The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1884-10-15

Reception Hall Reports of the DireC
tors, Superintendent and Treasurer
Officers Elected.
The corporators of the Maine General Hos
pital, held their annual meeting in Reception
Hall yesterday afternoon. The records FDd
reports read are given below, together will
other business transacted.
DIRECTORS REPORT.
The board of directors, consisting of Hon
W. W. Thomas, A. W. q. Clapp, Horatio N
Jose and Sidney W. Thaxter, reported as fol
lows:
IN presenting our report-the fourteenth annual
report OF the drectors-it Is fitting that We should
first speak Of he loss which the hospital has sus
tanned In the DEATH during the past year of two OF
tie members of this board
The name of DR.. John Taylor Gilman has beer
identified with this nstitu ion fro its earliest be
ginnings. physician of extensive practice and
large experience, he fully apprecis ed the benefits
people OF the State, not only directly by the imme
diate relief OF The sick aHd suffering within its walls
but ndrec ly b. jig educational influence upon the
pro ession OF which he was an honored member
lettering upon the preliminary work with all the
enthusiasm of his nature, he did much to awake
interest In others. Many Of the earlier subscrip-
lions 70 the project were obtained through bis In
nuence and most Of the early meetings OF the cor
pora ois were held At his house. Not himself man
OF wealth, he yet gave iberslly at that time, and
continued to give to the md of llfe whenever the
needs of the kospitsl we're most pressing
Naturally and as by common consent he was Sc
lee cd as the president OF the st board of direc-
tors and ne continued to hol the position Of presi
dent, by repeated election until his death ia Jan
uary last a the age OF seventy eight. The annual
Tepots d9rioR that period were all written by him.
In his viii he left the hospital bequest of S5O0U
which now constitutes the '.Gilman Fund"
of his labors during all tLese years it is difficult
to speak adequately Those of us who have been
m haa kn0u ha oil ~
MS eounsels and the soundnes of bis judgment the
deep interest he felt in his duties and he faihf /
There was quiet steadiness of purpose In him
which inseusiby won upon others and led them 10
adopt and carry out his plans.
Personally DR.. Gilman was diguifed and courte-
Gus IN MS bearing OF genial manners and kin. lily
sympathies. His character always received the re-
spect and admiration of those who knew him, but
warmer ties of friendship and affection. Faithful
10 al trusts the wise counsellor and good physician
rests from his labors; bis work lives after him.
~ ne ne honorable Samuel Spring. the other mem.
npon TO mourn, was man of different stamp but
ne, ne 700, was In many ways admirable. A man of
auMrss engaged in extensive commercial pursuits
and concerned In many enterprises in the CITY of lis
adoption, he yet found time to devote to the vel
rare OF the Hosp tai. His early interest in it was
shown by generous subscription to the building
fund, aud that interest never tagged and his gifts
never iai ed to the end One of his last acts was
subscription OF $1,000 towards the erection of the
; ".
Mr.. Spring was always a cheerful giver; he found
pleasure In using his wealth for he benefit of 9TH
ers Many Of the charitable institutions Of this
city have pTohted by his hberality and his purse
was ever ready to help cause which he approved
ct he never appeared to value a reputation fol-
generosity. and his private and unrecorded benefac
lions we're certainly the most numerous. AS we re-
cal his noble traits of character his generous in-
pulses and friendly acts, his vigorous personality
aud the cheerful presence and buoyant spirits tnat
seemed part OF it, would pay our tribute of re-
spect and admiration TO his memory. The death Of
such man is loss to the community in which he
lived
Turning now to the work accomplished by the
hospital during the past year and to the present
conuition OF Its affairs, we beg to refer you in
tne nrst place, to the reports made to us by the
several departments Of the institution and here
With submitted.
From the repsrt of the resident physician and su-
perintendent, it appe-rs that the whole number of
patients unoer tre2, ment du,inR the year been
3 y; that the number of those received either
wholly or in part the free list has been 1856 and
the number of surgical operations 242. His report
contains her statistics OF interest. We would
FER particularly here however to the plan proposed
Tor training school for nurses. DIR. Hunt has Civ
en- this subject much attention and has examined
ne oet.is OF the systems In operation in the hos pi-
tails both of Massachusetts an G nnecticut Expe
lience has shown that these schools add greatly 70
the efiency OF the institutions In which they are
established by providing trained atten ants In the
wards. They furnish the community with q corps
Oh oiessonsl nurses who have Just pride in their
Calling, and whose knowledge and sAill Can b, do
pended upon; and they open field of h ghly hon
orao occupation to a class OF capable aud deserv-
ing women. We think the time has now come for
US 70 undertake the establishment of such a school
10 the report OF the superintendent is appended
the matron's list of contributions received Ia her
department. These have been many AID useful
The brief report Of the Ladies' Visiting anu Ad-
Vsory Board gives little idea of the extent of their
lAbors They have continued their regular visits
during the year, and done much by their presence
Lneir counses ana their gift:, to encourage and
comfort the sick and promote the welfare of the in
stitu ion.
The treasurer gives the receipts and expenditures
under their appropriste headings aud a statement
OF the fusds OF the hospital at the present time and
their investment.
To tables Nos. and Of his report. giving the
receipts IL detail from annual rree beds maintained
by subscription and from Hospital Sunday contri-
buttons We invite especial attention 1t is difficult
to "verestimate the Importance to the hospital of
the Income derived from these sources. The beds
thus maintained are occupied BY constant sac.
cessioD OF the sick and suffering from all trts
Of the State for hom, in the present condition Of
vide. Many such patiehts have left US with hea tn
Others far relieved as to be able hence
forth e. prov ide for their own support. But for The
Llmely assistance OF the skiltul physician and sur
seon, many of them would have remained burden
10 their friends and some among them must have
fallen into the ranks of paupers.
Did the contributors TO these funds realize even
family the amount OF suffering they have directly
helped to alleviate. all thanks Of ours would be
superfuous. In the name of all such patients
unable themselves to i've expression their graft
tude-we tender heartfelt acknowedgments 70 the
men and women to the corporations and associa-
tions TO the several churches and religious societies
in there tables.
In this connection We desire to state that the
statistics of the hospital show that the number Of
pauents received wholly or in part the free list
Increases nom year to year, much more rapidly
than the number of those who pay. We have during
the past year provided for nearly eight times as
many of the first class as In 1875 and for hardly
more than double the humber of the SECOND Thss
upon us are always pressing and always
increasing. May we not ask for continued aud
lent thu oughout the State from which these patients
come?
In several of his reports our lamented president
iwelt at length upon the opportunities for medical
Instruction Afforded by general hospital. And he
urged the necessity for a suitable amphtheatre in
order to make the Maine General Hospital widely
useful in this regard.
1t is unnecessary now to repeat what has already
been we'll said on this subject. We have long felt
that until the hospital was provided with such
it would be almost debarred from the ex-
srcise of one of its most impo tant functions. We
have felt too that the State and community which
support II had right to expect US TO make our ia
,ilites for medical education available at the
earliest practicable moment.
There was another consideration also which i'm
pelled US to undertake the erection Of the Hmphi-
theatre this season. The limit OF the capacity OF the
present buildings was nearly reached. We might
AZ any time by some disaster be forced TO receive
sudden ihtux OF patients on the free list for whom
provision cou only be made by using rooms re-
served for those able to pay. An amphitheatre
building in connection with certain changes which
uld be- made. for relatively small sum in the ex-
sting buildings, would set free number OF rooms
Ia ths lower ssory of the wing and also give addi-
Iional ward.
In the early summer, therefore. we instructed our
architect, Mr. Fassett, to prepare careful drawings
ami es, imates for the proposed work. Ihe general
plan adopted had been under consideration for some
ii me- IL was described in the superintendent's
port last year.
We then made an appeal to the friends of the
hospital to provide the money necessary 10 carry it
uto execution. The response, we are happy to say,
was cheerful and immediate. IT, he am ,unt thus
obi aimed was added the roceeds Of fair organizer
and promoted without our solicitation by certain
aides of Pc tland and of other cities and towns
making in all SIG 1889, a sum which we deemed
sufficient for our pur ose.
The construction of the new edifce was begun in
Juue and IL has gone steadily forward. The build
ing contsiuing the kitchen has been extended thirty
ing adequately for the laundry of our growing fam
lily. will furnish quarters for tho servants ~ho were
before lodged In the wing, to the detrimsnt of the
service and at cost Of space required for patients
The whole work IL now so far advanced that We
may reasonably expect to see 1t completed before
winter. We are unable, as yet to say what the OK
act cost of 1t will be- SINCE from the nature of the
however. to keep wlthin the sum subscribed. The
institution has no debt, aud unwilling to in
cur one.
We shall thus be provided, both with the much
needed amphitheatre and with additional room for
the sick. Sixteen beds will be directly added and
there will be indirect addition of considerable
importance Hitherto we have not been able to use
happen that the two sexes are under treatment In
equal numbers. Thus the ward for males has some
times been only half filled, while that for females
has been full. The new ward can be divided into