The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-02-23
HOSPITALS INVESTIGATED.
WHIT VIEW TORK cry rs DOTNG ron
IT'S INDIGINT INDIITDS.

Testimony Auninat Political Appointments In
Medical In.titutiOnr- Par -iInOny in kind
md Amount of Provisions, Las Discipline,
Lack OF IIeIr, and Nobody Responsible.
TOE Fedlntofbc Sde tSarites dm As,or tln,n'
Your committee in this its fourth au-
nual report can do little but recapitulatc those
which hsvc proc de It, While some impoi-
tant reforms have ieen effected duh the last
four years in the hospital. especially in respect
to cleanliness, venti tion and nursinc-many
defects and abuses remain, or ite temporary
remcdcd only to rcapI ear on the FIRST occ sion
In gencral,'ihe wards are clean and orderly the
oficials attentive aud well disposed. The de-
fects are principally chareeablc to poor sy'-
TEN Of adniinistr liion, and to a low ideal OF the
ends to be attained
The work % your committee forces its mem
bcrs TO criticize, often uniavofally' the MANAGE
ment Of the Board Of Charities ana Correc'lon'
and we tro h ppy to bear testimony to the
courtesy we have received 10y it, members when
applytng to them to rectify abuses.
In their report OF last ycHr, your committee
noticed the r. qucnt deficiency Of Supplies 90
all sorts at bellevue Hospital he moor break
fasta the variable quantity ard qu hty Of the
special diet. aud tn inaic1ulto stock Of house
linen and Il tlilnr During tho winter and
spring these deficiencies continued to be felt
IN February, 1870. there was no solp FOR two
sheets and clothing and again in April soap
was ". ntinr.
In the spring the sncci1 diet was cut down;
but during tie summ,r the food was good and
abundant. There WA, however, yer, scant
supply Of ice nnl, ten pounds PER day being
allowed 20 c.ch ri. exc apt on e3pec req IL
sition from the p,y ici'n and even Win thi'
sion Vi-i or found ioug Or i've prieniS in one
ward suGe in' from di-olses winch r.qnmd
nucr was eNhau t,d-it was then tween 12anl
O'Clock l.. M.-ard arcquie'ton 10, moie had
bscn reiurrei , VIM ,ne answer that there Was
In Decemhcr there were many con plant, Of
short ratiOns. esp caily ~ ment aud potatoes.
II In worth noting that thts - almost ALWAYS the
case In Dccen ber owing appereuty to the fact
that the appropriation for the year must bv
some me ms he mnue to l. 1t until the first e
January; and It prob bly wiz always be so unul
tue present hand-tO mouth methods are nh'n-
doned. The. breakfasts are not nourisNh
enough. They generally consist only OF ureai
and coffee. or trS. wilch being. u course, p.r-
pared ~ large c" per. are almost OF rccessttv
k. and are besides US ally insuiicen'y
sweetened. Moreover. the eggs for tue speoia,
diet are boiled in the tea, ana II not lnfrcqu
~ happens that one 10 broken In boiling
There Is - greet sca'ctv of sur,i III insiru-
mcnts OF variou. kinds. such ~ fever thernione-
tefs, .teti oscopns, stom Oh jumps and phlvanic
batteries of the lat A. there T. only an OLD worn
cot one, IN thu hOspt al tho other batteries he
linz all Farnday's, which do rot answer th- same
purpose. There Is no female caihetcr nor uri-
n'miter In're are only two portable bath tubs,
both tho giiis uf priv t. iniiyidu Ia; there
should re on ~ ach division. for not hath I
the toe side may save ~. II would AGu gr Al y
to the CONT r. II special cascs II cacf division
were sunpned ~th an ia xncnsiNo Invalid chat.
Ana IL would tie q convenience t. the y lVslcin D
" the OH 90 were provided Git1 shelves on
which TO Keep the yo ures IN " ich the .ses
are record'd az present tl'N lie on tn noor.
During the * re1'c cola of last winter the
steam heaters OF H,llcvu, proved ina leuu tie t.
ken tie hnspit'l warm, atd there Was asI
great uliu ltv IN procuring bot water Ia the
words constantly wanted Tor poulicc, and other
arulica IONS. Last summer a rcw heating and
NeftIigfIfts rdtil- int iiirti. II J. not
vet hri.uru, rut has alie .dN proved u-iact Try,
a. tar q. yenul .iiun Is concerned. but there Is
To NaN OF reducing me he {. except D. Cutting
II N ouIi' civ. A"d = nignt tue .ds are
sometime cNtren ely cold. There Is no hot wa
Ter to- bc mad a. night IN the ward.
Tho door and windows of the cellar are kent
closed H. cIacks under the door heinI stu iIei
with old bits of carpet. and tie window, clog,td
up with manure, 80 al u prevent III pnssihiiii =
OF vcatl ton. The atmosphere Is, In oonse-
Quence. q m p and nuis pne, the very worst pps
sible to have under the wards Of a hospital
Your committee understands that the engi.
neer VINO controls the ventilation 81 the cell Al
has directed that II should toe closed IN the
manner de.crined, for tear of exposing the
steam ipes 80 frost. They should be projected
with felt OGkum.
The cells for noisy, troublesome or lunati
patients arc d mp anu cold. 10 the six c-ll'
there IRE nine beds but only fourteen blankets
Oftrn ell ven or more men must be confined
there. Ia the present condition Of the cell nc
patient can remain in them long without severe
II Jury To his health.
We are assured by tho physicians That TIE
nursing la the nino wards n the training school
Is ala that could h. sired. the nursing 81 the
that Of w.rds Of the II Ing school. M.tt
some "a options " sil nnd lac 'mpeient ord e.
lies aad nurses placed III wards inll II sever,
cofes: the night nursing esprc'aliy Is, as 1t al
ways has been. most defective Inc ngu1
nurses and watch ron arc rarely ut for thei
Ilac, 3. ard IL thei were 50, they could not pos
sibiy give adequate care to the number oil
patient iutrusiei To them.
In the last rtpo n mention has been m Ade O
the Helping II .ud' which has peen set on Il o.
for the ten NJ 4 the hclpless IRON blackwell,
Island. VINO do the meni work Of the nos raj
Tins has been continued through the yer with
very gratifying results. The women NEE; every
from to Q ocloch. Garments are cut out ane
River the IA to make which when hrished tney te
ceiNe. They are underline care II y Il. t. smith,
Birlo reader, assisted b. few ! dies, who teact
the women to Sing HYMNS while Trey sow, an,
at the ciose II the meeting short passage o
scripture Is read and all repeat the Lord
U yer rhe v,rage attendance, viii n in las
February Was thiriy-throe, has now risun TO owe
seventy Inc women seem Interested, ana r.
quiet and sttenilve. hey have made durn
the Warden and tdatron both say that their be
hayior through the week shows the good eHec
OF tue teacain. tuoy receive: Toe eX enSc a.
this work mas been borne hitherto by one lady
ana its management 10y two or three Wi h
few more as-istants ON Tuesday evenings, muci
of the d. lay and confusion incident to the e VIA
out Of work and taking the n ines OF no maui
women would lie avoided, and 1t would be pos
siuls 10 give them more instruction In thcl
sewing. Assistance In this work ould be wei
coined. as well rs donitions OF materials. Piece
OF nanuel cotton, & 'ntun nnnnel or calico coul'
be sent 10 Mrs. Il. Smilh, alj East Foity'slxt
street. u. rked Tor Bellevue Helping Hand.
In point II order and neatnrss, there IA
marhed luipr men, during he last We r. ~
rule Of the Warosn Is Just and impartial, nd h
maintains good discipline throughout the hos
pitnl.
As in Bellevue, so also In Charity Hospital
Your coAhnittee reported last year great de
bciencies IN supplies Of all kinds, which con
tinued throughout the slring. There VS. III
same scarcity of soap app .rently "A fvOrit
erOnOuy III February and Aurl; the same re-
duction ofspecial diet. Though the winter ~,
spring were unusually cold toe sulply Of fue
was frequently scanty. On he sth day Of Apri
acold dav, the steam was turned of few hOnr
after II was turned ON because there wds Onl
half ton OF coal In the HOSPITAL, ana none to l.
borrowed fro u the other Institutions. On Ia
10 b Of April thee was no cOal, and thrOughOu
the spriug the temperature OF the wards Wa
frequently too low. This winter the heating ~
pprttus work better ana there is a goOd suppl
of hot W tcr.
Here. as at Bellevue, there is need Of NOR
surgical instruments. Here, too, IS the SAN
compliant OF poor bTe hfast and tea; tie dInno
Is usually goo aud sufficient.
IN" Nant OF house linen and clothing IL eve
more ppiTcnt 1T Charity than at bellevue
VII, 70 The patients ara on an tvera,e OF some
what better class. 1t Is obvious that sheets
towels, uillOw g ses and Other house line