The Portland daily press., 1885-10-14
45l "A
Miscellaneous,
s2s.7as 75

| IRIS makes the average cost OF eacn Pauel
per week $ll.30.
There has been received from patients for
| board $ll,424.23.
Excess of expenditures over receipts from
patients $l2,S09.52.
Since my last report. the improvements
commenced last year have been completed and
are now in use. The amphitheatre was first
occupied in January and is in all respects sat
isfactory. Very favorable opinions have been
expressed in regard to it by members of the
medical profession from a distance who have
visited us. AS it affords excellent opportuni-
ties to witness operations, we have many visi-
tors, not only physicians of this city, but from
other parts of the State who may be in town.
This is a source of strength to the hospital as
it keeps up an interest in its work and pros
perity. The beauty, roominess and conyen-
ience of the main operating room is a great
contrast to the small room in which all the
surgery had been done for the previous ten
years.
The new ward on the lower floor of the
pavilion, consisting of the rooms formerly
used as operating rooms, on one side OF the
| central hall, and the rooms occupied by do
| mestics on the other side, has been OF the
| greatest service. 1t has been in constant SER
| vice for some months, and proves to be par
| ticularly useful on account Of its construction.
1t gives us small, owpriced, private rooms,
| for which the demand was greater than the
supply, and it gives us also an opportunity
to isolate patients when, for any reason, they
| are not desirable cases to treat in the larger
wards above. 1t adds TO the capacity of the
hospital seventeen (l7) beds, and without it
we would have been obliged to refuse many
patients during the year.
The enlargement Of the kitchen building. by
which the domestics are provided with new
rooms has the advantage of securing greater
| quiet in the hospital proper. The new kitchen
| and pantries are great Improvement over the
| old ones, and, being on the level of the base
ment of the hospital, the food can be distrib-
uted with much greater care and celerity.
The amount expended for all these improve
ments seems to me very moderate compared
with the increase of capacity which it gives the
hospital and the facilities it affords for con-
| Quoting the service in more efficient manner.
In my last report submitted for your con-
sderation the advisabiity of establishing in
the hospital a training school for nurses. BY
| your direction steps were taken in the early
| part of the year to accomplish this as soon as
| possible. The first and most important step
was the selection of a superintendent of nurses
who would be the principal of the school. We
were fortunate in securing the services of Mrs.
Alidee NJ. P. Leese. graduate of the training
school of the New York hospital "a lady emf
nently qualified for the responsible duties OF
the office. Whatever success the school may at
tain, feel will be largely due to her unwearied
exertions.
Fifty nine applications have been filed,
number much larger than we can accommodate
at any one time. As the nursing of the hos
pital is done by the pupils, with the present
number of patients, our classes must neces-
sarily be small. The school was opened about
February l.. Thus far ten have been admitted.
| Two did not remain after their month Of pro-
baton had expired. Eight are now in the
| school. We also retained two of our former
female nurses and two of the male nurses.
| have been much pleased to find that ad-
! mission to the school is sought by young
women of education and refinement; and the
faithful manner in which they perform their
laborious, and sometimes not too pleasant
duties, is deserving OF the highest praise.
Much yet remains to be done to bring the
school up to the degree of efficiency which we
| expect to attain, but think we have sbun-
dant reason to be satisfied with what has been
accomplished thus far. The members of the
medical and surgical staff have expressed their
hearty approval Of the methods pursued, and
| their satisfaction with the improvement in
the character of the nursing as compared with
| former years.
Thus far the school has not involved the
hospital in any increased expenditure. From
| February lst to September Both, 1884, we paid
| out for nurses wages $l.6l7.09. From
February lst to September 30th, this year the
expenditure for this purpose, including the
salary of the superintendent OF nurses, was
| $166l.16. But to this must be credited
$47.S9 which has been received for the services,
of nurses outside of the hospital. which re-
duces the amour: to $1,613.27.
Formerly as We only employed as many
nurses as were absolutely necessary for the
work in the wards, whenever patients were
admitted for critical operation, which required
the services of special nurse, we were
obliged to employ, for the time being, such
skilled nurses as could be obtained from
among the city nurses, and for such
service were compelled to pay $40 per
week. Since the organization of the school
we have been able to care foI most Of these
cases by our own nurses, thus saving quite
large amount. And it is in this way and by
furnishing nurses to outside parties, that We
hope to keep the expenses of the school within
what we have previously expended for this
| purpose.
The superintendent of nurses and the pupils
| have occupied the rooms in the lower story Of
the amphitheatre, which have proved very well
adapted to the purpose. We received much
valuable assistance in furnishing these rooms
for their occupancy from friends of the hospi-
tai who are also specially interested in the
success of the school. The superintendent Of
nurses room was furnished by Mr.. William
| E. Gould and the Bee, a society Of young
ladies. The State street church circle fur
nished one room. for two occupants, complete.
Mr.. ]. E. Blabon gave the bedding and linen
for the other rooms. A detailed acknowledge
ment of these valuable gifts will be found in
the matron's report.
We are also under great obligations to Mr..
Henry r. Wood, representing the Westbrook
Manufacturing Company, who had prepared at
the mills a new pattern of gingham for the
uniform dresses of the nurses, and has agreed
to reserve it for our exclusive use besides fur
nishing it at a very low rate.
In addition to the contributions to the fur
nishing fund acknowledged last year some ad-
ditional gifts have been received. list Of
which will be found at the close of my report.
/ enclose the matron's report which ac-
| knowledges in detail the many contributions
received from the friends of the hospital.
| Appended to my report will be found list Of
all the surgical operations performed during
| the year with brief statement of results.
TREAsURER's REPORT.
| Mr.. Franklin R. Barrett, the treasurer, sub
mltted the tolowng report:
Receipts
Cash on hand Oct l, 1854, 341 50
Sundry donations, 20
| Annual free bed subscriptions, 1885
Hospital sundry contributions, l0U3 II
| State appropriation, 1880
Paying patients, ll,4l6 Is
| Service of nurses, ~ 80
Income from investments applicable
| to distributive income, 9,6l0 81
to other purposes, 1877 p
| Amphitheatre and extension account, 5,Ij9 SO
Balance of y. G. Sawyer legacy, $50
| Sarah Bradbury legacy, 200
Samuel Il. Spring legacy, 5000
Ann NJ. Williams gift, 1000
| Mortgage notes paid, 1850
| Note paid 5000
| Borrowed, 1000
s59,l25 90
| Expenditures
| Expenses at hospital, @24,453 II
| General expenses, l65 IS
| Amphtheatre and extension, l4iS3 80
| Investments, 10000
| Deposited on interest, 1859
| In hand Oct. ], 1885, 7AI
s59,l25s9
| Mrs Helen A. Gilman was elected an az