The Hospital Ship

 

I can't be certain, but my best guess is that this is a military hospital ship.  But is the man on the right a doctor or a patient?  

Page 6

 

Is she a nurse?  The uniform looks right and that big clipboard that ended up in the shot makes this look like some sort of award ceremony.  "Page 6" is written on the back, so perhaps this shot was meant for the local newspaper.  Back in the old days when there were local newspapers that covered things like this. 

Skinned Alive

This is one of the strangest photos I have in my collection.  That's either a very realistic model on that stretcher or a dead person who has had his skin removed.  And for those who are unfamiliar with the device, that's a giant slide rule hanging in the background.  Think of it as a mechanical computer.

Seven Nurses

Written on the back, "Vi Barrett, Millie Gadway, Ida Grayson, Stella Bearup, Vi Green, Me, & Bea McCarthy."  I tried running a search on Stella Bearup.  It was such an unusual name that it had potential.  I actually found an obituary for someone with that name.  That Stella had been an employee of Fisher Body in Flint, Michigan.  Some large factories have nursing staffs, especially ones with a lot of heavy machinery.  Then again, that Stella and the Stella in this photo may be two different people.

The Plot Thickens

"We have to make it look like an accident," she whispered into his ear.

Grandpa and his younger bimbo plot to kill Grandma so they can steal her money and run away together.  Bad bimbo, bad.  Bad Grandpa, bad.

Malaria Girls 3

This is a very small collection, and it ends with these final four photos.  The top two are dated "NOV 60," just like all the ones already posted.  The bottom two, "FEB 61"  I've titled these photos malaria girls because of a visible poster about malaria in the first of the three posts.  The reality is that I have no idea what these women are doing.  I've speculated that they're public health workers because of the shoulder patches on their uniforms.  I've seen lots of photos of hospital nurses, and I've never seen an emblem of any kind.  And as far as malaria goes, it's just as possible that these nurses (I stand by that guess.) are dealing with anything from cholera to the common cold.

Now, back to malaria.  According to the CDC, from 1957 to 2011,  there have been 63 local outbreaks of malaria in the United States.  According to a 2012 article in the SF Gate, while outbreaks of malaria have been declining in tropical countries, they've been increasing in the United States, with 1,925 reported cases in 2011.   And no, they're not concentrated in our own tropical areas like south Florida and Louisiana.  U.S. cases have their origin in international travel.  It's New York City that's  ground zero for American malaria outbreaks.

Malaria Girls 1

My first thought when I looked at this collection, nursing school, but then I took a closer look at the third photo in this post and saw a few women that were a bit old to be students.  There's a poster that can be seen in the first two photos. (They're not the same.  Slightly different poses.)  "The malaria cycle."  So, lab technicians or public health workers?  I'm leaning towards some sort of public health team made up of nurses.  If these women were lab rats, I doubt they'd be wearing uniforms.  All dated, "NOV  60."

Any all girl punk bands searching for a name, feel free to use Malaria Girls.

The Army Hospital Album 32

This one isn't the last post from this album, but the final picture in the column is the last photo from the hospital itself.  I've always assumed that all of the photos in this collection are form California.  If that's true, then the river pictures have to be from the Sacramento River valley.

Click on army hospital collection in labels to see everything.

The Army Hospital Album 31

Well, we've moved from the ocean to the desert.  I'm going out on a limb here.  I think the last two photos were taken in the Red Rock State Park area, just north of Mojave, which is north of L.A.

Click on army hospital collection in labels and all that.

The Army Hospital Album 30

Is our patient dreaming of the Pacific Ocean?  The order of the prints sure makes it look that way.  All prints dated,  "APR 56."

As usual click on army hospital collection, etc., etc.

The Army Hospital Album 29

And the (almost) never ending saga of the army hospital album continues.  The top two photos are labeled.  "Lnt. Carson"  I assume that Lnt. stands for Lieutenant.  The second, "Capt. Dr. Hill."  Perhaps someone out there can answer this question.  Are military hospitals segregated by rank.  Since a lieutenant is a patient, does that mean our photographer has to be an officer?

As usual, click on army hospital collection in labels to bring up the lot.

The Army Hospital Album 24

It's back to the army hospital collection for awhile.  We've got a huge rain storm coming in to Los Angeles, and when it rains in L.A. my phone service dies.  Sometimes I can hold a DSL connection, sometimes not.  In a nut shell, I'm trying to get some of these up before I'm offline.

These ones are all dated "MAR 56" and the guys are still on leave.  Click on army hospital collection in labels to bring up the lot.

The Army Hospital Album 19

Once more into the hospital.  The nurse is "Miss Winters" and the lady with the convertible, "Anna Sells."

Click on army hospital collection in labels for the lot.

The Army Hospital Album 18

Wow, the woman in the first picture looks severe.  I've long felt that the army hospital was a psychiatric facility,  and her demeanor makes me wonder if she was shamed by a husband with emotional problems.  The second picture was taken somewhere in northern California.  I couldn't pinpoint an exact location, but I've seen enough images from the redwoods that I'm confident in my conclusion.  And that presents an interesting possibility...Fort Hunter Ligett in Monterey, south of San Francisco?  Is that where the army hospital was located?  And the last picture, a base entrance or a small town?

There'll be a few more photos from the hospital, but this post starts the family and travel images that will dominate the rest of the album.  As usual, click on army hospital collection to bring up the lot.

The Army Hospital Album 17

This guy is all over the first half of the album.  He must have been a friend, or someone admired.

Click on army hospital collection in the labels section to see everything.

The Army Hospital Album 16

I'm beginning to feel like a prisoner to this collection.  There is a lot more to go after this.  Anyway, two of the four photos in this post are labeled.  Image number 2,  "Miss Willums"  Image number 3, "Sargent Dieze"  I've got a feeling the person who owned this album was not the gentleman reading The Atlantic.

Click on army hospital collection in the labels at the bottom of the post to bring up the whole lot.