Evening star., 1898-04-08
THE FIRST HOSPITAL
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ESTABLISHING POOR HOUSE

Written for The Evening Star.
The establishment and growth of public
charities and reformatory institutions in
the District of Columbia is ably reviewed
in the report Of the Joint select committee
of Congress appointed to investigate such
institutions. f.--,.- ~ =. s-.,
In the District Of Columbia public chari-
ties and reformatory institutions had late
beginnings and slow growth. according to
the reports. Indeed, It was not until the
war Of the rebellion had enlarged. central
ized and vitalized every municipal function
that the capital city put away village
things and began to be in reality what It
was in name.
So much has been written by early
statesmen and travellers about the un-
healthfulness of Washington in bygone
days that it would almost seem as If the
commissioners charged with laying out the
federal city had purposcly selected swamps
and morasses for the seat of government
such, however, was not the fact. In 1897
Washington, then city of 1000 inhabit-
ants, had not one fatal case of fever, nor
any contagious or epidemic disorder: nor
was the influenza that travelled from south
to north in 17S9-90 and returned from the
northeast to the south and west in 1907
any more severe in the, District of Column
bia than it was elsewhere. The bilious
dysentery and yellow fever of 1893 were
common to all seacoast cities far north
as Providence, r. l.. and when the latter
scourge in 1898 carried Off over 300 resi-
dents of Alexandria its origin was traced
to tenement houses along the wharves
and its ravages were confined to the Vir-
ginia portion of the District.
The most striking proof, however of the
natural healthfulness OF the District of
Columbia is cited by DR.. Toner Speaking
at the close of the war of the rebellion, he
says:
Healthfulness of Washington.
There. is scarcely another city in the
United States or the world where the same
amount of crowding of men and animals
within the same compass including mill
tary camps, hospitals, hotels and slaugh-
terhouses. would not have produced some
terrible and devastating epidemic Not
even In the numerous hospitals established
here, liable at all times to certain epi-
demics, did any disease prevail unfavor-
able to the general health''
Although public institutions were want
ing In the early days, the highest officials
We're not lacking in public spirit. One day
Ill the spring of 1904 President jefferson
received in his mail from Monticello two
specimens OF vaccine; lymph, the gift of
Benjamin WaterhouSe Of Boston One of
these specimens came from DR. Jenner
the discoverer Of it's virtues, the other DR.
Waterhouse had cultivated. Placed in the
hdhds OF Dr. EDWARD CAN'T of George
town the. supply sufficed to vaccinate over
100 persons connected with the Executive
Mansion or in the families of the Presi-
dents neighborS
Again, in 1898. when the smallpox pre-
vailed in Washington, President Jackson's
coachman, Charles. was seized with the
disease In its severest FORM The other
servants Of the White House were 80
badly frightened that = they would not
nurse him, and no competent nurse was
to be had from the outside Now. Jack
son was much attached to Charles. who
hau been his body <sercam during his
sokthern campaigns; so he made, am fs,-,
iaEed ward in the Executive Mansion and
ms tailed himself as nurse, remaining on
duty until his servant was, out of danger
smallpox was prevalent in Washington
IN 1873, 1888 and 1916. From the first the
Medical Society of the District of Colu,n-
pia consulted and labored to arrest tha
spread OF the scourge. Gratuitous yacei-
nations were proffered both by the corpo-
ration and by the physicians generally. The
cn1ciai body that appears as the moving
force In arousing and shaping public senti.
ment was the board of health of Washing
ton Gill; organized by the corporation. by
the act of August IA. 1919 and presided
over for fourteen years by DIR. Henry
Hunt.
First Cha aritahla Un.t.<-.x'