Visit to Settlement Hospitals Reveals Many Empty Beds: Rush Now Over Masse" Shanghai, Cet, 10.
TPPHE grim scourge of cholera, which has claimed over 3,000 victims in the Settlement alone during the present epidemic, is showing signs of abating.
Throughout last month the Settlement cholera hospitals ere packed literally to overflowing, with hardly an inch of space to spare. But a "North-China Daily News" representative who visited the two hospitals at Pakhoi and Sinza Roads yesterday saw the welcome sight of many empty beds in wards which had been crammed full but two weeks before.
When the epidemic was of its peak, the Seltlement cholera hospi-{als were taking in no less than. 150 patients a day—a quantity which would, in normal times, fil a cholera hospital. Now. the number has been vedueed to under 40 a day, Within the next month, the epidemic will be over. Hard-worked doctors and nurses, who have been battling heroically with the hordes of eases rushed in from all parts of the Settlement, are just beginning to take a breathing spell, Mere statistics give no idea of the seriousness of a cholera epidemic at a time such as the present. The Tsola~ tion Hospital where cholera patients would normally be accommodated, had to be evacuated at the beginning of hostilities. Tt fell, therefore, upon Dr. W.R. Johnston, super Inendent of Setilement hospitals, to ud accommodation within a week's notice for an ever increasing num~ ber of cholera patients. Tt was not at all easy to find accommodation, fit It to the needs of a cholera hospital, and start treating upwards of 100 patients a day all in one fell weep, But within a week, Dr. Jobn= ston had his two hospitals—the Pakhoi Road and Sinza Road schools.
Tuckshop as Mortuary Im each of these schools, gos and hot water had to be laid' on, and an Infinite number of small ' additions, had to be made, such as the erection of partitions, the provision fof bath-tubs, beds, ete, A close Inspection of these' two hospitals revealed that use had been made of every single article which could be put to. good purpose in the treat ment of cholera, The Pakhoi Road School tuckshop, to quote rather morbid example, had been trans formed into a mortuary. Desks had become bedside tables, and blank. blackbonrds looked down on, wards where beds had taken the place of rows of forms.
Most of the beds used in the cholera hospitals are camp beds Drought back from Hongkew in a big convoy, which, incidentally, nar~ rowly missed being hit by a' shall Homely Soochow bathetubs earthenware, which are about a quarter of the cost of tin bath tubs, fare used for washing and disinfect ing the cholera patients.
At the main entrance to each hospital is a large spray containing disinfectant. 'Every form "of con Veyanee tised for bringing, in cholera patients, rickshaws, handcarts, pri vote cars, lorries, ambulances' and oven the strong arms of willing friends, are sprayed Wberally with disinfectant on leaving the hospital. "and you might as well wash your shoes in Lysol when you get home, Dr, Johnston told the "North-China Daily News reporter, "it is no use taking chances with a scourge Vike cholera."
By the time they leave hospital they are able to walk.
'A Heavy Responsibility The whole of the responsibility of dealing with the present cholera epidemic, considered to be one of the worse in the history of Shanghai, has been thrown on the shoulders of Dr. Johnston, who has personally organized the cholera hospitals. and superintended—the treatment patients, in addition to administer Ing the other municipal hospitals. He has been ably assisted by. the two Kindly matrons in charge of the cholera hospitals, and their stof of foreign and Chinese assistants.
Tt is a great credit to the hard worked staffs of the cholera hospitals that the present epidemic has shown normal death rate for a cholera epidemic, that Is, about 30 per cent. Working under the stress and strain of the most abnormal conditions, the hospital staffs "have taken in' the enormous number of 2,000 cholera patients since the epidemic began, Last month, it was necessary 10 crowd five or six beds around each saline injector. Now, there is one to every two patient
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.