The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-03-05
In A SURGEONS THEATRE.
xBsoLU1ELY TUE cIEAxEsT HOUSE IN
AMERICA OR THE HORLD.

--
Exciu.,on OF Dust ind Dirt I. n High Prin-
ciple in Surgery To-dny-The strict 0usrd
Against lnpurity Where Surgeons Work.
The c~leanest place in the world Is In this
city. An afternoon spent in 1t convinces tho
visitor that nowhere can there DO any place
more constantly and scrupulously cieansed:
more Immediately free from any faint OF dirt
or more impregnaole to possible invasion by
any unwolcome substance. or what people
call dirt there is none ut all. TIT i1cessant
battle that goes on there is against the f1ne
dust that forces its way where burglars cannot
get In Trow's Directory this oleanest place in
the world Is called Tho w. j. Syms Operating
Theatre" The cleanost little things in town
are the Rlass-oncased scales Of the jewellers
in Maiden lane. but this theatre is n great
Ibuilding and it is cleaner than those scales.
, The Syms Operating Theatre 10 on the
grounds OF the Roosevelt Hospital OF Ninth
layenue and Fifty-ninth street. AMI ~ Joined
20 the hospital by an enclosed passage. 1t is
. large. square brick and iron building as
seen from outside. Inside. It Is Mt once a
fortress and a palace OF marble. cement. stone
MOSAIC work. and hammered glass. This Is
whore the surgeons connected with the hos
bital celebrate the magical trlumphs OF latter
day surgery. and there the medical students
and the doctors and surgeons. who are trying
to keep abreast OF their generation. assemble
ut times to witness these wonders. In no
fscience. perhaps. has man made such ad-
vances as In surgery. and nothing has con-
attributed more to this progress than cleanli-
mesa Cleanliness is SUCCESS and want OF 1t
- failure" say the surgeons Of to-day. Con-
peouently. when it was proposed to build the
best surgical house in America on those hos
;Dital grounds. the first care. the last caro-. and
Ethe care all tho time was to build 80 that
a --..1l - 80 L. --A az IA ~ -~A L. as a.
always does) 30 that it could be washed right
out again. Therefore. in spite OF the fact that
The building is a palace and Is stored with
Ssostly. beautiful. and delicate apparatus. a
hose can be turned upon any room and 1t can
be kept as clean as a whistle.
1t will be sufficient for the present purpose
% describe that part Of the theatre which 1saw
Is q witness OF one surgical operation. The
entrance to the theatre was by means OF n
hallway floored with Florentine mosaic made
with little cubes OF marble embeddedln cement.
The walls were OF cement coated with paint OF
. light tan color. Overhead. a big iron beam
that was exposed was enveloped in cement
and painted. that 1t might afford no Judgment
Tor dust or dirt. There are no square corners
where tho floors Join the walls. The walls
curve outward and the floors curve upward
where they meet. Thus n sort OF little gutter
II formed. 1t is scarcely noticeable. but no
dust can stay there. as In ordinary houses.
The hrst side door along the hall was a
great slab OF white marble and led to a room
for the surgical treatment OF what are
called septic ~cases"-such as would be
apt to Introduce poisonous and unwelcome
elements in the air or dust to endanger the
success Of the treatment Of other patients.
What Is therefore called "sepsis" penetrates
the building no further than that first door.
Rnpr foot from tho nptro Dca md fhara la kapt
behind q solid marble slab. The room behind
that door is. nevertheless. a room with marble
door and wainscoting. appointed with closets
,Qs crystal stored with Instruments that are
Nike jewelry. and the plumbing .work that per.
like that in the houses OF the yanderbiits..
Be IunSaI is the m, ether E IoSs .v Wh sest the patients 1hs Snrs
Of knife: the splint room. the, patients wait
ing room; the surgeons toilet and dressing
sand as pure and sweet as the human mind can
sconceive cleanliness to be. In many Of the
lGheY consist Of painted iron frames. each ohe
e:opped BY a slab q painted Iron and cush-
cushions ean BE- washed in baths i,s 81 anti
ffmust be-. thrown away. The, windows are
massive plates OF hammered glass cemented
i,oIo asan th hsa@ sse M stylIsIfs. o ped a1es are ae. pe ali
aoabIe. the upper one to iet il the light. the
s1o TSs one fSt to keon Io out tn The d cI,nica ,oota az I,
Ssswsr's kettls one sIds p xhisS Ssd Sssn
IRON behind It, Like ali. the chairs. on that
jp 1e1si t that they i"ass cam aro BE- played dA ON By a sl hos {.
pat have wooden seHts; because iron will not
S 81 e III th spHn these atke ,i shs s1 rIss al ain eos k rishs
over one another. Thus the furthest of OF
the 2eo ! me Ia0 who s,m sit it, there sis,i on Saturday anw r "a after ter
s sSSs'Sss atts %no OF + the hs,nE fet fHsFf IS tho SDs Slab 81
more IMPORTANT sper1ators. Where part o
the kettle Is cut away the wall is white marble
cate. and %lustrous shelves and cases Of elas.
whore rest scores q instrument OF polished
over the slab is a battery of electric lights. Oh
ess p aiasht at wa the n ond q & 1o wire eio lhhsar Wit
woven silk On ton o; the onlb Is q case Q
his knife. and the copper shields its rays from
his face and throws them all on the patient.
svery .aiterpoon. 4 hustle accompanies hi
sGTty stir w Il Il a hustle naiss OF ps Sa'isr II N sl tbs sFSe
nurses. and attendants. all in ,~spotless white
are seeing to his readiness and that Of the op
f fhet toilet room room. Il Is Unlike any other foot roou
Of the sort outside OF such q place; Along on
fWhl II q ScIieS VI lubtDlo. Wdbu pdSlub. chCl
beneath a hot and a. cold water faucet. Stand
ing about are soap bowls and glass dishes ful
OF soft soap. yellow with. potash. Over tn
wash bowls are marble shelves; and on each |
Dangling from the wall is a pair OF curve'
scissors in u leather case, They. are finger
nail scissors. Opposite the great waslistap'
is series Of oak lockers for The street an
Now. we shall see that the surgeons are a
clsan as the building, The head surgeons take
and thick trousers Of linen duck. woye
~coarsely but closely into a basket pattern. II
rolls the sleeves Of his shirt and undershir
Up above bis naked arms. which are In ri
hotwater into a bowl 1t is noticeable tina
quick. With a handful Of soft soap, which
gentlewoman would not dare to apply to he
skin. he begins his ablution. Again and agar
md several times oitsner, he dips up hands
wrists become raw locking. red as the meat {
pent upon what no is doing. Benin
centre q the room, stand two glass aishs
shiohterfda nf Ynnrrrtru In vvafar tha nthr