Professional reminiscences of foreign travel / by W. Channing, M.D.

  • Walter Channing
Date:
[1852?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Professional reminiscences of foreign travel / by W. Channing, M.D. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    at all times my people.” So sudden and so rapidly destructive was the cholera in St. Petersburg, that men fell and died before aid could be procured. The crowded Exchange was exposed to this danger, and the Emperor, to meet such chances, had a hospital prepared with physi¬ cians, nurses and medicines in the building itself, so that the merchants assembled there might be at once attended when seized. To show the malignancy of the disease, notwithstanding all this care, 3000 deaths oc¬ curred in one day in St. Petersburg. These facts were communicated to me by men thoroughly acquainted with them, and who could have had no motive to state to me what was not true. M y next visit was to civil hospitals—establishments for the poor. I had a special reason for these visits. The power of Russia is in its army. A military government in every sense of the word looks ever to the soldier as its only sure defence. It was not at all to be wondered at that he should receive the most scrupulous attention, especially in re¬ gard to health, from the government, and the evidence of such care was everywhere manifested. But how is it in Russia with the poor—that vast social encumbrance and perpetual inheritance of civilization, in despotism, limited, constitutional monarchy, and in the purest republic. I found the civil hospital in Russia as perfect in its kind, as was the military in its. The year is divided here into two seasons—the sum¬ mer and the winter, and for the poor is a summer, and a winter hospital. The latter was empty at my visit; and repairs, painting and whitewash¬ ing, Stc., were in hand everywhere. The sick were in the summer hos¬ pital, in the same enclosure with the other. Here were walks, shrub¬ beries, trees, and every out-door arrangement for the comfort and well¬ being of convalescents. Those who could not go abroad, were in wards. These were perfectly clean and well ventilated. The bed-furniture was white, and the dress of the patients uniform, also white. As we entered the grounds, I was much struck with the effect of this dress—a long white garment, and a large white cap, or turban. 1 was in the grounds for the men, and moving about in the shade of the trees, they looked more like ghosts than living people. I asked my most friendly and useful guide what all this meant; for at first there seemed to be a good reason for the question. It was easily answered. In the female ward a patient interested me much by the strong expression of disease she manifested^ It was a hot day, and this added to the appearance of exhaustion. Close to her bed, on a stand, was a basin of ice broken up as it might be used, and from which she seemed to derive most needed comfort. I will not go into further detail. In this little arrangement for poverty
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