New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-09-17
A MATERNITY HOSPITAL.

PAvIIIoEs To BE ERECTED ON BLACKwELLs
IsLANp-THR PLANS AS APPROVED BY MANY
LEADING PHYsICIANs-THR REMOVAL OF THE
SMALLPOX HOSPITAL TO Harris ISLAND RECON-
MENDKD.
The removal Of the maternity wards from
Bellevue Hospital has, in the opinion Of the Medical
Board been most important measure, aud must de
crease the mortality rate there Yesterday the ques-
ton of where and how the maternity payilioDs
should be built upon BlackwelPs Island was taken
up. and in the Judgment OF some of the leading
physicians of this city the following plans should
be adopted The organization Of the corps OF vaccna-
tors under the law by the Board OF Health will
unquestionably decrease the number OF cases of small
pox In the city The present site Of the Smallpox Hos
pital the extreme lower end OF BaekwelPs Island
has really become a Of the populous district
Though with proper sanitary precautions 1t might not
DC dangerous TO have smallpox next door'
yet the object OF smallpox hospital Is
TO secure distance from other habItattons' and
isolation The epidemic upon the hill opposite the pres
ent Smallpox Hospital was declared by many to be
owing proximity. and property is deprecated in
that section by It's being so a pesthouse. The
Commissioners Of Charities and Correction know
that while there seasons at which the
Smallpox Hospital is occupied by many patents
there are other times when there are none or
only a few patients, and yet the expenses
OF keeping up the institution large. With the
there will smaller need than OF smallpox hos
pital. Az any rate, now, IL might just as well be IN
Union square where IL Is The Smallpox Hospital
might az once he removed Harris Island. where
suitable quarters can be found easily and the trip there
would not be enough longer to affect any patient.
The present Smallpox Hospital should be turned into
the administrative building for the maternity hospital
that s building for the laundry, &C. The first pa
von should be built upon the water trout This build
ing should be used for actual confinement only and all
the sOiled clothing at thrown into the water In
which dsinfectants have been placed. This building
should be only story. and the rear wall should De
double, no windows being let in on the SIDE
towards the other payIlions. Paviiions OF plain
brick should then be erected extending across
the end of the island, and II thought expe-
dent another pavilion could be but the
waters edge upon the side. for actual combine
ments Corridors should communicate between the
pavilions maternity hospital OF tins Description,
where tine patients could be moved back they con-
vaesced. could be bnit for perhaps $4,000 large;
pOnderous building of such character as Tue usual
public buildings in this city would cost three OF -FOUR
times as much. ,,,, A., A..
guished physicians, who recommend the above des-
cribed kind of building ls tnat oy CARVING our au
easily 0verseen by any intelligent Iayman pur peral
fever and hOspitalism that terrible Zoe OF maternity
among the poor. will be utterly unknown:
1t is no use said leading member OF the Medical
Board of Bellevue Hospital, IN saying that puerperaI
fever will break out in any large maternity hospital or
il Is not true Bellevue was iOund utterly uhhtteu IOr
ma
puat ia r,pidy enforced to immunity rom puer
neral reyeT could carried there. The women
m actna could not be isolated from the 9th
ers as completely should be- and the contact with the
soed clothing could not IN ali cases DC avoided. By
snch system described above the mortality
of tbe maternity hospital could be reduced TO mlnl-
mum that could not he excelied in private practice.
The Expense running such hospital would Do less
than a building large enough TO contain 35O 10 4OO
patients the average number for winch accOnnoaa,
fOns must he found. The maJory OF the medical
professon believe that the Commissioners OF Cnarlues
ana are intelligent and men OF TOO sound
Judgment not to take cOgnzince OF ne tacts OF lhs
case the experience or past centuries 10 stamp
ont a disease that largely added 10 the Guys
mortality as the poison OF crowded maternity nos
The new Medical Board Of Bellevue sent IN their
minutes TO Commissioners or Charities ana Oor-
rectlOn Yesterday and they approved Inc BOaru
propose to many sweeping changes IN tue mouse
gements 20 into effect on the LIST OF next mOnth
Many OF the members OF the Board have found
that their wards in many instances AT
incOnvenient distances from each 0tner Inc
wards for the slckest patients ID the
medical and the in the surgical depart
meut have heretofore, never been arranged with any
regard TO the severity OF disease. the new Board
propose to the wards that the worst cases
will occupy portion OF the house by themselves, ana
to classify the diseases according TO the treatment