Professor Hamilton's Diary: March 19, 1935
They take the baby to the hospital; Harlem erupts in riots
The Hamiltons consulted a fourth doctor and got Margaret’s parents in town before finally deciding to go forward with mastoid surgery for Mary Elizabeth. They arrived at Reading Hospital at 2:30 for blood tests, and at 4:30 they gave her a transfusion with her father as the donor. Thereafter they took turns staying at the hospital, with Margaret getting a room there for the night.
On top of all that, Professor Hamilton had badly cut his finger and it had become infected, so he stopped by the doctor’s office to have it treated. (I am a little surprised they used his blood for the transfusion!)
The postcard of the Reading Hospital was found on eBay. Notice that there was a nurses’ dormitory on the property, which was quite common at the time.
In the New York neighborhood of Harlem, a false report that a teen-age boy had been beaten to death for stealing a penknife led to rioting, violence, deaths and property destruction. Paid subscribers can read on. Click below to upgrade to paid.
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