• Embed Doc
  • Copy Link
  • Readcast
  • Collections
  • CommentGo Back
Download
 
Written Nov 12, 1932 by Sarah Elaine KendellDiary of the Accident and Resulting Death of Josephine N. KendellThursday, Oct 6, 1932. While walking through a dark narrow hallway at the plant No.132 of the Utah Packing Corporation, she stumbled over some capping discs which werelying in the hallway. She fell with much force after trying to recover her balance. She cuta deep gash over her right eye just below the line of the hair of the head. The wound was perhaps 2 inches long and cut to the skull. She was taken to Dr. Draper’s office where her head was sewed in five stitches. She tried to work afterward, but was unable to do so for very long at a time. While she was at Dr. Draper’s office, she asked him to examine her heart, which he failed to do.Friday, Oct 7, 2032. Upon waking we noticed that her right eye was discolored above thelid. Again she tried to work but with less success than the day before. (Noticed) A largeknot the size of a hen’s egg appeared above the wound.Saturday, Oct 8, 1932. The right eye was all baggy with blood. The left one was alsoaffected. Dr. Draper redressed her wound, putting a smaller dressing on. This one was of (new skin).Sunday, Oct 9, 1932. Both eyes were very baggy above, h______ and in the corners with blood. The discoloring reached down into the cheeks. Her heart was also much worse.She came home Saturday with it bothering her very badly. Sunday it got worse all day.Monday, Oct 10, 1932. Eyes and heart still worse. Mr. Barrett of Utah Pack came out.Sent the Doctor out with instructions to take her to the hospital. Dr. Draper said,however, he thought she would get along just as well at home, said it was too noisy andwarm for her to rest well in the hospital. He gave her eight small pills to be taken in 4doses to last one day. He said her heart was working like a Chinese puzzle that it was not beating at all but that was only wobbling.Tuesday, Oct 11, 1932. Heart seemed some better. Changed medication to digitalis 30drops 4 times a day.Wednesday, Oct 12, 1932. Called Dr. to come take stitches out. He said he would be outThursday to take them out.Thursday, Oct 13, 1932. Stitches were taken out in the afternoon. Dr. wanted to knowagain if she wanted to go to the hospital. She said “no” but if he thought it was best shewould go. He thought it was just as well for her to remain at home he said. He wanted her to come in Saturday for extra pictures to see if her skull was fractured. We asked himwhat the treatment would be if there was one, if it would require hospital care. He saidtreatment would be similar to that which she has already received, would not benecessary for her to go to the hospital for treatment.
 
Saturday, Oct 15, 1932. Took Mama to the hospital for exray pictures. Dr. Draper saidthere was no skull fracture but for some reason he would not let her come home. He saidshe had concussion of the brain and that she was not getting better as fast as she ought.Sunday, Oct 16, 1932. All we children went over to see her. She seemed to care verylittle whether we came or went. Had very little to say.Tuesday, Oct 18, 1932. Found her with her teeth out. She did not know that they wereout. When I asked about them she said she guessed she had vomited them out but that shewould have noticed it when she ate. I asked her when she vomited. She could notremember but asked the other woman in the ward who said it was just after supper Sunday afternoon. I asked her if she had had nothing since then and she said that she had.She seemed not to remember the details of the spell except that she had had her supper and vomited suddenly. When the nurses got there she was setting on the chair with her feet on the floor. She said she got them all quite excited and worried. She seemed to carevery little about what we were doing at home. She did not worry about us at all.Thursday, Oct 20, 1932. Seemed about the same as Tues. She said that the doctor said shehad a blood test which indicated Thyroid trouble but she seemed as usual not to worryabout it. I asked the doctor about it and he said that the only test or symptom of goiter which she had was the blood test. He said we could not expect the Utah Pack to stand theexpenses much longer. I asked him if he thought she was better, if she had recoveredfrom the shock and he did not answer. He only said he thought we could take her homeFriday.Friday Oct 21, 1932. Took Mama home. She seemed better than before. Said she wantedto get home. I asked her if they were not good to her and she said yes, but that since theDoctor said she was to come home she was anxious to get there. She went to bed as soonas she got home.Saturday, Oct 22, 1932. Mother sat up a while in the afternoon. We children washed andironed and did Saturday’s work. She ate quite a bit for dinner. About 5 p.m. Mrs. EdithPeck came to see her. She told us that Uncle Henry Firth had passed away. Mama saidthat was a blessing. Mrs. Peck stood by the bed talking to her about him, asking her questions about him. While Mrs. Peck was talking, Mama started to snore. She was allyellow, and then she went blue. Emma almost fainted. We put camphor to Mama’s noseand after a few minutes she came to. Soon afterward she fell into a short sleep duringwhich Mrs. Peck went home. When she awoke she seemed better and would not believethat she had fainted. We asked her if she was ready for her supper, she said that she was.She ate little except some black currents. She was just getting through when Jobe, Cora,and Keith Kendell came. She talked to them a few minutes then all of a sudden shevomited all that she had had for supper and dinner. She seemed in terrible agony, pullingthe quilts up to vomit in, spitting at the ceiling, on the floor, and all over. After the firstspell she took, I asked her if she was hot or cold because she sweat so. She replied thatshe was cold and wanted to get warm and be put to bed. While she was vomiting she broke out into that sweat again only much worse than the first time. She kept rolling from
 
one side of the bed to the other. We tried for three hours to get her warm and dry. Emma,Thelma, Cora and I working as fast as we could. At last she seemed warmer and seemedto rest and sleep. Cora and Jobe and Keith went home. After about 2 hours she openedher eyes. We asked her if she was ready to go to bed. She just looked at us with a blank gaze and started to say something which was such a jumble that there was no sense to itand fell again into drowsiness. A little later she needed to get up. Before we could get her  pajamas down she had filled them. We took them off and put her to bed and she fellasleep again at 1 a.m. I slept down on the spring beside her. Emma went in the bedroom but neither of us could sleep. A little after three, Mama roused and we got her to bed.This was the first time since about 8 a.m. we could get her to speak sense or even look atus as if she knew or saw us. When I asked Dr. Draper about it later, he said that she had been unconscious.Sunday, Oct 23, 1932. Mother seemed very weak. Would eat nothing. Her stomach wasstill unsettled. Wanted to see no one. Not even Aunt Sarah Forman she said. Stayed in the bedroom all day.Monday Oct 24, 1932. I stayed home from school with Mama. She is very weak.Stomach is more settled but she will eat nothing.Tuesday Oct 25, 1932. Emma stayed with her. Still she eats very little except milk. I wentto see the doctor. He said she had been unconscious and that she must eat or she couldn’tlast long. If she does not eat soon, I am to get a tonic.Wednesday, Oct 26, 1932. Called Dr. Draper. He said to call and get a tonic for Mama. Icalled and got it and gave it as he prescribed.Thursday Oct 27, 1932. She ate very little. I went to school. I think it was Emma whostayed home with Mama. I sent a card to Aunt Sarah Forman after I had talked withMama and asked her how she was and whether or not she wanted us to send for AuntSarah. She said no that Aunt Sarah was busy and she acted as if she didn’t care aboutanything. I wrote Aunt Sarah that Mama seemed no worse, that her appetite was poor butthat she had not seemed anxious to see her. I mailed that card in the afternoon. During theday she started to ask for Aunt Sarah. During all that day she had had to eat only ¼ sliceof bread and butter, 1 teaspoon fruit, 1 egg, lemonade and a little fruit juice. She seemedweaker.Friday Oct 28, 1932. Mama started (unreadable) In late afternoon I went to Bishops’ tocall Dr. Draper and report her condition as he had asked me to do. I told him how she wasand he said if we didn’t get her to eat right away she would have to go back to thehospital. ON the way back I stopped to talk with Aunt Mary. She came out and stoppedme and wanted to know how Mama was. While we were talking Emma called to me tohurry home that Mama wanted me, and Georgia came running to get me. As we weregoing home she told me that Mama was calling for me to come and take her home. WhenI got to the stable Edward was there milking. He told me that he went in to see howMama was and she asked, “Where is Sarah?” He told her and she said, “Ask her if she
of 00

Leave a Comment

You must be to leave a comment.
Submit
Characters: ...
You must be to leave a comment.
Submit
Characters: ...