Eastern Hospitals and English Nurses; the narrative of twelve months' experience in the Hospitals of Koulali and Scutari. By a Lady Volunteer

Front matter

BLE WARD.KOIJLALT BARK; . * [TAL EASTERN HOSPITALS AND ENGLISH NUESES; THE NARRATIVE OF TWELVE MONTHS' EXPERIENCE IN THE HOSPITALS OF KOULALI AND SCUTARI. BY A LADY VOLUNTEER. " They are the patient sorrows that touch nearest."— Ion. Œllirti lEtrttion, Uebiseti. LONDON: HURST AND BLACKETT, PUBLISHERS, SUCCESSORS TO HENRY COLBURN, 13, GREAT MARLBOROUGH STREET 1857. J. Billing, Printer, 103, Ilatton Garden, London, and Guildford, Surrey. TO THOSE OF f fee %niis\ string, WHO DISPLAYED THEIR HEROISM NOT ONLY ON THE BATTLE-FIELD, BUT IN THE PATIENT ENDURANCE OF SUFFERING, PRIVATION, AND NEGLECT, IN THE WARDS OF EASTERN HOSPITALS, THIS WORK IS DEDICATED.

Preface

TO THE THIRD EDITION. Since the publication of the First Edition of " Eastern Hospitals and English Nurses," a very great change has taken place in the state of affairs in the East. The War has ceased — the allied forces have returned to their homes — the Hospitals on the Bosphorus, in which the Writer spent much of her time, have been handed over to their rightful owners, and are once more occupied by Turkish soldiers ; and now nothing is left behind to tell the future traveller of the occurrences in which this country took so important a part, but the consecrated spots of ground, dotted with monuments and grave-stones, under which he the remains of so many thousands of brave soldiers. VI

PREFACE.

. No doubt much of the interest and excitement felt, during the War, in every thing relating to the East, have passed away. But notwithstanding, the Writer of the following pages ventures to offer to the Public a revised Edition of her Work, at a price within the reach of all, believing that the subject of which it treats is not of an ephemeral nature, but one which, with the British Public, will ever be con sidered with deep interest. The establishment of a proper system of Female Nursing, whether for the bed-ridden poor at their own homes, or for the sick in Civil and Military Hospitals, is indeed a desideratum devoutly to be wished ; and it will be to the Writer a cause of much thankfulness, if the contents of this Work should have the effect of drawing public attention more and more to this deeply-felt want, and elicit a scheme which will have for its object the alleviation, in some measure, of the hidden sorrows and sufferings of the helpless poor, by sending to them Nurses who will, from the principle of love, minister unto them as unto Christ. The narrative of the experience of the Author will point out at least to some extent the rocks and

PREFACE.

. VII difficulties which lie in the way, and which it will be necessary to avoid. It will, probably, satisfy those who are anxious for the adoption of a proper Nursing system, that the plan of employing hired Nurses only, and these, too, without careful reference to their moral and religious character, is not the one that will meet the much-felt want. There must be a higher principle at work than that of gain or applause — one of simple duty in the fulfil ment of a great command is required — an ever present realization of the fact that, " Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these, ye have done it unto Me." That principle alone will sustain the sympathising tenderness so necessary to efficient Nursing, and so greatly endangered by the constant contact with suffering and distress.

If hired Nurses are to be employed, it should alone be under the direction of those who, from higher motives, have devoted themselves, for a time at least, to the work in question. The Writer, in conclusion, begs to offer her thanks for the very favourable manner in which the early Edition of her Work has been received by

PREFACE.

. the Public, and for the courteous and considerate way in which it has been reviewed by the Press, notwithstanding its many imperfections and errors, in part owing to the haste with which it was originally prepared. Some of the more apparent of these have now been corrected ; and a Narrative has been added of the work of the Sisters of Mercy at Balaclava, during the six months they were employed in the General Hospital there, with so much good to the soldier, so much benefit to the Hospi tal, and so much satisfaction to all in authority in the Crimea. London, January, 1857. CONTENTS. CHAPTEE I. PAGE Battle op the Alma. — Eobmation of the Nursing System . . . . . . ,1 CHAPTEE II. JoUBNEY. — AbBITAL AT CONSTANTINOPLE . . 10 CHAPTEE III. Thebapia. — Naval Bubying Gbound . . .20 CHAPTEE IV. Scutabi . . ..... 37 CHAPTEE V. Koulali . . . . . • .58 CHAPTEE VI.

Death op the Czab ..... 68 CHAPTEE VII. Miss Smythe's Death . . . . • 81 CHAPTEE VIII. New Abmvals . . . • • . , X CONTENTS. CHAPTEE IX. PAGE EoUTINE OP WoBK ..... 105 CHAPTEE X. Anecdotes of Patients ..... 119 CHAPTEE XI. The same continued ..... 134 CHAPTEE XII. Stabving System ... ... 145 CHAPTEE XIII. The Sistebs of Mebcy ..... 150 CHAPTEE XIV. Night Watching ...... 160 CHAPTEE XV. The Fbbnch Sœues de la Charite . . . 169 CHAPTEE XVI. Improvements ...... 180 CHAPTEE XVII. Extba Diets ...... 193 CHAPTEE XVIII. Busy Scenes ....... 202 CHAPTEE XIX. Fbbb Gipts ...... 209 CHAPTEE XX. Baieam . . . . . . .215 CONTENTS. XI CHAPTEE XXI. page Choleba ....... 229 CHAPTEE XXII. The Queen's Gifts ...... 240 CHAPTEE XXIII. Eeligion in the Army ..... 248 CHAPTEE XXIV. Fall of Sebastopol : 255 CHAPTEE XXV.

Departure op the Sisters of Mercy foe Balaclava 263 CHAPTEE XXVI. Stamboul ....... 272 CHAPTEE XXVII. Santa Sophia ...... 286 CHAPTEE XXVIII. Breaking up Xoulali ..... 300 CHAPTEE XXIX. Nursing at Balaclava . . . . . 310 CHAPTEE XXX. Conclusion ....... EASTEKN HOSPITALS AND ENGLISH NURSES.

Chapter I

" The joy bells rang, But there were bursting hearts that waited long That battle day's dread tidings, and they came A tale of patient suffering : — Words of love — spoken by dying lips." There are few who will not remember the intense ex citement which was roused in England when the newspapers of October the 1st, 1854, announced the battle of Alma, fought on the 20th of September. Many anxious hopes and fears had been with the army since it left England in March ; but months had passed away, little had been done, and expectation had almost ceased, when, like the blast of a trumpet, the news of battle and victory rang through the land. The first burst of exultation had hardly passed away when the lists of killed and wounded arrived, and then the realities of war were brought to almost every En glish home.

The " Gazette " office in London on the 8th of October was crowded with inquirers, pale with B A GRAVE DEFICIENCY. auxiety, who grasped the printed list with trembling hands ; and it needed no words to tell the tale revealed to each by the absence or presence of the well-known name in the fatal column. The official list announced that we had lost 26 officers, 327 non-commissioned officers and men killed in action ; and that 73 officers, 1557 non-com missioned officers and men were wounded. The " Tele graph " office was crowded by friends anxious to convey the glad tidings to country homes, that much-loved names were not included in the list. All who had letters hastened to communicate their contents to those who had none. The common bond of sympathy spread through the land ; England was like one great family.

The friends and relations of some one or other in an army of 26,000 British troops in a foreign and unhealthy land were to be found in every corner of the kingdom, and the ravages of cholera, and the loss of 1000 men in Bulgaria, had already added to the general anxiety. The lists were followed by the harrowing details of the battle field, the embarcation of the wounded, and their arrival at the imperfectly prepared hospital at Scutari. On the 22nd of September, three days after the battle, 800 sick and wounded men were sent to Scutari in the Vulcan and Andes : these arrived on the 24th, and were landed on the 26th. 900 were sent two days after in the Orinoco and Columba, including 60 or 70 Rus sians ; they arrived on the 26th at Scutari, and were landed on the 27th. The newspapers were filled with complaints, and their statements produced the same effect everywhere.

The first cry was, that the wounded had arrived, and there was no lint or linen to dress their wounds with. The papers were instantly filled with letters offering THE FIRST VOLUNTEERS. 3 both. From house to house, parish to parish, lint was collected in bales and tons, till the public were assured, on official authority, that a further supply was not needed. But the lint letters were succeeded by others, stating a grave deficiency. The medical men were overtaxed ; the orderlies were ill-suited to attend in sickness. To meet the emergency, and to attend to the wants of more than 2,500 men, sick and wounded, there were at Scutari only 10 working medical officers, each of whom would thus have had 250 patients daily to attend to. The other branches of the service were equally ineffi cient in numbers.

All, or nearly all, the medical officers were in the Crimea with the army at the time, and. there must have been more than 450 regimental and staff medical officers there, many more than could have been needed for the sick of 23,000 men, being equal to one doctor for every 50 men, effective and non-effective. Now arose the cry for nurses. Why were the En glish soldiers to be deprived of the comforts enjoyed by the French ? On the first appearance of sickness at Varna, they had sent for Sisters of Charity, and the summons was instantly obeyed, and in bands of twenty five they went as they were wanted. Why, it was said, are there no such nurses in England ? Surely there are women in England as well as France, who would go forth and minister to the wants of the sick and wounded soldiers ! And English women were not wanting.

Many were the individuals who, in their secluded homes, determined to offer their services for this pur pose, and applied for information and permission to the official authorities. Amongst other volunteers was the widowed daughter b st. John's house, Westminster. of an Irish nobleman, Lady M F . She en gaged three nurses, furnished money for their outfit and expenses, and on the 11th of October she went to Miss Nightingale, then in Harley Street, and requested her to take them out to the East, or to recommend some one else, failing which she was ready to go herself ! Subject to the approval of her parents — which was given — Miss Nightingale consented to go, and every preparation was made for her departure on the 17th. Her letter to Mr. Sidney Herbert— asking for government protection — was crossed by one from him, earnestly requesting her to undertake the task, and select her own band.

The scheme from this moment became a public one ; and though every day's delay was to be deprecated, it was thought desirable to attempt to procure a larger staff of nurses, and therefore Miss Nightingale's de parture was delayed for several days. She appointed two ladies to assist her in the selection of nurses ; and while they dealt with individuals, she dealt with institutions and communities. From the beginning it was determined that all party feeling was to be merged in the one common object of alleviating suffering ; and in the se lection of nurses few questions were asked, and no ob jections made, on the ground of differences of creed or shades of opinion. The only point on which any stress was laid — and it was laid equally on all — was, that proselytising was strictly forbidden. The Master of St. John's House, Westminster, applied to the Bishop of London, on the 13th, saying he was ready to go out and take seven nurses.

The Ca tholic Bishop of Southwark made a similar application THE SELECTION OF NURSES. 5 to the War-office on the same day, having completed arrangements for five Sisters of Mercy to start immediately; which they did, but were stopped in Paris, and desired to wait for the whole band, then being or ganised under Miss Nightingale. All were to be subjected to her in matters relating to the hospital. With the approval of the Catholic Bishop of Southwark, rules were issued to the Sisters of Mercy for this special service — the first of which was, that the sisters should attend to the corporeal wants of the soldiers, but that they should never introduce religious subjects, except to patients of their own faith. The Master of St. John's House accepted Miss Nightingale's terms, after two days' consideration.

The institution founded by Mrs. Fry was the first to which Miss Nightingale applied, laying before the Lady Superintendent the terms offered by government; i. e. their not being for the time in connection with any other institution. She replied that none of the nurses would consent to go under such conditions, and the proposal therefore at once fell to the ground. Miss Sellon applied towards the middle of the week, and Miss Nightingale consented to take out eight of her sisters. Between sixty and seventy nurses offered to go out — owing to the active kindness of friends who searched London for the purpose. Out of this number only eleven were selected, and that with great difficulty, the appli cants being generally of a doubtful character. By Sa turday, October 21st, the band was completed as follows : Ten Catholic Sisters of Mercy ; eight of Miss Sellon's sisters; six nurses from St. John's; three selected by Lady M. F ; eleven selected from applicants ; in all, 38.

TIDINGS FROM THE EAST. The only additions were Mr. and Mrs. Bracebridge, who most kindly, at the last moment, offered to go with Miss Nightingale ; and on Monday, this expedition left England, under their escort. At Boulogne they were met on landing by the fish-women, who, hearing of their mission, insisted on carrying their luggage, gratis, to the Hotel des Bains, where the landlord pro vided a sumptuous luncheon for the whole party, for which neither he nor any one in his establishment would accept any remuneration ; he repeated his libe rality on the succeeding occasions when other bands of nurses passed through on their way to the East. They proceeded to Marseilles, where the "Vectis" awaited them, and conveyed them, after a stormy pas sage, to Constantinople, at which they arrived on Satur day, November 4th, and were at once allotted the quarters in the Barrack Hospital at Scutari, which were thus occupied until the closing of the Hospital in August, 1856.

Meantime the selection of nurses for future bands was left in the hands of Mrs. Sidney Herbert, Miss Stanley, and Miss Jones, Superintendent of St. John's House, Westminster. Each post, each hour, brought fresh offers; and, as a test of the qualifica tions of the applicants, it was agreed that, with few exceptions, all should go through training at some of the London Hospitals, and, to facilitate this, St. John's House and St. Saviour's Home, Osnaburgh Street, were opened to receive probationers ; and latterly a third institution was established for the same purpose, under the patronage of the Earl of Shaftesbury, in Charlotte Street, Fitzroy Square. Tidings from the East were eagerly looked for. At last they came. The nurses had arrived and been well THE SECOND BAND OF NURSES. 7 received ; and letters were seen from soldiers, and from medical and military officers, all speaking in grateful terms of what women's care already was and would be to them.

Many comforts were said to be wanting, and English hearts and English purses were opened to remedy the deficiencies. The battles of Balaclava and Inkermann sent down hundreds of sufferers. The medical men in England said the numbers of nurses already gone were but as a drop in the ocean amidst the thousands now in the Eastern hospitals ; a second band was desired to be in readiness to go, if sent for. The summons came in a letter from Mr. Bracebridge to Mr. Herbert, who, anxious that as many sick as possible should benefit by the care of nurses, determined to send out as many as were ready. With as much care as practicable, a selection was made from the registered candidates. Nine ladies and twenty-two paid nurses were chosen ; fifteen Ca tholic Sisters of Mercy, collected from various convents, under the charge of the superioress of the Convent of Kinsale, placed themselves at the service of the Go vernment ; and thus the party was composed.

Miss Stanley was requested to go out in charge of them, and place them under Miss Nightingale's care, after which it was her intention to return home. The Hon. Mr. Percy and Dr. Meyer were to accompany them, to make arrangements. On the 1st of December the party of nurses and ladies assembled at Mr. Sidney Herbert's house in Belgrave Square, and the scene which then presented itself was extraordinary; the rooms on the ground floor were turned into a fair, and that not a fancy one — boxes of all sizes, goloshes, cloaks, bonnets, jackets, gowns, collars, caps, THE TERMS OF AGREEMENT. lay in admired confusion in all directions. In one room a group were receiving their dresses, and of course the long ones fell to the share of the short people, and vice versa. I had better here describe our " Costume."

It con sisted of a loose wrapping gown of dark grey tweed, a worsted jacket, plain linen collar, and thick white cap ; passing over the right shoulder was a broad strip of brown Holland, embroidered in red worsted with the words " Scutari Hospital." A short grey worsted cloak, brown straw bonnet, and veil, completed the dress. The party were now summoned to stand in a circle, to be addressed by Mr. Sidney Herbert. He told us how useful Miss Nightingale and her party were then making themselves in the hospital; he warned us to expect many hardships and discomforts, and to be pre pared to witness many scenes of horror ; he impressed upon us the necessity of strict obedience to our supe riors, and begged us to remember that we all went out on the same footing as hospital nurses, and that no one was to consider herself as in any way above her com panions.

We were now summoned by Mrs. Sidney Herbert to sign our agreement, of which the following is a copy:—" Memorandum of agreement made this 1st day of December, 1854, between Miss Nightingale, under the principal medical-officer at , on the one part, and of on the other part. Female nurses being required for the sick and wounded of the British Army serving in the East, the Secretary-at-War has agreed to employ the said in the capacity of nurse at a weekly salary of , and also to provide board THE LAST EVENING. 9 and lodging ; also to pay all expenses attendant upon the journeying to or from the present or any future hospital that may be appointed for the accommodation of the sick and wounded of the said army ; and to pay all expenses of return to this country, should sickness render it necessary for the said to return, save and except such return shall be rendered necessary by the discharge of the said for neglect of duty, immoral conduct, or intoxication, in which case the said shall forfeit all claim upon the said Miss Nightingale from the period of such discharge.

And the said hereby agrees to devote her whole time and attention to the purposes aforesaid, under the directions and to the satisfaction of the said Miss Nightingale, the whole of whose orders she undertakes to obey, until discharged by the said Miss Nightingale. Witness , De cember 1st, 1854." In the case of volunteers, the sentence respecting payment in the agreement was erased. The last evening was come. Few of those concerned in the morrow's departure slept that night. Last things were to be packed, last words spoken, and ere these were finished it was time to prepare for departure.

Chapter II

" The city of the Constantines, The rising city of the billow side, The city of the Cross— great Ocean's bride. <• # # # jj0 reared on high The Crescent blazes, while the Cross must bow." The Last Constantine. Long before dawn on that dark December morning, cabs might have been seen in the silent, empty streets, all converging to one point, the London Bridge Station. In the large waiting room at the station the singular party assembled all in costume, and attended by innu merable friends ; and when the long train of fifteen nuns, in their black serge dresses, white coifs, and long black veils, joined the party, we formed a group such as was never before seen at London Bridge Station. Mrs. Sidney Herbert, with thoughtful kindness, brought last gifts and encouraging words to cheer all on their way.

Gentlemen perambulated the room with " Illustrated News," " Punches," and table-spoons, which latter article seemed to be the last thought for our comfort. We had been informed that whatever luggage we required besides our one box each (which we were never to open from London to Constantinople) we must carry in our hands, consequently we were lite rally sinking beneath the weight of cloaks, shawls, DOWN THE RHONE TO VALENCE. railway wrappers, baskets, and carpet bags ; and when the cry, " Nurses for Scutari, move on," came, it was with difficulty that many obeyed the summons. We started about six, heartily cheered by the kind friends who had come to bid us good-bye. We reached Folkestone in two hours, and went straight on board the steamer for Boulogne. It was a lovely morning for the time of year, and old England's white cliffs stood out brightly in the morning light to receive our looks of farewell.

We had a quick but very rough passage, which, with its attendant miseries, there is no need to describe. At Boulogne we were received by the fish women, who insisted upon carrying our luggage from the boat to the station. We partook of the excellent luncheon kindly provided for us at the Hotel des Bains, after which we immediately left for Paris, where we arrived late at night. Sunday was spent at Paris without inci dent. Monday we travelled to Lyons. December the 5th, early in the morning, we went on board the steamer to go down the Rhone to Valence. A dense fog came on almost immediately after we went on board, in which the steamer ran aground, and delayed us two hours. When we were once more on our way the fog cleared, and the day proving lovely we greatly enjoyed our voyage down the many windings of the beautiful river.

The Alps in the distance were clearly to be seen. We reached Valence in the afternoon ; found, as we expected, that our morning delay had caused us to lose the express train to Marseilles, resolved to proceed by the next train to Avignon, and telegraphed to the hotel there that fifty beds should be prepared. We heard afterwards that the hotel-keeper looked upon it as a hoax ; however, he discovered his mistake when the fifty actually arrived. MARSEILLES. The hotel was a very old-fashioned one, and the windows of our room looked into a dark and narrow street* so narrow that the houses almost seemed to meet. It was a fete-day, the peasants were dancing by torch light, and beautiful was the effect of the dark shadows of the houses, and the brilliant glare of light falling on the picturesque dresses of the peasants of Provence.

As we had only to proceed next day to Marseilles, some of our party, by rising early, managed to visit the Cathedral. It is handsome, but very small in compari son with many in England. It stands in a fine situa tion, and we were told commands a beautiful view. The pouring rain hid this from our eyes. We arrived at Mar seilles at noon, and proceeded to the Hotel de l'Europe. There was much to be done at Marseilles by those in charge of the party ; bed and bedding had to be bought and packed, and taken on board ship. The arrangements for the journey through France were made with the utmost liberality, and were carried out with the greatest consideration for the comfort of the party. At Marseilles the English consul and chaplain were prompt in their offers to render any assistance in their power, and all through France the officials had been most courteous and attentive.

We went out shopping for " last thoughts," in spite of the rain, and visited the flower-market, which looked as lovely as if it had been summer. It was in the afternoon of December the 7th that the party embarked in the " Egyptus," one of the French mail steamers. She was carrying between two and three hundred French soldiers and officers to the seat of war, and was consequently very much crowded. The nurses expressed great dissatisfaction when they first A STORMY NIGHT. saw their accommodation in the fore-cabin. The Sis ters of Mercy were offered a share of first-class berths, but declined them, preferring to be all together in two of the fore-cabins. The ladies were all in saloon cabins. The very first night was stormy, and it appeared the " Egyptus" was out of repair; but for the great demand for troop ships, she would have been in the docks six months before.

Her decks required caulking, and nothing was secure. She was driven by press of weather into Hyeres, and remained for several hours. Towards evening of the 8th the gale went down, and we proceeded on our way. The French soldiers all slept on deck, and they used to go to sleep at dusk ; so after dinner, the favourite time on board ship for taking a walk, one could not pace five yards without stumbling upon a Frenchman wrapped in his grey coat : he never seemed to mind it, or even to wake. A miserable looking set of boys were those poor French soldiers. We had rather rough weather until the night of December 11th, when the sea became quite calm, and not long after midnight the announcement was made that we were passing Stromboli. Many of us went on deck. We passed close by the island, which is like a rock glowing with fire in the midst of the ocean.

Every now and then a bright flame burst out, blazed for a moment, and then disappeared; and then the rock glowed again so intensely, as if it would almost burn and consume itself; and yet there it has burnt from age to age, aud will still burn on. At daylight we anchored off Messina ; and shortly after, finding there was no quarantine, most of us went on shore. The Sisters of Mercy remained on MESSINA AND ITS SCENERY. board — they considered it contrary to their rule to leave the vessel except on business. Great was the enjoyment of that day. Winter seemed to have vanished. It was like the loveliest summer's day — so bright, and fresh, and sweet. Groves loaded with oranges and lemons, the bright blue Mediterranean calm as a lake, the mountains of Calabria in the distance, and the picturesque town of Messina itself, — all this lay spread before us as we stood on the steps of the church of San Angelo.

We went into the church, and there the beauty of art tried hard to rival that of nature. The church is very small ; but the interior is entirely of mosaic, in excellent preservation ; the roof fresco. It was a spot in which one could have spent hours, in delight and wonder at its marvellous beauty; but our time, of course, was short. We went further up the hill, to the Capu chin monastery, into the garden of which the gentlemen of our party were admitted, and they brought from it handsful of oranges, given by the good monks to comfort the ladies for not being permitted to enter. We saw their chapel, however, which was poor and small. Descending the hill into the town, we visited the Cathedral. Over the west door is a most beautiful piece of sculpture. Over the high altar is a small pic ture of the Madonna and Child, believed to have been painted by St. Luke, and accordingly preserved in a silver case, set with precious stones ; so carefully preserved is it, that we could hardly see the picture.

Leaving the Cathedral, we walked through the streets to regain the shore. They were filthy beyond descrip tion. It is said to be one of the dirtiest towns in Europe ; but even the dirt does not take off the picturesque A SECOND STORM. 15 effect. The very tall white houses, with draperies of the brightest colours hanging out of the windows ; the shops, also hanging out their goods of various hues; the costume of the people, and the glimpses, as we turned down every strada, of the lovely bay, made our walk through Messina a delightful one. Towards evening we went on board, and soon after sailed. A second storm occurred after leaving Mes sina, and a terrible night and day followed. For those who never moved from their berths in the saloon cabins it did not much signify, but the unhappy occu pants of fore-cabins were far worse off.