Transcription of letters from Nurse Madge Addy, at Ucles, 30 January - 24 February 1939

              SPANISH MEDICAL AID COMMITTEE
LETTERS FROM NURSE MADGE ADDY, AT UCLES.
30.1.39
I have written to you all four times via Rosita, and the last letter I wrote I am afraid would be too late.     However, I was a bit worried about the last letter, as it contained photos of the Valencia raid, with captions written by me on the back, naturally not very complimentary to the Fascists.     They told me at the port office in Tarancon that all letters for Barcelona would now not be sent and would be destroyed, so that I now sleep easy.
In that letter I explained fully about the money owing to the hospital.     To complete the work to our specifications Agustin (the previous administrator) lent 7000 pesetas and borrowed from a friend in Cuenca 8000 odd pesetas.     They have all the receipts here, and whet it boils down to is, that if we don't pay, Agustin and his friend lose the money.     Both Holst and I have telegraphed to you about it, but in view of the gravity of the situation at  that time, it is quite possible one or both telegrams were not sent. Failing word from you, and in the event of us perhaps having to leave, Holst will pay the money.    We have talked and talked about it, and feel sure that you would not like to terminate, leaving this unpleasant situation.     I do hope this will be in accordance with your wishes.     Re the further 300,000 pesetas which the Government are spending on further alterations here, specifications were drawn up for their work, and the whole of the alterations amount to this sum.      Work goes on, the new ward is nearly finished, and a fine job has been made of it.     Also they have made a splendid job of the incinerator, it has been built in, and functions perfectly. The director is very anxious to have its photo taken to send one to Meldrums.
I am back working in the hospital and of all places in the theatre it is a bit difficult for me, as it is so many years since I did theatre work.     However, Dr. Landa asked me if I would work in the theatre with him, and I told him it was years since I had done theatre work, but he said,  ''No importa, you will soon get the hang of it again".     If help is needed in one of the wards I go there, so have a roving commission.     However whatever I do, I am very happy here, and very fond of them all.
By the way, a parcel of saccharin tablets came by air post for the hospital via Valencia, which I handed over to Dr. Landa. They
are very grateful for them, and as it happens we have two diabetic patients, so they were doubly welcome.
Dr. Landa has just finished the yearly report on the year's work for Cuenca.     It is most interesting, so I have given him enough paper to have a copy typed for the Committee.     I am not going to send it to you,  but I will bring it when I come. Dr. Landa is particularly anxious that Dr. Morgan should have a copy of this report, as there are one or two cases which will form most interesting articles for the medical press.     One case in particular, the man died last week.     He was admitted here four months ago, with a piece of metrallia in the heart.     It couldn't be located and the man had a small wound over the heart.     The metal was assumed to be in the pericardium.     About every fortnight he had a small haemorrhage, and each time it was assumed that he would pull round. The curious thing about these haemorrhages was that they were arterial blood, not venous.     However this went on for four months, and a week lost Sunday he had a terrific haemorrhage and died in a few moments.     At the post mortem examination we were absolutely staggered to find he had a hole in the right auricle that you could easily put your fingers in, and by the action of the heart the metal had been forced into the left auricle causing another wound and death. I think it must be almost unique for a man to live all that time with a wound of that size actually in the heart.     As for the man himself,