The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-02-23
OUR PUBLIC HOSPITALS.


SEVENTH ANNUAL REPORT or THE VISITING
COMMITTEE OF LADIEs-PRAIsE AND BLAME.
Some very interesting points in connection with
the present condition Of the public hospitals of this
city elucidated in the seventh annual report of
the visiting committee of ladies from No. 52 East
Twentieth street. They speak first of that Ultima
Thule of the public charities. Harts Island, where
drift together the dregs of the other hospitals. the
paralytics. the consumptiyes. the broken down
drunkards, the men and women disabled with
rheumatism or asthma-patients not interesting IN
medical point of view, rarely durable, yet not likely
soon to die. In ward there were sixty-nine
patients and at least twelve confined to their beds
The and orderlies sleep in little pens fenced
of from their wards; they have possibility of
privacy quiet. air but the common air of the
ward. and place to keep their clothes other
property In its loneliness its rude appliances, its
nnakeshift ways, Harris Island is like frontier
station than branch of OF the departments OF
great city government. Yet if it misses some of the
conveniences it also avoids of the contamina-
tions of the city; more wholesome air pervades it,
morally and physically than is found in many of the
other institutions; and the officials to do the
best they with the scanty at their COM
mand."
The report speaks in high terms Of the Charity
Hospital especially far the school for
concerned. The mission work among the fallen girls
at the hospital has been continued through the past
year with results upon the whole encouraging.
Seventyseven have been placed in various homes and
six have been sent back 10 their failies the visitor
follows thcm up and corresponds with them
and most of them resolved to perse-
we're in better way of lite. In the
ternity pavons the number OF confincments
during the past year was 247 and the number of
deaths seven. The committee think it extremely
important that pavilion for the waiting women
should be built near the maternity pavilions, with
washhouse adjoining, where these women could do
all or most of the washing for the pavilions. Thus
the whole of this branch of the service could be kept
together and all danger of injection from the hospital
avoided: while the work would give the women bene-
fcal exercise and would tend to prevent the lazy
ones from coming to the hospital six months before
dangerously overcrowds the wards Any such new
building should contain two wards, that tho better
class of women might be separated from the more
degraded, as unfortunately they are not at present
BELLEvUE's CONDITION.
The ventilation of Bellevue Hospital according to
the report Is and must always he bad. No care and
system it claimed. will suffice to keep the air
pure in such labyrinth of wards and passages.
During the past year two towers have been built
giving external bath and water closets to nine
wards. The north tower, which communicates with
three male wards one on each story is much too
small. Each story forms an octagonal room, measur
ing feet inches from wall to wall, and lex
elusive of the window recesses which add nothing to
the available floor space) little than half the size
OF the old bath room. The bath and the sink for
washing dishes placed together next the door,
such manner that it would be impossible to use
both ut once, while person in the bath would be
necessarily exposed to the draugh from the door and
to the view of patients passing i'll and out of the
closet; there is room for The south
tower is larger; it is also octagon divided each
story into two bath rooms measuring fifteen feet
the long side by seven feet
The statistics of the Ninety Street Hospital
worthy of note. 1t is situated the corner Of
Ninety ninth street aud Tenth avenue and is used
reception hospital. the patients being transferred
rapidly possible to Bellevue. During the nine
months from January to October L. 1878, it received
251 cases, eighty nine Of which committed from
the Fifth District Police Court Q25th street and
Fourth avenue for insanity, incompetence dest-
tuition, and remained but few hours before being
removed to Bellevue Hospital The committee
iterates conviction that the Ninety Street
Hospital should be closed upon the expiration of the
present lease which, it is informed, will come to
end on the LIST of May 1t is thought that If up
town reception hospital is needed it should be stu
ated in Harlem