Dr. McAllister was absent most of the time in the interests of the
unfortunates under his charge. Meantime, I struggled to perform my
duties among the sick, and to exert authority, of which, as I soon
discovered, I possessed but the semblance. Nothing was left undone by
the women before referred to to thwart and annoy me. They had
evidently determined I should not remain there. I had ample evidence
that they were neglectful and unscrupulous in their dealings with the
patients.

In one of the rooms, separated from the other patients, I found a man
who had been brought in several days before, suffering from excessive
drinking. Not being able to obtain whiskey, he had managed to get hold
of a bottle of turpentine emulsion from a table in the hall, and had
drank the whole. Dr. Minor and I worked for hours with this
unfortunate and hoped he would recover, but other patients required
looking after, and during my absence whiskey was smuggled in to him,
of which he partook freely. After that, nothing could save his life. A
patient suffering agonies from gastritis was also placed under my
special charge. I was to feed him myself, and avoid giving water,
except in the smallest quantities. I did my best, but he grew worse,
and just in time I found under his pillow a canteen full of water,
which had been procured for him by the woman who attended in his ward.
If I called for a basin of water to wash the face and hands of
neglected men, one of these women would laugh insultingly and say,
"Perhaps ye'll wait till I get a nagur to bring it to you, or a silver
waiter." They would insist that the surgeon had ordered them to do
this or that, and stop to argue against my directions, until I was
fain to save the sick further noise and clamor by leaving the ward.