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Letter ReferenceOlive Schreiner BC16/Box7/Fold1/Jan-July1919/21
ArchiveUniversity of Cape Town, Manuscripts & Archives, Cape Town
Epistolary TypeLetter
Letter DateWednesday 25 June 1919
Address From9 Porchester Place, Edgware Road, Westminster, London
Address To
Who ToMay Murray Parker nee Murray
Other Versions
PermissionsPlease read before using or citing this transcription
Legend
The Project is grateful to Manuscripts and Archives, University of Cape Town, for kindly allowing us to transcribe this Olive Schreiner letter, which is part of its Manuscripts and Archives Collections. The date has been written on this letter in an unknown hand. Schreiner was resident at Porchester Place from early April 1917 until August 1920, when she left Britain for South Africa.
1 Wednesday
2
3 Dear May
4
5 I know you & Freddie won’t mind my telling you of little things that
6have helped me greatly.
7
8 1) Take a middle sized soft sponge, wring it out in very cold water, &
9when there is pain or faintness or oppression apply it gentle to the
10chest, allowing it to rest for a couple of minutes in one place, &
11then moving it to another, especially under the breast below the heart,
12 but all over too. Also against the sides of the neck where the great
13arteries are, & also at the back of the neck between the shoulders.
14The relief is too wonderful. Sometimes when my eyes are half closed &
15I am feeling as if I were dying in a few minutes I am absolutely
16relieved my eyes open, & I can think again. An ice bag also is good,
17but one must not let it stay at any one spot long. The cold stimulates
18the circulation but if left do too long it does not.
19
20 I also find sponging the lower part of the spine with a cold sponge,
21but do wonderful good. But the sponge must not have so much water that
22it makes one wet Its the sudden cold one wants. My sister Mrs Lewis
23found wonderful help from this before she died, & also my brother Fred.
24
25 Of course it may not help Will in the same way. Oh May, my thoughts
26never leave him, for a moment!
27
28 Thank you so much for your card of this morning. Sometimes I have
29found great relief from sponging the feet with cold water, then
30putting warm stocking on or a hot water bottle to them.
31
32^I hope Will has a large soft warm water bottle to put under his
33shoulder. There are times when the heat helps more & times when the
34cold helps more. ^
35
36 I have seen dear little Lucy Molteno several times She is a beloved
37child.
38
39 Love to you
40 Olive
41