, 1873-01-15
THE ARNOLD STREET R00KERY.
Something About The Building Called n
Hospital.
Facts for Tho County Commlssonors'''Lotter
from Physician.

~ the Editor n Tho chtcago Tribune:
s1n: Tho people Of Chicago, mud Of Cook
County, arc certainly not deficient in one cartli-
nal virtue, namoly, patience. Month aftor
month las dragged by sinco thu County Com
mRBionera first began to tails Hospital, aud set
tho whole mattor remains IN sfattt quo. It is
safe, bccaubo It is fe, to say that 10 city in tic
civilized world furnishes Buch atrocious )ioupital
accommodations for ita sick poor as Chicago.
What arc tho fncts Boston, with population
considerably loss than Chicago, has moro than
four times tho hospital facilities Of the latter.
Philadelphia, with leas than double our own pop
ulation, possoHaes moro than ten Zines our hospt-
Accommodations. Now York ia fur nhoad Of ala
that tho comparison would bo simply ridiculous.
But, moro than this, other cittos construct thoir
hospitals with somo regard to tho clnnces for
the recovery of tho patients within them whio
1t is notorious'y true tlat our enc md only pub
1ic hospital seems to havo been constructed for
tho cypress purpose Of violating oyory principle
Of hospita! architecture.
VIII tho readers Of The In1nuNr who bo1ioyo
in decontly providing for tho necessities Of tho
sick poor, listen to n fow factn2 III tho first
place it las been demonstrated over and over
again TINT $500 cubic feet Of air space for each
patient ia tho lonat TINT can be allowed with
erntely full, not moro than 100 cu!ic feet Of
mir to patient is Obtained md this is sometimes
nnayoidably diminished by tho necessity of oyer
crowling.
Secondly, m abundance OF light is indispenea-
bio il the best rcHults arc to bo obtained; hence
modern hospital authoritios toll us that every
hospital ward should hnyo windows OH both
sidea. Dnt in tho Arnold street rookoly
not sii,qle ,rard 10 thus constr'lct-
3D. every ward boing upon ono
sido or tho other, Of Il long mud HARROW corridor,
thus shutting out both light aud mir.
Thirdly, tho arrangements for ventilation in
tho County Hospita: aro simply exocrable. II
any mau doubts this Btntement, or believes It to
bo cxaggoratod lot him visit TIM capital wards,
and II ho has trustworthy noso le can Boon
convince himself. Even 1T. Luko'u Hospital
which was uoyer constructed for hospital pur-
poses at all--is immcasurably ahead Of tho
County Hospital in the matter Of Ventilation.
Fourthly, What arc tho hospital surroundings?
It iB bounded in front by d street which il five
or aix foot lower than the established grade, and
which il consequently moro Of n mud:holo than
street,. Tor several wooks Inst apriug, Arnold
street in front Of tho hospital, was MI impaHsa-
ble quag1niro, rocking with odors which Bridge
port could not aurpass. East Of Arnold street,
arc several railroad tracks in almost constant
use; thus, pulling Blnokeatacka furnish limp
black. for tho bo,leht Of pnticnts with
pulmonary diseases, whilo changing bells and
screeching whistlos brace up tho nerves Of those
WHO arc hystericaliy inclined: In the roar are
several packing and largo oil md lard
"Btinks" derived from these establishments
the hospital manages to keep itself supplied
with Its quota OF eryaipaaa md puerporhl lover.
. According to tho recollection OF tho writer, it
is now neatly or quiet q year since the County
Commissioners adyertiBod for and received bids
for hospital grounds. Whore arc those bids !?
Whit do they propose to do with tl,om If the
county liz too poor 10 build u decent hospital,
Is it rich enough to build palatial Jail? or cal
1t afford to spend million unl half Of dollars
in building d Court House? What say tho
peoplo?
Tie medical and surgical staff Of Cook Coun-
ty Hospital il composed Of mon whose ability
cannot bo questioned, and they arc dong. NIL III
their powor to mike tile Institution What it
should bo; but tile defects in the hospital build
lug arc radical 1t IL impossible to remedy
thcu1. CIVILIZATION.
CHICAGO, jan. II, 1879.