Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-07-30
THE NEW YORK HOSPITALS.
What a ShreWd Observer Saw in
His Visits to Them.
Nashville as d Center of Medical
Education.
To the union and American.

To the Union and American
NEW YORK, July p, 1S75.-This great
city is huge mass Of never ceasing activity.
Its throbbing pulse bests day and night to
the Tythmic ebb and flow OF the oceans
water around her. It is pleasing picture
whether you view her mammoth business
enterprises, the gigantic proportions of her
various lines Of commerce, both by land and
water, the grandeur and beauty Of her
physical aspect, sitting as queen at the
head Of her noble harbOr, and receiving
the rich fruits Of industry waited into her
lap by the sails Of every cline, or in the
glorious sunshine Of her grand and magnii-
cent charities for the amelioration of
human suffering.
No city has made handsomer provision
for charity sick; lavishly spending money
by the million, both by public and private
donation, until her hospitals rise like gor-
geOus palaces before the gaze Of the Won
dering traveller, and bring comfort and even
luxury to the poverty stricken sick. Old
Bellevue sits calm and peaceful, looking
quietly ont upon her river front, her mas
sive and time-Worn walls telling Of the
protection and comfort she has given to the
unfortunates admitted to her cheerful
wards.
Saint Luke's hospital nesting, like a
millionaire's villa In her wealth Of luxu-
rant foliage, surrounded by the
busy city, invites the sick Of
any class with TO unWelcome appeal;
and her rich green 5ward and ample
grounds must beguile the weary hOnrs q
those confined to the wards, and promise a
speedy COnValeScence when permitted to
take outdoor exercise.
Roosevelt, overlooking Central Park, and
breathing Gods fragrant fresh air from
this garden Of Eden, has three millions
endowment, out Of which has grown am
pie grounds, graced and beautified with
splendid buildings, and offers a palatial
retreat for the poor sick, whom we slways
have with US.
One cannot fail to dwell for a moment
upon the princely mUnifcence Of Mr..
Roosevelt in the example be has set, flow
ing out Of the mere goodness Of his heart
in planning and erecting the most perfect
hospital in the world. 1t is built on the
pavilion plan, having a central sdministra-
tiOn building for the offices aud rooms Of
! the medical and surgical staff; the pavilions,
in the form Of wings, run out in different
| directions from the main building and con-
meet with it by corridors. The capacity
of this hospital is one hundred and
| e ghty-seven beds, which moderate num-
Der recommends it to. every hospital con-
noisseur, for there can be no greater mistake
thsn the crOWding Of a great number of
| sick people on the same lot no matter what
the Recommendations. Without going into
detail, we can say that everything has been
/ could HfnfaF q
human benevOlenCe suggest for the care Of
the sick. The surgical ward is a model
which might we'll be patterned after for all
coming time. Its ceiling is twenty feet
| high, with sufficient space 20 give each pa
tient fifteen hundred cubic feet OF air.
Being a one story building the most perfect
ridge ventilation allows the escape OF the
foul air, and large windows opening down
to the floor admit fresh air and plenty OF
light.
If patient becomes afflicted with septi-
cemia or erysipelas during his stay in the
hospital, he is Immediately Isolated by be-
ing removed to one of the wooden tents
provided for such cases in the grounds.
This is a most capital provision, and pre-
vents those dreaded and appalling epidem-
les Of blOOd-pOisoning which so frequently
occur in old and crowded hospitals.
The students Of the different medical
colleges are admitted to the clinics Of these
hospitals, but the students Of each college
rarely see more than the clinics conducted
by their own individual faculty. And this
occurs obviously for several reasons. Each
faculty is naturally inclined to favor its
own students, and carry them 10 that hos
pital exclusively where its members have
received appointments as consulting
surgeons or physicians. And as but lin
tied number Of the members Of each faculty
receive hospital appointments, each student,
necessarily, sees but a fraction Of all the
clinics held from time TO time al the various
hospitals.
Southern students are often entioed to 60
to New York with the promise Of seeing
more and having greater advantages than
can be had in Southern cities. This is a
great mistake, for il is obvious that if New
York city had five thousand hospitals Nth
as many beds in each, a student could see
but so much and no more, from the manner
in which these hospital appointments are
cut up and divided out to each school.
Bellevue Medical College always boast
ing of its facilities and proximity to the
hospital, has no control whatever Of Belle
vue Hospital, and even what advantages 1t
had, have been greatly lesSened within a
short time on account Of several members
of its Faculty being Ousted from their hos
pitsl appointments.
With these facts before US it seems
strange that Southern students should de-
frav heavy railroad expenses to come here
and then pay one hundred and forty dol
lars tuition fees and board, and everything
else in proportion, when he can have just
as good teaching and ample hospital adj
vantages at hCme-at One-thiTd the cost.
see that the Faculty Of the Nashville
Medical College are erecting a large hos
pital on the grounds and in connection
with their school building. The Faculty,
as l understand, have entire control Of the
hospital for clinical teaching, and this gives
their school an advantage possessed by no
single school in New York.
Looking from this standpoint, it seems
to me that your medical school, with its
large hospital, under the control Of the
Faculty, affOTding thereby the greatest and
best clinical facilities, should compete sue
cessfully with any medical institution in
the country, New York not excepted, and
soon regain the four or five hundred stu
dents aud the prestige it had previous to