunk above
him, and two more close beside him; and it does seem such hard luck for
these two men to have got through their time in South Africa and then to
knock over just when they are nearing home.
A nice sergeant in a bunk near by saw that I was very much cut up about
this poor boy, and said, "Never mind, Sister, no one could have done
more for the poor lad to give him a chance than you have; but I know I
have seen many men die on the battlefield, but it's a lot worse to see
one die between decks here." Afterwards we carried him out to a small
bathroom, and he was buried the next day.
I found one of the patients in the hospital was a Bart.'s student who
had been serving at the front.
Both Lord and Lady Roberts took a great interest in the men, and Lord
Roberts used to come up to me in the morning and ask how they had got
through the night; and he would ask after the men who were especially
ill by name: of course they were awfully pleased when I told them.
They both went round the hospital several times, and on Christmas Day
they went down and shook hands with all the men in hospital, wishing
them a happy day, and then they sent down a large sugared cake and some
chocolate for the men who were well enough to enjoy it, and the very
sick ones all had some champagne; the men appreciated it very much, and
there was a great demand for envelopes to take "a bit of Bobs' cake
home."
Many of the beautiful baskets of flowers that came on board for Lady
Roberts at the different ports found their way down to the hospital, and
the men especially treasured a beautiful Union Jack that came on board
at Madeira, made of red geraniums and blue and white violets.
By the 22nd it had become cooler and rather damp, so all the men
returned to the hospital (from the upper deck). On the 24th one of the
officer patients had to have an anæsthetic for a slight operation on his
arm; and I had a busy night in the hospital, as one man had a fit, and
there were several enterics very ill.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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