| Description | Letter from Amelia Nyasa Laws, Valence, to her relatives, regarding preparations for disinfecting the annexe; Mme. Soureillat is more pleasant of late but is still doing no work, except for the occasional night duty for Pinet; Amelia's bed has been reclaimed by its owner; Girou helped her to pack it up and replace it; the disinfectant is formol and is a simple process; the nun and Amelia are to remain at the annexe possibly till the end of the month; the mice there are becoming very bold and have eaten a ribbon and part of a veil, though they prefer brown paper; one of the Anamites is ill and has to be treated with ventouses; the annexe is now to close; the kitchen stove has already been sold to a convent; the doctors now at the Hôpital Général look on the masseuse as a machine for producing movements'; case of Doussot, whose arm has an artery attacked by gangrene and a ligature preventing normal circulation; Dr. Rigal is pleased, but Dr. Calvet thinks it needs rigorous movement, which will do damage; doctors are not paid enough there to make their work worthwhile; there is no proper supervision and anyone senior has other jobs to attend to; 'Frenchmen are extraordinarily susceptible to their surroundings' so the patients suffer; they are more relaxed when she is there now, and the surgical wards are better anyway as pain is localised and there are always convalescents to brighten things up; Porée is convalescent and helpful, though he teases others; Lecomte has written out the words of a song for her as a souvenir of him - 'masculine viewpoint, isn't it?' [Letter breaks off without signature] |