There was a tremendous sanitary problem. Many of the patients were too
weak to leave their wards. Some "passed out" on their way to and from
the latrine. There was essentially no medicine for these debilitated
patients-unless they were lucky enough to
have a friend in Manila and knew how to contact him via the
Underground.
Zero Ward: In the Dysentery Section, there was a building that was
missed when the wards were numbered. Later, it was called "Zero Ward"
and served as a place to put the seriously ill, essentially dying
patients. It was an empty building with wooden floors, and usually
contained about thirty extremely ill patients naked lying on the
floor, frequently in their own vomitus and dysenteric stool.
Their chances of survival were just about zero. Flies walked casually
over their leathery skin; rarely did a patient arouse himself
sufficiently to threaten a fly. Most of the patients did not want to
be disturbed, typically responding "Please leave me alone; I have
suffered enough! Just go away!"
Exhausted and sick corpsmen moved slowly among the dying, trying to
keep them clean, and giving them food or medicine, when available.
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