Daily Kennebec journal., 1896-03-06
fritopcolnr
THE HOSPITAL MATTER.
An Interesting Communication From Or
Harris.

| Editors of the Kennebec journal:
Apropos of the general interest mani
tested In the proposition to build city
hospital and of the meeting Of the board
of directors of the Augusta city hospital
corporation and the physicians Of the
city, which is to be held Monday evening,
March 9th for the purpose of discussing
the project, and in view of the rapidly
increasing tendency on the part of the
American people to participate in phil
anthropical movements it might be well,
| in this connection, to quote the words
| of recent writer who says, "1'o the
| social economist whose doctrine is that
public health is public wealth, no more
helpful aid has come than by the advance
| ment of knowledge Of the causation Of
disease, which teaches the means of pre-
vention, a broader socialism acting upop
| the highest motives of philanthrophy is
being developed in like manner through
better knowledge of the laws of life which
| must be obeyed to cure both physical and
moral Ills" 1t would appear that this
| line Of reasoning has been adhered TO
| when one reflects upon the rapid develop
| ment in recent years of the relation
between the hospital and the community
| through which condition of affairs has
been brought about making the hospital
no longer the refuge, exclusively, of the
| rich, or the poor but palace of health"
for all. In recently published book on
the Naturalization of Health Have
lock Ellis advocates q more complete
lesislati'e coh.rol IMAM Is now had OF
ouese lIl'eies.s' III "hich the GUARDIAN
snip u. NC Is concerheu: AS 10 the
posslDiiiey oi raising sullieient iunds TO
oui,t' l.uu ooiiu..oV hospltsi III thls city
~ iiiis no inVeres'ihs III 'ils connection
W appellu a suo,' nccouh' oi "ha' mas
p0on "oooiiiPiishe,, III ii similar move
ineh' III quincy MaSs' Inc city nos
pit", Vi quincy, Mass Is an exceIleht ex-
a'iiple vi "iiat mas neen zone IN providing
nospital ,n't' III the three years c1 It's
eAisvence mas iu'ie a creuitaoie record
anu pecoihe ihouei Oh construction that
o.iieis nave 'oiio"eu' ine hospital win
eue administration mouse ana one Oh lts
TWO wings cose when completed for use
Slo' o''oo' anu WIN .hlee 'tlld one quarter
acres vi iahu valued at seooo was given TO
.ne Guy oy Ar' w. D. rice Inc lurn>sh
ing cost ABOUT soooU' ana with almost all
the equipment was paid for by societies
ana lhoiViuuals' the nospltat on compile
sioh was iree from oept. Inc endowment
.upu luz 10 lor i'ee Deus rtacIeu the amount oi
so', ooo' III the seconu year Inc support
Vi 'ne hospieai Is aoea pF the city, by
receip,s iroih private patiehts' ana by
coiiecelohs from various sources.
hosPltai alo assoclatlnn also makes
Niiuaoie CONTRIBUTIONS from It's member
snip vi seven hunureo' at an annual lee
VI one uoiiar eacp' pesioes rehoerlng ala
III U,nel ways
Inc nospltai mas capacity OF twenty
hve peus' !. was opcheu IN June 1871
auu n,,ni.'e" io@ pa'ien's the hrst year
anu lfo ehe seconu year Inc net COST OF
Suppor. , - soi'ie'nihe over <ouoo per year,
no cunning "es'Snou ny w. (. "eh'
"or'n' Vho nloni'e.'' - Vi "oou' anu
oocupies ihe, eauSa'ea sue with
eou'i.ei! a,peu' ino pan SHOWS owo
ono 80, p"'ino.' oio VI "nicn Is noo
49,, ses o".. ."o pa'ii.on oon."'es iou,"en
oous, U"eio "'o slA iooins lo' private
p'O,enes' pa anu . siia'. ware III .he secoha
o.: ,iooI VI V"e ADMINISTRATOR mousse Inc
nea''ns leo rl - " sae"n ny inuiiect rau'a-