The Sun.
London, England, 1869-01-14 00:00:00

OUR HOSPITALS,

A startling statement by Sir J. Y. Simpson has
just been published. It will increase the distrust
now felt by many persons against the present regu-
lation of our hospitals. He asserts that about three
times as many patients die after limb operations in
large hospitals as die from the same operations in
private and country practice. Ile has collected the
report. of 1,000 and odd limb amputations in
country and provincial practice, and finds that
out of the 1,000 the proportion of deaths was
nearly 110, or 1 in 9 ; but out of 1,000
similar amputations performed in the large
hospitals of Edinburgh, Glasgow, London, &c., the
proportion of deaths is generally above 300, or about
one
ei in three. Again he states that hospitals seem
generally to be much more healthy when first built
than after they have been used a few years. As a
proof of this assertion he quotes statistics gathered
ears from
Londonfi
ve o Universityrsix y Hospital, which shew that
after the hospital was
opened, the deaths amounted to 1 in 6 or 7 of: those
operated upon ; whilst in the last returns he had
seen the deaths had more than doubled, having
firstf
increased to above lin 3. Sir John suggests that,
as a remedy for this unsatisfactory state of things,
we should specially strive to asSirnilate the form
and arrangements of large town .hospitals to the
condition of patients in private and country practice.
Each patient requires an abundant, or rather super-
abundant, supply of new, fresh, and ever-changing
air, by night as well as ,by day, and to ensure it
great and free space is required. Hence, he believes,
the larger the area over which hospitals are spread,
the safer and better will it be for the patients. In
conclusion, the writer says it is our duty to place the
inmates in our hospitals under every possible means
to avoid contagious diseases in either the. wards or
airing-grounds, as well as to ensure and expedite the
recovery by the best hygienic form of the buildings :
for health, and the recovery of health, is -far more
important to the poor man than it is to the rich.

FOREIGN NOTE 3.

AMERICA

The repeal of the Tenure of Office Act Dy a united
majority of Republicans and Democrats is equivalent to a
vote of confidence in General Grant. The law which has
been repealed was passed at the beginning of the disputes
between President Johnson and the Congress, and was for
the purpose of preventing the President from dismissing
the State officers at pleasure, by giving the Senate the
right of veto. It was on a charge of breaking this law in
the Stanton affair that the impeachment of Mr. Johnson
was primarily founded. The Democrats were of course
glad to repeal this Act, but they could not have done so
without the aid of many Republicans. The step thus
taken shews that the Act was regarded as an excentional
measure to meet exceptional cases.

The New York Nation has no hope of an immediate
settlement of the Alabama claims. It is now generally
understood that the nature of the settlement on which
Mr. Johnson and Lord Stanley have agreed is such that
the Senate would never confirm it, even if it gave satisfac-
tion to Mr. Seward. " A successful renewal of the nego-
tiations by Mr. Johnson with the new Ministry is
impossible, if through no other reason, for want of time.
Mr. Johnson is well known to have only two months of
office left, and Lord Clarendon will therefore hardly feel
inclined to renew with him a very troublesome discussion.
So the matter will now probably go off till his successor
has made his appearance on the scene."
A Chicago paper has found a suggestive title for its
divorce report. It calls it the " work of family dismem-
berment." And, in truth, this work is progressing so
rapidly in America as to leave no doubt that a totally new
theory of marriage is being silently but efficiently adopted,
especially in the West. 111 a trim ony in America is
not a holy bond, nor a bond of any description ;
it is a contract which may be terminated at the
pleasure of either party. The present system of
divorce at will has its defenders in the States,
but it is .at least time that the question received
the consideration of the State, so that it will
be finally decided whether any restrictions be imposed
on the production of homeless children, or whether "free"
marriage be made a recognised institution. When 460
persons are divorced in one town in twelve months, and
their sons and daughters cast adrift from family ties, the
evil has surely reached its climax.