The daily morning journal and courier., 1895-02-01
AT NEW HAVEN HOSPITAL.
4 NEW WADlLINISTR4TION BUILDING
 NEEDED.

ALSO dfl AHcTehSe Ol Lil5 mousse Slhll--<A NAfa-
 ternitY Build ng Also Needed-Hospital
 For Contagious Diseases pletion of
 the Farnam Ward-The Election of
 Officers,
 The annual meeting oi the New Ha- ven Hospital society was held yesterday afternoon in the chapel at S;SO o'clock. About twenty members were present, and the meeting was presided over by General Samuel E. Merwin, The ses- sion was unusually brief. The annual reports of the board of directors, board Of visitors, board of lady visitors and prudential committee were read and unanimously accepted.
 After these reports had been accepted the following gentlemen were elected directors of the society for period of three years each: General s. D. Mer- win, Dean Francis Wayland, Professor Morris F. Tyler pr. w. II. Carmalt, Dr. Edward H. Jenkins, Eli Whitney, jr., Nathan Easterbrook, jr., Attorney L. H. Bristol and Dr. s. D. Gilbert.
 The annual meeting of the directors will be held this evening at the law of flee of Louis H. Bristol Bristol, Stod- dard & BristoD, 792 Chapel street, at which time the officers will be elected for the ensuing year.
 The report of the prudential commit tee of the society follows:
 THE OFFICERS OF THE HOSPITAL.
 The board of directors has the honor to present herewith to the General Hos pital society of Connecticut the sixty eighth annual report, prepared by the prudential committee.
 A comparison of the work of the hos pital for the past year with that of the year before shows that, although the daily average number of patients fell from 121.9 to 113, the total number cared for rose from 983 to 1,024. The increase in the activity of the service indicated by these figures is gratifying, as show ing that the hospital accomplished more in it's work of relieving suffering than it did in 1893.
 The average residence of patients fell from 61a weeks to 5% the average res idence of patients supported from by the Clifford and Marett funds, large pro- protion of whom were chronic cases, was 12 2-5 weeks Deducting the latter, the average residence of the remaining patients was only 4A weeks, which is nearer approach to the work of hospi- tals in the larger cities than we have ever been able to show.
 DEATHS OF THE YEAR.
 There were 1S1 deaths during the year, the death rate being about 12 per cent. of the total number of patients under treatment. This is slight increase over 1993 but an unusual number were relieved in moribund condition, as shown by the fact that forty died with in twenty-four hours and five more within forty-eight hours after they were admitted. If we deduct these forty-fve the death rate for the remainder is about 834 per cent.
 Of the 1,O24 patients under treatment only sixty-five paid the full cost of their support; 7S1 were partially and IFS wholly supported by the funds of the society,
 The ration in the increase of the char itable work of the hospital for the past six years is shown by the following fig ures. which give the number of weeks occupied by charity and free-bed pa tients each year: 1888, S86 5-7; 1889, 45g6-7. 1890 2-7; 1891. 1107 AZ; 1892, 1472 Al; 1893, 2197 AT; 1894, 1889 S-7.
 The time occupied by patients practi- cally supported by the towns of the state is not included in the above fig ures, although they can be properly classed as charity patients. Adding to the above the 271 AZ weeks occupied by the town patients, we have total ot 4.321 weeks occupied by 549 patients, who, with very few exceptions, paid nothing at all for their support and treatment at the hospital. It will be noticed that there was a decrease of POS 1-7 weeks in the time occupied by charity and free bed patients in 1894, but the number of patients increased thirty-ive, from 106 to POI.
 THE AVERAGE COST PER WEEK.
 The decrease in the average number of patients and the active service must account for the increasing 12 cents in the average cost per week of supporting each patient. The figures are-1894, $9.07 per week; 1S93 $8.95 per week. The cost of food per day for each inmate, on the other hand, decreased from 30 cents to 29.5 cents. In estimating the average cost per week in supporting each patient, it has been our custom to include all items of expense, some of which, as for instance, insurance, print ing reports, repairs and other improve ments, etc., may properly belong to the actual expense of caring for pa tients. If we had excluded these es- inmates in making our estimates the average cost per week would have been about $8.
 INCREASE OF BIRTHS. Perhaps the most noticeable feature | in the work for the year was the in- crease in the number of births. There | were 32, which is greater than the com bined number for the year 1S92-'3. This | increase was due to a special effort made | by the training school. Early in the | year the managers of the school urged | upon us the necessity of giving their | nurses more practice in obstetrical work, and in response we arranged | to place at their disposal four free beds, to be used exclusively for maternity purposes. These cases were cared for