AMONG THE SERBIANS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 218, 9 June 1919, Page 2

AMONG THE SERBIANS

SCOTTISH WOMEN'S HOSPITAL. AT ■ WORK. ■:■■■ - Writing to a member of tho Edinburgh ,Committee, Pr. Elmsiie, in charge of the- ' Scottish' Wonioh's' H6si«tar TJiiit opeiviting in Serbia, , '■'The. work .increases daily instead of showing any sigiu of decreasing:. I am now.unable even, to';get' tho number of patients below .350, however hard I try, .und it .is generally about -307. ..Wo still are able, to take' in. tho y'ery i ill' patients and accidents and operations, but have to'turn majiy..away needing hos. pit'al treatment, and nearly all the Buigaw, -unless very ill. Tho Bulgars aro still in a dreadful state—hardly any food •or clothes, soinotimes two;.or three days without food. One morning wo had Unco brought in; one of whom was just dead when ho arrived;' another' sat down ;on the doorstep and died, and tho third died on tho street''on his way to the ward. This may just give you .a small idea of- conditions.'' It is not all the authorities' 'fault/for the-roads aro so bad and it is ..so .difficult to get food .up, while the way.,to our. hospital is so long that they cannot stand.tho walk. "Our out-patient department is' increasing daily, and wo have from two to three : hundred a day'for: dressings and medicines. AVo' still are the only doctors in Vranja, or for"that part for a radius of fifty miles!' 'Dr.' Mackenzie' and I still, go' every afternoon to town ' .to visit, 'patients at whatever time's wo can snatch to get off.'' I still do 'the 'Kqmicia' (Medical Board) for the recruits and soldiers leaving the army at the'-'Kom-.nnda Hcsta'-(Commandant de la . Place). There is no military doctor to do this. "Wo have been hero'now'ten weeks and. six days, and are very comfortable. We have got.'electric light'.up in all the wards, theatre, and administrative, part', and our engine is running very well. Tho question of. wood for heating and cooking is a little easier now," and life'is-not so difficult. Mrs. Green is still" having- to pay out money, or rather lend money, to the Serbian 'Commissaire,' as they say no money has-yet arrived-in Serbia to pay .for the rations. We .hope that soon this will change, and that 1 Mrs. Green will get back all she has lent- them. We feel quite civilised now-.with the train only iorty miles away. '' "Did I toil you that we had got a beautiful gift for the hospital,. a real kinema, new, of the latest-American pattern, quite firc-proQfj w'hich. cost ,£l5O (one hundred and fifty pounds) ?. Major English, of one of the Motor Transport' Units, gave it .to rno for the hospital. He had bought it for the company, but as they hope to go .to England, soon, and as we thought wo should be in Serbia longer, ho presented"it; to'lis. He had it fixed in a proper little corrugated iron room, fixed up tlio screen, and we have had several "delightfut;.s;hows for the patients, as ho has also given'us several films. I' have had it put in a huge room next our mess-room, which is separate from the hospital. This room has- also an exit' outside tho hospital, so that I was seri-ously-thinking of giving some performances for profit to.our hospital,-one-half profit to our hospital and half for local charities. I thought also of letting people bring eggs and vegetables to the hospital instead of paying money for their seats. Of course, I.should do it very officially through the Prefect. I should have Serbians to take the door money and show tho people in, so that wo should not appear. ~ "We had Miss ..Cnrwon .and Miss Turner 'with-us-for two nights'-arid-wo-were able to give them a little material for their reports oh Bulgarian treatoent. We were very pleased to see them, but sorry -that it was not ono of.our own Edinburgh Committee. Everybody, is working so tfell and Dr. M'Kenzie and Dr. Blake are perfect 'bricks,' working all the time, and so pleasant to work with." ,