The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1899-02-17

four horses stuck fast. In Santa Clara
they have good roads all over.
Henderson retorted that in Santa
Clara they had an unlimited supply of
road material all through the county.
The convention took a recess until
1:30 p. m.
Afternoon Session.
When the convention reassembled
Shepherd of San Joaquin spoke on SEN
ate bill 3S7, creating public warehouses
He said the bill was evidently in IA
vor of Port Costa and places like it, in
the railroad lines, and would exempt
them from license. He read short
paper, pointing out the injustice con-
tanned in the BILL and suggesting that
the members confer with their repre-
sentatives in the Legislature and re-
quest them to defeat the bill.
The matter was referred to the San
JOAQUIN delegation.
COUNTY HOSPITALS.
w. H. Church of Alameda read
paper on County Hospitals; Their Use
and Abuse as follows:
Considering the wide field of my sub
ject. and the limited time. it must be APP
properly scan the ground and present the
existing conditions and the almost unlim-
tied possibilities for the good of human
ity which public hospital OF infirmary
holds.
Our county hospital of to-day is the re-
suit of anera of evolution which has been
gradually but surely advancing the idea
of the practical relief of the unfortunate;
that spirit of good WILL which impelled
the Man of Samaria, twenty centuries
ago to bind up the wounds of the unfor-
tunate wayfarer and to convey him to
proper shelter. To me it seems that the
county hospital is monument which
stands, a rebuke to our morally despond-
ent neighbors, who are bemoaning the de-
generacy of the present generation. In
my cursory treatment of the subject |
would have you bear in mind that speak
from the standpoint of one who holds
that hospitals and kindred institutions,
conducted at public expense, are simply
the instruments of society for fulfilling it's
obligations to the individual, for the in
dividual has claims upon society which
are just sacred and binding as his
obligations to it, and this is not charity,
but, rather, insurance, for rarely do we
find in our institutions of this character
an inmate who has not contributed to
their maintenance until himself overtaken
by misfortune.
webster defines the term Hospital" as
ga building appropriated for the reception
of the sick, infirm and helpless persons
(who may or may not be paupers), where
they are supported and nursed at the ex-
charity (He gives the derivation of the
word to be from the Latin Hospitals
and / would emphasize the fact that the
term is derived from the same root as
''hospitable and hospitality" so we
might define county hospital as an in
stitution where sick, injured and infirm
persons are cared for by and enjoy the
''public's hospitality; mark you-no sug-
geston of charity)
There should be no apparent distinction
in the management between a hospital
! M Tod Nv f1,a 1a1a
the direction of a corporation. for profit,
other than the superior advantages which
the public hospital would naturally give.
During four years service as Chairman
of the Hospital Committee of the Board
of Supervisors of Alameda County l have
earnestly and studiousiy sought, as have
the other members of our board. to get
the best results at the least expense, ever
keeping in mind, however, the idea of
enough without waste, economy without
stint.
ence may make to our hospital "our
doctors or .'our nurses for while l
shall not hold them up models, 1 will
say here that in the length and breadth
of our fair State they cannot be excelled,
modesty prohibits my saying euualed;
more, we of Alameda County claim for our
United States. and hold open its surgical
and medical records and let them speak
for it.; this is no idle boast While we
court comparison. I make the statement
for the conclusions drawn in this paper
are largely the result of experiments and
study of the methods under which it is
conducted.
Having a hospital, the first important
step is the securing of a suitable physician
in whose hands to ntrust the responsible
ity of its management; here Is where the
worst blunder is committed in many
cases; you must have man who pos
sesses marked ability both as physician
and surgeon, whose relations with the
11Nnr-c
ed his reputation as an ethical gentleman;
in addition to this, he must possess an
unusual knowledge of human nature. be-
ing at once impartial keen, kind and
firm. Get such a man and stand by him,
without any attempt to dictate or inter
fere with him, and the professional side
of your institution is safe, for his future
as we'll as his present professional stand
ing is at stake and closely is he watched
by the members of the professions; this
fact alone guarantees to the public the
conscientious exercise of his best eXecu-
tive ability and experience None but
a medical man can realize what heavy
responsibilities rest upon the shoulders
of that one man; as the demands upon
him are so varied, it is the duty of the
board to separate entirely the professional
from the mercantile elements and place
the responsibilities of the business man
agement in the hands of a steward who
shall be held accountable for his share of
the administra ton. He should be man
of some business experience, reliable and
accurate, and possessing great tact that
he may not be disa greeable or distastefuI
to the patients under care.
The selection of nurses should be en-
tirely in the hands of the physician, and
not appointed by the board, except upon
his recommendation, for you must if you
would succeed eliminate POLITICAL infiu-
ences entirely from the management Of
a hospital.
AS to the institution itself, arrange that
your medical wards be separate from the
surgical; and to get the best results have
all wards on the ground floor; that is to
say the hospital building should never
rise above the first story. Provide ample
accommodations and conveniences for the
offices and apartments of the administra-
ton and corps of assistants, counteract as
far as possible by pleasant arrangement
depressing effects which ever present
suffering always has on your employees to
a greater or less degree. As this must
be their domicile it becomes your duty
to make it as homelike as possible.
Provide your hospital with convenient
operating room-not of necessity elabo-
rate but equipped with such Instruments
and apparatus as your Superintendent
finds necessary. This room must be pro-
vided with heaters for the easy regulation
of the temperature and sterilizers of suffi-
cient capacity to insure the absolute ster-
ility Of all operations. In matters per-
tanning to the medical and surgical be
governed by your Superintendent.
1t is difficult to say which portion of
the institution Is of greatest utility but