, 1873-03-06
Opening Of the Spring Course Of Lee
lures at Rush College.
How to Promote the Soionce Of Heidi
cino and Surgery.
The SMALLPOX observation-disclosures
of Pharmacy.
THE CnllNrYHOSplTAL,

To auEu Dl HlCA Al1l utbiaUaEA A3 Alo
to avail themselves Of gratuitous medical mud
surgical treatment but tho hnlf has not boon
told; tho roal condition Of nffaira ut tho County
HospitaI In. scarcely boon hintod at.> Tho
gloomy. eocdy-loohng brick structure which
itanslp on Arnold, near Eighteenth street, was
built eightoon yoars ngo, and WAS tlon considered
yory orotlitabio institution. Presumably 1t was,
It TINT remote period, when Chicago numbered
cas- than 10000 souls, and when comparatively
ittlo vas known of tho. all-important
considerations of light, ventilation, md
aygionfo arrangomontg Lonvlng tile
:a7agcs Of timo out Of tho question, and sup-
posing that tho hospital building stood to-day
uew nnt clcan rs It was oightoou ycara ago, 1t
would still, in tho light OF Bcienco Of 1873, DO
condemned MS utterly unfit for hospital pur-
posos. but tho rayages Of timo rofuso to bo loft
nut Of tho question. There they aro, and worry
striling featureB OF tho general effect thoy are
Tho building stands about nix feet below tho
street grade, 30 that tho yard affords Drainage
for tho surface water Of tho vicinity. It might
bo used as Skating park In tho winter, md rs a
gooso pond In tho spring. On entering tho baao-
ment tho visitor is at onco mado aware Of the
existonco Of peculiar smell. It would puzzle
ordinary o1factorics to mako out precisely what
1t Is, further than that It. is n worry pc
cular, q most unmistakable, aud horribly
disazreeable smell. This, 1t should be borno In
mind, Is in tho basement, away botow tho hospi-
tai wards, but az ono mounts tho stairs and pro-
ccels along tho various corridors ho detects the
same olor, though moro dtffuslyo, and loss pro-
nounced in Its character. It has ascondod, and
had chanco to distribute itsolf impnrtially
through tho building. It Is ono Of tho glaring
defects in arrangement that tho sick arc furnished
but 900 cubic feet Of mir por capita, whoreas
1900 feot la tho lowest amount consistent with
The roaulBtos Of successful treatont Of tho sick.
It is q serious nlattor to tho poor wrotchos WHO
occupy tho various wards, this deprivation Of 400
Feet OF vitality essential air. Under. Or
linary circumstances such condition
,f things would be regarded with
apprehension and dread, as seriously Affecting
oot only tho progress Of recovery, but also tho
rato Of mortality. But this is nothing compared
with tho torrblo disadvantages to bo contendcd
with at tho Cook County Hospital. largo pro-
portion Of tho 300 foet of mir available there is
imprcgnated with the unwholesomo stencil ro-
ferrcd to, and 1t is the opinion Of competent
medical men that pationts would convacsce In
half tho timo, md thai the death ratio would bo
grently reduced with suitable and adequate
systom Of ventilation and mir supply, Such .
bJElGlh II uttpE -1kapoA4Ao&A@Af@ hA0 PSSaSAs
building, owing to faults in original construc-
tion. Every known oxpodiont is roHortod to for
tho purpose Of doodoriziug the building, but to
no purpose. Tho institution Ia old and rotton,
and nothing short OF thorough oon1agration
can ever disnfoct It.
Tho sickening odor OF tho basement procooda
from tho soil-pipos loading from tho water
closets, and emptying into tho sowor. These
pipoB lnyo boon in ,lso for oightoon years, and
tho metal has gradually corroded and wasted
away until tho pipeH leak badly, and portion OF
tho offensive coutontd drizz1e slowly down tho
outside. Any amount Of soldering and mending
doea not BufTce to prevent 1t. Within tho
wooden enclosures which conceal from Blight
these loaky con1uitB arc also contained tho
dumb walters on which tho cooked food Ia
elevated from tho kitchon to tho various wardg.
II the vctuals not brought into actual contact
with tho filthy liquid which trick1oB down, they
at lenat got tic benefit Of tho smell while in
fransittt. 1t is upon broad aud meat subjected
to such oompanionship that the delicate atom-
nch OF two hundred patients arc expected to
thrive. This cannot be Helped. At least, m
alteration of tue arrangement for o}ovating food
would bo attended with great expense, il, indeed,
It be practicable at all. What with tainted mir,
and food subjected to m atmospheric bath ot
at onch. the inmates Of the County Hospital haye
q hard battle to fight.
Evidences Of extreme decay aro plentiful
throughout the old structure. In nearly eyery
apartment tho plastorlng has fallen in huge
blotchos, revealing tile rotten and brokon latl.
Tho roof lealss, and 10 do tho water-tanks In the
attic, aud although cont Of shitowaRh ia ap.
piled twicc year, tho ceilings ARG yellow mud
mildowod. In case Of heavy rain tho water
finds Its way through tho plsetering dripping
d0Un fin rnfiArfH In fhHir hat1H Irhn
floors aro a complete network OF ratholeB. 30
industrious aud effective are the rata In their
assaults upon tho rotton pine flooring, that 1t Ia
found necessary to tack zinc around tho holes
gerouR eyon to persons with large foot. It oc-
cupiea tho 1fmo Of QUO person to 60 tho rounds
each morning and zinc over tho ratholos. Tho
four-leggod carpenters ply thois trade alto
alone upon tho woodwork, but upon tho sleep and
auetude Of tho patients. hlil1ionsof cockroaooa
finest tho building. They prefer tho kitchen
for tnetr grind stamping ground, and arc par.
aro found ut nleal-time, .qnloacont aud Inactive,
but corporeally unlmpnired. For change, thoy
Wait the sick, who nro possihly, encouraged by
tbeao manifold specimens Of robust health and
through ono Of tho wards, had his attention cali
cd to tho caRo Of poor follow who bad beer
. run over by tho cars aomo days ago. The mar
1ny ut tho point Of doath,-tho surgeon having
ElVGu III I'LL Inpt VI III VIZ
bod-clotl,oB woro turned aRide revealing his hor.
ribly.mapglel log, swollen to thrice its 1iatura
eizo, swarm Of coolroachos hustled out from
among the lint and bandagos,. and Rcamperod
nway. Tho variety Of vormin IL completed by
countloss numbers OF bed-buga, wllleh are IN.
romitting in thoir efforts to do their share
toward inaaing things lively.
Theso are aoao Of tho more marked poculiari.
tics Of life (and tloatl) at tho County Hospital
than which q moro allockingly bud institution
noyor disgraoel o civilized community. The
officers aid employees Of the hospital, akillfu
and fnithful ns tfloy are, seem to 10 doing thel,
Utmost atm to keep tic place rs clean and decent as
possible, but they aro confrontoa by an army Of
disadvantages positively dlalloartening, and un.
der Which It is moral impossbillty to afford to
tho innaatoB tho troatnont essential to succoas'
ful battlo with disoaso md accident. The houhe'
physician, DR.. Chenowoth, puts 1t worry mildly In
liu annual report, when Ao aaya'
Tho oyercrowlcd condition Of tho Asylum during
the past year had nlded much to tho cares and r.
spons!boa Of tho officers mud attondants snd 70 thu
tim IfhpA n