The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1891-02-14
HOSPITALS OF EUROPE.
SOME GERMAN DESIGNS THAT ARE
THE WORLDS MODELS.
surreon-GeneraI Hamilton Describes Sights
That He Saw In the Hospital Wards at Ham,
burg. Berlin. Trieste, and Genoa-Modei
II.

Institutions.
Although hospitals have been intended as a
blessing and benefit to the poor and needy,
they have too often proved the reverse on ac-
count Of the ignorance on the part OF thor
administrators Of the true principles of health.
So much was this the case formerly that 1t has
not been infrequently debated whether nos
pitfalls are or are not gigantic evils. Particu-
Iarlv is this true in the case Of municipal hos
pitals. where inefficient ventilation, defective
n,urnbing arrangements, uncleaDliness, faulty
diet and an indiscriminate mixture OF pa
tients too often tend to make the Influence OF
The hospitals one of evil rather than OF
good.
of municipal hospitals have recently been
very thoroughly treated Of by the supervising
Surgeon General, John Il. Hamilton, IN MS
annual report TO the Treasury Department.
DIR. Hamilton was delegate to the tenth In
ternational Medical Congress, which met at
Berlin. and, taking advantage OF this fact he
inspected the various hospitals Of Europe and
studied plans designs and suggestions rela-
tive TO the erection and equipment of munich
pal hospitals. One of the most interesting OF
the descriptions in the Surgeon Generals re-
mort is thai of the municipal hospital at Eppen-
dorf q suburb of Hamburg. which is proba-
Neutrality-suspicious. and photographs OF which
accompany the reports on the pavilion
plan. and consists of detached buildings
wherein patients suffering from different dis
eases can be kept separate.
One very important thing in connection
, with this, rs well "a with most other European
hospitals, is found in the very complete bath
house. which is separate building and III
which is every appliance for the adminlStra-
ton of Turkish vapor. Russian and medica-
ted baths In this hospital the SuTgeon-beh-
eral saw for the first time hydrOtherapeutlcs
carried to limit unknown III America. There
he saw patients suffering from certain acute
internal diseases immersed IN warm water
and kept therein for number of hours.
The grounds about these detached pavil-
ions. the plan of which resembles an enor-
nous and methodically arranged PATCHWORK
Quilt. are ornamented with shrubbery. The
walks are macademized and well drained. so
that the beauty of the surroundings OF each
pavilion adds materially TO the comfort OF the
patient The wards are light and airy. ana
terazo floors are furnished III each pavilion.
The operating room of this hospital Is al
most beautiful enough TO make one wish 10 be
its inmate. Ii is finished throughout IN anti
septic tiles and the tables and bedside STANDS
have milk-white glass tops. There is also a
disnfecting machine attached TO the hospital,
wherein tbs clothing of all patients admitted
is subjected to high degree OF temperature,
sufficiently high TO destroy the probability OF
the clothing bringing infectious disease INTO
the hospital. The pavilion devoted to treat,
ment OF cases Of diphtheIia, scarlet fever. and
erysipelas have each their separate corps OF
attendants, and isolation methods are thor-
oughly carried out.
The Surgeon-G General Of the German Army
having detailed one Of his staff 10 accompany
Surgeon-Gener Hamilton on his visits to the
hospitals of Berlin, enabled the American
officer 10 make a more thorough inspection
than vvould otharyisa have bppn DOSsi bic
The newer hospitals of that city. which are
the ones most worthy of being reproduced IN
this country, are the Moabit and the Urban.
The former consists Of series OF barracks
arranged in large garden IN manner similar
10 that of the Hamburg Hospital. II Is con-
Quoted under military auspices. The hospital
has been constructed ON very economical
basis, but while the walls are of concrete and
the roof of cheap roofing material, the wards
are admirably arranged and Iii every respect
suitable for the purpose for which they were
designed II is questionable, in the opinion
of the Surgeon General whether such hos
lital as the Moabt is not more desirable than
the more luxurious hospitals furnished IN the
highest style Of workmanship and from tile
most expensive materials.
he Uurban Hospital has become pretty well
known 10 newspaper readers in recent months
because of the numbers of consumptyes who
have gathered there TO try the Koch cure.
Professor Vircow. whose name has also be
come familiar because of his criticisms with
this same discovery, Is the director of lis pa
theological institute. The Surgeon-GeneIal
describes il as the most beautiful hospital in
Berlin" 1t has 500 beds for adults and ninety
beds for children. In design and management
il is practically the same as the Hamburg Hos
pital. There as elsewhere III Europe, great
attention is paid TO the bath establishment, to
the ornamentatiOn of the grounds. and 10 the
ventilation of the wards. No detail looking
TO the perfection of the hospital has been
omitted apparently.
lgemeine Krankenhaus. which contains three
thousand beds. This hospital, which IS now one
hundred aud sixteen years old, presents llttle IN
its outward appearance or IN ITS internal ar
rangements which would render II an example
To be copied III the United States. Judging by
the Surgeon Generals report. II seems To
have been constructed almost exclusively Tor
the purposes of medical teaching rather than
for the comfort of Its Inmates, and everything
in the hospital is subordinated 10 the inter
es.s of the medical students The patients
themselves are subjected to q system Of eXaln-
nation, aud one might say. TO indlgnlties. 10
which American patients would certainly not
submit The furniture is poor, the woodwork
is old and much worn, and the sanitary AZ
Engagements are greatly inferior TO other hos
pitals, so much so that, IN the Judgment of
the Surgeon General. nothing except the
great reputation of the professor attached
to this hospital could attract to its precincts
so many suffering persons.
In Vienna DIR. Hamilton was impress sed with
the excellence of the private hospitals. which
are handsomely designed and furnished with
every convenience for the comfort of the IN
mates. Perhaps there is nothing in America
like the sanitarium of DIR. Elder, designs and
photographs of which accompany the report
II is built on the pavilion style. In tine operat-
ing room of this hospital there is an arrange
ment of steam pipes 10y which in five minutes
the room can be thoroughly disinfected with
live steam,
Trieste has the most perfect type Of cor
ridor plan of hospital design IN existence
The length of the building is six hundred and
twenty feet; width, four hundred and fifty;
capacity, one thousand beds The basement
has u stone pavement, aud contains work
shops and store-rooms. The ground floor is
exclusively devoted TO observation rooms for
the insane of both sexes, and the adminis,ra-
ton Of the hospital, surgical wards and ont
door surgical service. The second floor is de-
voted exclusively TO internal diseases. The
baths, the laundry, the kitchen. and the
morgue are In a separate building outside Of
the general corridor. In the interior is AN
enormous court filled with flowers and shrub
berry with great profuslon.
The maritime hospital at Trieste is believed
to be the most complete and largest ouaran
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