The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-12-18
A NEED FOR TIE HOSPITAL
DR.. Golfer Explains The Marine Hos
pital Service Requirements.

Demands an Independents Hospital
and Full staT of Government Sur
geOns.
The announcement in yesterday S
MORNING News that a movement has be-
gun TO secure the establishment of q
United States marine hospital at Savan-
nah was read with great deal Of inter
est. The fact that Savannah, on account
Of its rank as seaport, is entitled to
such an institution and that in the lackof
it is not only behind the times, but has
failed of its just dues from the govern
ment, was news to the majority Of those
who read the article who only take a
casual interest in medical subjects and
have only superficial idea of the work
ings of the marine hospital service.
1t is not known to great many people
that this great and beneficent government
| has assumed the care of the health of all
| of its seamen of every class, not only
those employed upon the vessels of the
navy, but every follower of the sea who
sails under the American flag whether on
| transconliuental, c1astwise, fishing YES
sells or even river steamers.
EVERY SAILORS RIGHT.
Every employee of a tug boat plying on
the Savannah river who suffers an injury
of any kind has the right to place
himself under the treatment of the
| marine hospital surgeon. and, if mis-
| injuries are sufficiently serious, to be sent
to hospital, all at the expense of the
! government This is a special favor ex-
! tended to seamen by the government for
| the encouragement of commerce.
In addition TO caring for its own seamen
the government also cares for the seamen
] HF l. IL H.
| ports for a certain small compensation.
| This work is in charge of the marine hos
| pital service, it being the work, in
! fact, for which the service was
! organized. The scope of the marine
! hospital service has since been
| extended to taking charge of epidemics
and all public disasters where medical
attendance is required, but the caring for
seamen was the work for which it was
! originally organized and which still COM
! mands its chief attention.
TIE LOCAL OFFICERS.
For this purpose one or more surgeons
of the marine hospital service are sta
. toned at every important port where any
considerable number of vessels enter
/ during the year. The chief work of
these surgeons is to give medical
attention to the disabled seamen who de-
mand it of them. At most of the i'm
| portant ports, and some of lesser i'm
/ portance, hospitals have been erected by
the government for the care of seamen,
/ and also for mem bers Of the army aud
navy, and other employees of the govern
ment such as lighthouse keepers.
! Wilmington ana hey West both have
! government hospitals There are more
entries and departures of vessels at Sa-
! vannah every year than at both of these
ports put together,
DR., l.. N Cofer is the marine hospital
surgeon at Savannah, and is young gen
tleman of ability and enterprise. His
| predecessor was DR.. j. H. White, well
and favorably known in Savannah, who
is now stationed at Hamburg, Germany.
For number of years two wards in
the ST. Joseph's intirmary have been used
for the accommodation of seamen under
treatment of the marine hospital service
at savannah, one ward being for white
and one for negro patients. The
sick, seamen have always been given
the best of care and attention al
the intirmary, the kind and attentive
nursing by the sisters in charge, being a
feature which has especially attracted
the praise of the physicians in charge.
Some time ago, however, the oyticials OF
the service reached the conclusion that
the accommodations at the intirmary
were inadequate. There are only two
wards and no separate accommodations
can be given to ohcers from the men.
WANT MORE ROOM.
The space allotted is not sufficient to
give the air room required for each pa
tient by modern medical science and the
, ARRANGEMENT of the building is not suita
Bile tor the work required and also be
, cause OF the lack of the facilities supplied
in the marine hospitals elsewhere. The
charge for ca n pa,ient is 81 a day, but nc
M ont 70 1I@vw NA l.
inhrmary for longer than ninety days
Ii his illness threatens TO continue for /
LONGER time the laws of the service re
quire that he be transferred to the near
est marine hospital, which is at vii
mingLon.
DR.. Cofer, the marine hospital surgeon
at Savannah, was seen by a MORNING
. NEWS reporter yes -erday. 1t was at DR.
Cofer's suggestion THAI the movement il
, behalf OF a marine hospital was begun
81 am very sorry" said DR. Cofer
"that your correspondent at Washing, OF
stated the reasons for the petition for {
marine hospital at Savannah il
such way as to reflect upon tht
treatment received by the Seamen at the
: St. Josephs intirmary. There was NJ
: intention Of this kind upon the part o
; those who urged the establishment of
marine hospital here The patients coult
not possibly receive kinder treatmen
l anywhere than IS given them at the lntrn
airy. 1t was urged in support of the peti
l ton for the establishment of a hospita
here that the present facilities are en-
} tirely inadequate, and that on this &C
count the usefulness of the service here i
l greatly decreased. The number of sea
men applying for treatment here is les
than at any other important station on tn,
coast, and not at all in proportion
3 to the number of seamen entering anC
leaving this port. The reason is that TIT
mariners, being familiar with the limited
. facilities at the command of the service
} here, prefer, whenever they have tht
means to do so, to secure treatment pri
) vately at their own expense. This is es
| pecially the case with captains, officer
and engineers of vessels.
WHAT is NEEDED.
''The easiest way of illustrating tn
disadvantages which we at present labo
= under, is to give you an idea of what
! modern marine hospital is. There is onl.
= one floor to the modern hospitals
t the ground floor. This prevent
hoisting patients upon eleva
tors, and carrying them up an,
down stairs. Two long wards are bull
at right angles to each other with tn
executive ONCE at the angie and tn
, nurses quarters at each end. This place
everybody, nurses, physicians and stew