Evening star., 1898-04-08

when on February IL. 1873, Representative
| Edward Stanley of North Carolina moved
! in committee of the whole an amendment to
| the general appropriation bill giving $2U,oD
| to aid the directors of the Washington In
| Urinary to enlarge their accommodations
| Cor the benefit of sick transient paupers,
| the House agreed to the motion. and Tour
Gays later confirmed its action by a vote of
| 105 to IS. Thus the capacity Of the hospital
was more than doubled and also the fac,ul-
| ty gained commodious lecture room.
| The enlarged building permitted, and the
| growth of the population demanded in
| creased appropriations. In 1854 and 1850
$500 was appropriated for the care of
| eighteen transient paupers, medical and
! surgical patients in Washington Infirmary,
| and a like amount was appropriated during
| eack OF the two succeeding years, the NUM-
| her of patients rot being specified From
| 1855 to 1851 the sum of S,G0 a year was
granted. to cover the cost of the care of
| forty patients.
The internal ard domestic arrangement
| of the infirmary," says DIR. Toner, was,
after a short time, put under the direction
| of those excellent and humane nurses, the
| Sisters OF Mercy. The institution was con-
| Quoted With hberslity to the poor, enliSht-
| ened judgment and professional ability,
| and was of incaiculable usefulness in the
relief of suffering. by The accommodation
| 1t afforded to strangers and others COM
PEELED to resort to such an establishment
Its central position and large, airy rooms.
with the assiouOus attention given to pa
t:ents by physicians and nurses. made it
popular with the public and the profess
Sion.
Opposition to the Management.
While there could be question as to
the usefulness to the community of the
Washington Infirmary, there was decided
difference of opinion as to the advisabiiity
OF the possession and occupation of a gov
ernmeht building and the management of a
hospital deriving IA considerable portion of
its support from the general government,
in the exclusive interest of a medical
school. No physician or student OF med
icine outside Columbian College could gain
official access to the hospital, and only
member of the college faculty could send
there private patient and still retain the
mana cement of the case. In 1874 DIR. Noble
Young endeavored to organize the oppost-
ton, WITH view to the separation Oh
school and hospital. and later he tried TO
start a movement FOR a pubic general hos
pital. Tie first attempt failed because ol
the predominant infiuerce of the college
faculty; TIE second because of the luke
warEnesS OF Congress with the aDan-
do..ment Of .hese projects, says Dr. Busey,
"the controversy ceased, and the two
schools whether agreed or not, lived To-
gethsr in mutual but peaceful discomfort
Owing to the establishment OF the WASH
ington InGrmary, ii happened that when
the war of the rebellion broke out the gov
ernmert had at its command at the capital
one hospital equipped for immediate work.
The act of August ,. lSGi. appropriated
u,bstructionS around the Washington In
firnlary, used as army hospital, and
grading said grounds. to secure proper
drainage Of the same" What public senti-
ment was not strong enough to do war in
stantly accomplished.
Retaken by the Government.
In April, 1861, Columbian College, on de-
mand. Immediately relinquished the in
firlnary to the government. ard it was oc
cupied as an army hospital until the night
of November ). 1861. when the building
was totally destroyed by fire. That the
District patients were not turned out, how
ever. is proved by The report of the COM
missioner of public buildings, who says
that at the time Of the fire he had in the
building twenty patients, all of whom were
safely taken out The epitaph of the hespi
tai Is written in the act OF June -. 1867,
which authorizes and requires the second
auditor Of the treasury to ascertain and de-
termine the amount of property lost by each
Of the Sisters Of Charity and female SER
wants employed In the Washington Iniirn-
airy at the time of its confiagration. on the
night Of the Sd OF November. 1S61." The
sum Of $52S was found to be sufficient 10
cover the loss
So ended the first public hospital in
Washington.