The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-12-13
THE LYING-IN HOSPITAL.
BENEFIcENT WORK ON THE SOCIETY
SINCE lSOS.

Estnh11nhm eUN Ihht II Is To- DnY-Ih0
New BuiIdinE In Stuyvesnnt Square,.
Although the Society of the Lying-in Hospital
Of the City Of New York has beon in existence
ninety-eight years, II has just begun to realize
the objects for which its founders planned. Tho
society was Incorporated by the New York Log
~islature In 1909. Its original appeal to the citi-
zens OF New York was dated October, 179S, and
began as follows:
1.-THE object of this institution Is to afford an
/ asylum to women In q state OF pregnancy who
are destitute of the means of support, and who
are unable to procure the necessary medical as
sistanoe and nursing during the period Of their
confinement"
The appeal said that by reason Of tho late ca
lamity in this city many women have been beroft
OF their husbands and thereby rendered
wretched under the accumulated evils OF grief
and poverty and that, as the city did not pro-
vide for this class of the poor, to whom charity
was duo, the establishment of n lylng-in hos
pital was an urgent need. Among the many
who responded to the appeal were Archibald
Oracle, J. G. vanden Heuvel, Alcxan der Ham
ilton. Peter P. Goelet, Henry Remsen. Peter
Augustus Jay, De Witt Clinton, Thomas Pear
sail. and Robert LenoX.
The first attempt to establish . hospital was
tho renting and furnishing of a large house at
2 Cedar street in August, 1909. But as there
were not funds sufficient to keep up an indie
pendent hospital. the society made arrange
ments In January. 1901, with the New York
Hospital. by which the interest in the funds of
the Lying-In Hospital Society was turned over to
the New York Hospital on the condition that
tho New York Hospital establish n ~lyinE-in
ward. This arrangement continued until 1927.
when 1t seemed best to the governors of the
New York Hospital to do away with the lying.
in ward. There were several earnest attempts.
all unsucceaaful to cnrry on the wprk in anna
other way. From October. 1884, to July,
lS45. no meetings of the governors were held.
In lS45 Benjamin +. Butler OF this city was q
conspicuous agent In the revival of the organiza-
tim. IL was not until 1856 that the society
worked ont the plan. which It has followed ever
since. OF aiding women requiring assistancedur-
ing confinement at their homes. limiting the OK
penses to s25 each. The disbursement wa. made
through a committee of women members OF the
society. and a fixed proportion of the income of
the society was devoted to the purpose. The
remainder was allowed to until
1890. when the Midwifery Dispensary applied
for aid. The application was granted. Since
then the dispensary has been absorbed by the
Lying-In Hospital. A fve-story tenement house
at 314 Broome street was rented. 1t was
fitted up as headquarters for the organiza-
ton Of more effective work by the hos
pital. A resident physician was installed
ana arrangements were mhue Oy winch
pregnant women might come to the hospital for
consultation and advice. thus forestalling pos
sible complications in confinement. A corps Of
physicians was maintained for the outdoor SER
vice. Lectures were delivered on obstetrics to
graduates from medical colleges, and students
and nurses under training were permitted to
accompany physicians to the houses OF patients.
This great advance In the usefulness OF the So
ciety convinced all who were actively Interest,"
Ing themselves in its work that the hospital
must have, rs soon rs possible. a hospital build
Ing that would not be n mere relief station
from which help might be sent to those who
scnse. whore severe and complicated cases could
be received and carefully watched. The soC!e-
iiyyisnr IL dark cellars. in loa Crowded de1' rooms %h ero
the surroundings were the worst conceivable.
~ were in any way possible to provide a better
promoters, felt all possible means to that end
should be exhausted. AS a result OF efforts
errors in May. 1894. authorized the purchase Of
tho Hamilton Fish mansion at Second ave-
nue. and Seventeenth street. Title to the prop
cry was secured in the following June. The
property stlli rests under a heavy mortgage.
way suitable to the purposes OF the Society OF
the Lying-In Hospital. On the Seventeenth
and has always light and air. Moreover. Second
avenue Is an unusually broad street. and quiet
The lot has a front Of So feet on seventeenth
for patients is IN the basement. There are ply
sicIaus' Offices, waiting rooms. and exam nation
rooms here. As well as bath rooms for patients.
students, and nurses. IN the rear, arc the
l~avatory for the nurses and the kitchen. The
first floor Ii divided about equally among the
nd miuistrative departments. the Libraries. and
museums. In the rear are two wards. mainly for
patients under preliminary observation.
The operating theatre and the confinement
wards are on the second floor. There is u COM
pIetely equipped sterilizing room. and nm iso-
latins ward for fever cases. The third floor is
taken up with the living apartments Of the
resident phisician. the stan and nurses. The
ming the full length OF the Second avenue side
OF that floor is the students dormitory. with
hal. fAr fnnF A In Efrhfannrh GtFna in fhA
northwest corner OF the lot. the building that
was formerly Tie, stable of the Fish mansion
has been converted into a pathological labora-
tory and nurses dOrmttory.
Although the hospital is a strictly charitable
any look Of pinched and Inadequate accommo-
datiOns. This II due by no means to any super
iluity or even sufiCicucy of endowment. hut TO
the liberal policy of management. For in
stance. sixty persons are fed every day In the
hospital dining room AZ an eXpense OF 80 cents
Gest no such economy, The governors point
plished as evidence of the great results they
VIII he able to show when the financial need. OF
the Institution are appreciated by the claritn-
bic rich. All the wards are light. and the iron
brdsreads. painted white. and each one with u
cradle swinging in n crane at the foot. are not
crowded together.
The present establishment Is practically little
moro than an exhibit showing what is possible
tics Of the last year show that there are $50
''N-H 1851 AAA'f
that few more than half of these babes are
brought into the world under the supervision Of
competcnt physicisns or %midwives. More than
5000 ont Of 5000 confuements last year
were either without any attention or were taken
care OF BY ignorant mldwives. who often did
more harm than good.
Scarcely n week passes.' says the Medical
Board In the ANIMAL report Issued this week,
without some woman being left at our door.
practically mOrihund. who has been several
DAYS in labor In the care Of a midwife. Such
cases are suffering, not only from tho effects OF
neglect, but often. also, from the results OF
active interference In the way OF attempted
operative procedure"
The house at 3l4 Broome street is now used
ms n "suh-statlon" for outdoor service. An
assistant physician and one or two helpers ar
there constantly for emergency duty. 1t Ia part
Of the hOcIety's plan to cover the city with these
sub-stations, al working under the direction OF
the main establishment.
An important department OF the work OF the
sub-statlon Is the diet kitchen. kept running al
most altogether by the efforts OF Mrs. William
Z. Whitney, who has made that part OF the WORK
her particular concern. There Is no cooking in
tho diet kitchen. but healthy food material ia
supplied from II to mothers in con hneIncnt. who
otherwise would he deprived OF susLelance by
the fact that their illness kept them away from
their places of employment. The possibilities and
the naeds OF the work are shown 10y the rccordSOt
-. - .---I Ia 40. l-N ,V.,-l thu