Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-03-23
A DAY In A HOSPITAL.
Good Work Performed by Pittsburg's
Many Institutions for
THE ALIENATION OF SUFFERING.
An Accident Ward the Correct Barometer
of Business.
THE SWIFT AND SILENT OPERATORS

1hn OnlfI AND DIIhNT VfEhAIVhp
Since a hospital was established at
C@sarea, in the latter part of the fourth
century, there has been great advance in
the science of healing Medical and sur
gical pathology ere that time, and, in fact,
much later being somewhat rude. 1t is
true that Hippocrates had. in a measure, re-
duced the knowledge of Esculapius to prac-
tice, so far as it was safe to improve on a
god, and had raised the science of healing
to the dignity of a learned profession, yet
he was hampered by the superstition that
forbade the dissection of dead bodies, and
his Humorous" treatise on blood, phlegm,
black bile and yellow bile, while adum-
brating the results of research of modern
times was vet so crude that at present it
would provoke smile were it not
that the age in which it was
produced is taken into consideration.
He is said to have been skillful in diagnos-
ing, and had he not been such ferocious
blood-letter, his cupping and cauterizatlon
might have been pardonable, as he had the
sense to see that nature herself was consid-
cradle of doctress, if given a free ballot
and fair count.
NEEDED oUININE AND WHISKY.
Galen doubtless still further improved on
the healing arts taught by the gods, but
even less than 800 years ago Oliver Crom-
well was allowed to die of ague, with hun
dreds of tons of Peruvian bark lying in
English harbors, but of the use of which
English physicians were ignorant. As
Galen was cock of the walk among medical
roosters down to near the time. of William
the Conoueror, it isn't likely that hospitals
had improved very much up to that
time from the time the one in
Cesarea was founded; in fact, not
very much until after Bacons inductive
philosophy had become pretty well
rooted. As long as physicians depended on
accomplishing desired results by proceeding
BY the rules of ancient logic their nostrums
were like to have as little, perhaps less, ef
feet than the ''yarbs" of the old ladies, and
the ladies were little less superstitious than
the doctors.
But though hospitals have been recog-
niZed institutions in most large cities for
several hundred years, their importance has
not been generally recognized as it deserved,
and even now there are thousands of other
wise we'll informed people in Western Penn
SNlNdlld VINO scarce uQu6TSIduQ IuGIQ,
posing them to be mere lazar houses, where
only outcasts are treated -pesthouses-buto ton
more intimate acquaintance it is probable
that ere many years all people who able to
nav for treatment will prefer to be taken
care of in hospitals rather than at home, on
account of their superior facilities, superior
even to the home treatment for which the
rich are able to pay. This city, as manu-
featuring and railway center, will be forced
to continue building and extending hospital
facilities.
EARLY PITTSBURG HOSPITALS.
Aside from the old Marine Hospital,
PasSavant's was the only one that cut
figure of consequence 40 years ago, while
now six, the Western Pennsylvania, Homeo-
psthic, Mercy, Passavant's, Allegheny
General and st. Franciscus are all unable
at times to fully meet the demands made
upon them. While in former times the
hod-carrier or other workman who fell and
was crushed out of shape was allowed to die
If nature uDassisted did not patch him up,
now medical science has proven that there
is large amount of salvage possible, and to
the credit of humanity, it should be stated
that enlightened people do not object to
spending large amount of money for the
alleviation of misery, even if it be not profit
able. As matter of business it might be
W o4AOh SCb fCIN
injured 10 die, but the age that produced
the S. 2. c. A. revolts at the suggestion.
Many would scarce believe it, perhaps,
but it is fact that the writer spent pleas
ant time the other day at the Western
Pennsylvania Hospital with Superintendent
W. A Cowen as pilot and instructor Mr.
Cowen states that there are at present 189
patients in the hospital, Ito of which are
maintained free, having no means to pay
their way. These mostly come from a
radius of Is or 20 miles. Formerly many
poor people, unable to pay their way,
fought shy of the institution, thinking it a
poorhouse. As soon as they found that
prompt attention, which often could not be
had at home, had
SAVED SCORES OF LIVES
the number Of patients began to grow and
people of means came to be treated. At
present there is a gentleman from Wheel
ing being treated for an affection of the
tongue. He isn't gsrrulous. being obliged
to use paper and pencil in conversation.
In the soldiers ward men were found
chatting, smoking and playing dominoes.
They weren't as breezy as they were in 1861,
when they painted towns red and finally
left for the front ana the bands played "The
Girl Left Behind Me, +" but they said they
were comfortable, nevertheless, and they are
uOb oc oOAuC pCOpAC nave re-
ported their quarters. One who has long
been fixture is Old Joe. He is "a years
old, and went through both the Mexican
War and that of the Rebellion. He is still
jovial. In the private ward of this depart
ment Colonel Woodward lay in bed with
his clothes on, reading. He said: "I pre-
fer this to my life at the hotel, that is, when
1 am sick"
John E. Henderson was found resting as
cheerfully as a man can be supposed to rest
who has been in bed 20 out of "a hours dur
ing the last ten years. He took dive into
the Allegheny river at Franklin, in
Venango county, ten years ago and struck
a rock. He was brought out, and for some
time was supposed to be dead, but at pres
ent he is q quite cheerful cripple. His
smile is bright, his laugh CHEEKY and on nice
days he is wheeled about the grounds in a
perambulstor.
THE RAILWAY WARD.
The railway ward is the most like hotel
of any, as the guests come and go more fire.
quently than in any other. Most of the in
mates OF this ward are country born and
nearly all males. Occasionally woman or
girl gets a thump from an engine or is caught
in q wreck, but most of the patients are
brakemen or fremen. The work of the loco
motive is frightful. Scarce a day passes
that one oI ulore meu are NOT JuggernauVeu,
and train hands are hurt hourly. Brake
men lose their arms, sometimes their legs
also. This class of men is largely composed
of farmers boys, who think it preferable to
go through the world with one leg or one
arm than to endure the lonely drudgery of
farm life Like the moth futtering around
the candle flame, no fear of accident will
ever check the supply.
In this department is young German
named Holger Quad, who is now sick, but
who has been an employe for some years.
He came ont of q wreck at the time of his
first experience as a patient. He is consid-
cradle of a musician, and is the proud DOS
ssesor of a violin for which he rtatss fb;s
father was offered $500 and another violin
to boot by Ole Bull Another, who was too
feeble to tell his name, looked as though he
had been put through an immense potato
narer He was covered with bandapes and