Wichita eagle., 1888-03-23
ST, FRANCIS HOSPITAL

St. Francis hospital, situated on the
corner of Fourth avenue and Ninth street,
| is now open to the public. 1t is an insti
| tuition chartered by the state of Kansas for
| the reception, care and treatment of the
| sick, and is governed by the following
board OF trustees: A. w. Oliver, B. H.
Campbell, j. o. Davidson, John Davidson,
VI. w. Levey. C. Reed, NJ j. Carey, P. V.
Healy, VIM. Griffenstien, J. P Allen and
Henry Schweiter The building contains
forty rooms, beside bath rooms, etc., all of
| which are light and airy, clean and neat.
Cleanliness is recognized as necessity at
the outset, and nothing short of it Will be
| accepted as substitute. The hospital is
| organized as broad-guaged institution.
1t is not private sanitarium for the pc
| cuniary benefit Of any person, church or
corporation. 1t is not an institution for
| the conversion of the Protestant to the Ro-
man Catholic, the Roman Catholic to the
Protestant, nor for the introduction, dis
cussion or adoption Of any religious creed
| or denomination. 1t is purely non-secta-
rian. Any religious belief can be admins
tered to by its own representatives at all
times. 1t is not an almshouse, it is not a
resort for tramps, neither is 1t home for
incurable. There are many institutions
erected for such purposes which amply
provide for the reception of their appli-
cants and St. Francis does not receive
them because of its limited capacity and
because it was not organized for such
purpose. There are so many people suffer
ing from acute diseases which need i'm
mediate attention in order that life may
be saved that the exclusion of other cases
is necessity. Cases of accident and
acute diseases-with the exception of
smallpox, scarlet fever, diptheria, or such
diseases as may be detrimenental to other
patients-will be received and given such
care and attention as the ability of all
concerned can afford The nursing and
care of the hospital are in charge of the
Sisters of Mercy" actuated by the COM
mon interests of charity and humanity,
give their united services to the demands
| of the sick and the welfare of the institu-
ton. Their mission is one of charity and
the fulfllment of that mission certainly
deserves the appreciation of all. The hos
pital is provided with charity wards and
pay wards. All patients are admitted to
charity wards on a written order from any
physician of the hospital staff. Patients
are admitted to pay wards on the request
OF any physician in the city Pay patients
may employ as physician whom they wish
1t is the intention of the trustees to make
the institution public hospital in the true
sense of the term, and to offer to the I'M
fortunate sick such care and attendance as
is best adapted to each case. AS soon as
possible an ambulance system will be
added to the service by which an accident
call in any part of the city will be re-
sponded to as quickly as a call for the fire
department. We are not writing for hos
pital patients but simply for the purpose
or correcting some mistaken ideas which
seem to be prevalent concerning the hos
pital The hospital staff is composed of
the following physicians: On practice,
Drs f. A. Graham, c. 6. Mccullough, j.
S. Foote and w. H. Wells; on surgery,
Drs. X. F. Pardy, w. A. Jordan and F. l..
Hinsdale; on obstetrics and gynaecology,
Drs. A. II. Fabrique and j. E. Oldham; on
diseases of children, Drs. c. E. McAdams
and j. E. Oldham; on gents urinary dis
eases, DR.. G. M. Bibbee; on diseases of eye
and ear, DR.. E. E. Hamilton; on pathology,
DR.. j. S. Foote. Public hospitals are
founded on necessity. We have only
to be strangers in large city, with
out money and without friends, and
to be taken down with some severe illness,
or, it may be. injured by accident to appre-
cate their necessity. We have only to
listen for a moment to the distressing
cries of the child as it struggles for exist
ence beneath the power of disease: in fact,
unclothed it may be, without shelter and
without friends, to feel their necessity; and
now if st. Francis hospital, through the
combined effort of its trustees, physicians,
nurses and patrons, shall afford relief to
such as these its mission is fulfilled, and
every one who has or shall contribute to
its support crn not but feel certain sense
of pride and satisfaction Thanking all
benefactors of the institution for their lib
beral contributions and generous support,
trusting that its mission in the future shall
merit the continuance of both, and believ-
ing that Wichita will never be ashamed of
such an enterprise, we take pleasure in pre-
senting to the public ST. Francis hospital.
Us. FooTE, NJ. d.