The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-03-14


ly also that DR.. Anderson's recon-
mendations will upset the present
plans of the board TO raise the men:
building at the county infirmary one
story and construct thereof a hos
pital.
DR.. Anderson describes an ideal hos
pital as containing only one-story
wards. Simplicity is one of the es-
sential things advocated, and the doe
tor cites some eminent authorities to
sustain his contentious. The sugges-
uons made by the county physical will
/ be of great interest to the medical
fraternity in general, and below is
given full text of his letter to the
county commissioners. DR.. Anderson
says:
"Drs. Wolcott Gibbs, C. r. Agnew
and William H. Van Buren, of the
! United States sanitary commission,
after much deliberation, and consulta-
ton with European sanitary commits
slonS, adopted plan for hospital con-
struction and arrangements which has
met the approval of the most distin-
gulshed medical sanitarians of the
United States and of France. 1t may
be briefly described as follows:
The ideal hospital should be small,
beds far apart, remote from cities and
surrounded by open walks and grounds.
Air supply should be abundant and
ventilating apparatus complete. All
the latest authorities, physicians and
hygienists repeat the same truths and
point out as models to the ridge-ven-
tlated. detached wards of the present
military and marine hospitals.
The approved plan requires one
story wards, raised on piers or arches,
that the air may circulate freely I'M
that the air may circulate freely under
meath. The wards should be built of
wood, which may be whitewashed fire.
quently, therefore not so liable to be-
come infected as brick or plaster. Moth
ing should be in the wards except the
patients, their beds, tables and chairs
Water closets and service rooms and
drainage pipes are built outside or to
one side. Wards should be built far
apart, and plenty of ventilation be-
tween. The roofs dge-ventilated,
like railroad car, and the ceilings
finished on the rafters, not plastered.
Detached wards are used in Europe
with best results. At Kiel, Berlin,
Glasgow, Manchester and at Rother-
ham, England, a chiIdrens hospital.
with $50 beds, all in one-story pavil-
ions. On the continent of Europe one
story wards are preferred, with iso-
lation and separation of other neces-
sary buildings. In America this plan
is adopted by the Roosevelt hospital,
New York; the Presbyterian hospital,
Philadelphia; and the, City hospital,
Boston. The frames of these buildings
are cheaply constructed, under the
theory that if they should become in
fected by contagion they might be torn
down and replaced without much ex-
pense. They have been in use seven
years and their condition is still ex-
cellent.
THE BED IS THE UNIT.
Establish for this unit medical care,
good nursing and air supply, and
these will be the measure of the hos
pital success. A few. beds make a
ward and a few wards a hospital. The
one-Story pavilion plan is best, not
only for hospitals, but for homes, or
phanages, asylums and infirmaries
The points in the argument for one
story wards are as follows. First, ex-
perience and science agree that one
story wards allow the most thorough
ventilation and freedom from infection.
a gale of wind is a better disinfectant
than barrel of carbolic acid. Second.
in case of contagious disease the ward
only, and not the whole hospital, is
Third dust and foul air
have no place; cleanliness is more
easily secured. Fourth, ward poi
soned by infection is easily torn down
and rebuilt without disturbing the
general order: new wards easily added
Fifth, patients can be taken. bed and
all, out of doors on the piazza in fine
weather; if fire occurs the danger is
limited to one ward; rescue of pa
tents easy.
Question of cost: Less than the
big house plan with massive walls, |
lifts, staircases. etc. The saving of |
ife certainly greater. In cold climates, |
have double walls and ventilated be- |
tween. Site always in the suburbs of |
he city.
Care of grounds: Foliage filters the |
lir of dust and absorbs noxious gases. |
frees and shrubs desirable, but not |
allowed to shade too densely; pines,
spruce and hemlocks best.
Building material: Wood is best
or country hospitals, with under
oinning of strength and height.
Points of compass: Long axis of |
he wards should run north and south,
he sun shining on one broadside or
he other all day: no obstruction at
North or south end of wards; end to
md ventilation sweeps a ward clean
n a few minutes. Annex of water
closets and nurses rooms built on
me SlQe OIL HOTIn enQ so as not TO |
air currents.
Vital conditions: Simplicity is an
essential of good hospital construction
70 mixing up OK sick wards and serv-
&c rooms; abundant light and ventil-
-tion. Complication of plan betrays
ignorance of hospital requirements. No
lex ward should open into any other
Two or three nurses can overlook 20
Cubic space: Each bed should
ave eight feet of wall space. Width
f ward, 80 feet: length, from so to so
eet; ceilings, IA feet, ventilated at
op; 1,S40 cubic feet of space per bed.
.ength of ward may vary, but always
feet wide.
THE wall windows should take up
ne-thrd of the wall space. windows
pposite. one window between every
wo beds. Sashes three feet wide at
EAST. Sashes winged at bottom, so
S to open above. The higher the win
ows, the better. Window sashes in
lree cross sections and hinged at bot
pm. In exposed places double sashes,
necessary.
Piazza in front on south side -
eet wide and on a level with the ward
cor, so that beds and patients may J
e rolled out for a sun bath at any
me. Tents in summer pitched on the
rasS plot in front for reading, writing
: smoking for convalescents. Charity !
ospital in Berlin and Cantonal hos
Itai at Geneva adopt this plan. City :
ospital in Boston adopts open air
eatment for surgical cases. 9
N. G. U. ENTERTAINMENT.
arewell to Sergeant Bowers and