The Portland daily press., 1901-02-21
Hospital Used to Increase Practice of the
Executive Surgeon.
HaseITs
by DR.. Holt I'm Reply

fronted 1t. The relatives OF the deceased
sought to prevent the Infrmary from
holding this very generous bsquest and
brought bill in equity alleging that by
the general law under which the institu-
.on was Incorporated the amount OF real
and personal property which It could hold
was limited TO one hundred thousand dol
lars; that 1t already held that amount
and the bsquest was void. 10 this bill a
general dem urrer was filed admitting the
allegations to be true. The case went to
the Law court OF this state for decision
and that tribunal reaffirmed that prin-
ciple or law TO which it has always ad-
hersd In such cases, viz that this ques-
tion could only be raised against the
corporation by and in behalf OF the state
by whose authority 1t held its charter and
the Maine Eye and Ear Infirmary was
thereby made secure In Its bequsst or
this bequest ths modest sum OF Sl95, 732. 60
has been paid over to it or i.s trustee and
still there's more to follow. On cage
fifteen OF the last annual report VIII be
found a balance shest Of the Institution.
On the debit side is charged construction,
$I41. .6l2 O5; stocks and bonds, S79,0l7.S7,
part of harrington fund on deposit,
awaiting inves TIM snt, SsS, ,29O.s2, and oash
$40 90. Add to this the amount of Far
rington fund in MIR. Larrabee's hands as
trustee, s1O6, ,666 aud we have the total
amount OF resources as disclosed BY the
report, $3.50, 635 90. OF the stocks and
bonds listed $50, 900 worth have been ac-
quired by purchase and it is not TO BE-
supposed that their actual worth Is less
than the figures there quoted. Among
the remaining sl9,l 81 worth appears
stocks OF tue CAsco, Canal, and National
Traders banks OF Portland, the stock OF
the Portland Gas Light company and the
bonds of many well known water COM
panies, and although the valuation OF
few may be excessive the amount OF
shrinkage cannot be considerable. De-
Quoting, however, from the total re-
sources $94. o66 for the notes of the In
the net resources OF the corporation on
which today 1t is receiving an annual in-
come, the sum of $3.50, 969.99.
Now, Mr.. Speaker, L desire to submit a
few comparisons showing the manner In
which this income and the states appro-
priation are expended and the amount of
tree treatment that IL thus given. And
in order that there may be no cause for
saying that the comparison Is unfair
win cite you to one OF our own instltu-
tions the Central Maine General hospital
at Lewiston, where the eye, ear, nose and
throat as well as all other diseases are
treated the same as at the Inftrmary.
During the past year the Lewiston hos
pital had 663 in-patien.s, the Infirmary
bSS, 10 less. OF these t he former treated
24S absolutely free, the latter %; the
former had 40 part paying patients. the
latter 10. OF full paying patients the
former had $40. the latter 465. In other
words tine Lewiston hospital treated al
most i've times as many free patients as
the Intirmary and little more than half
as many full paying patients. The Lew
iston hospital has given 70S4 fres days
board, the Intirmary has given s3iO, less
than one.third as many. It is not DIM.
cult to see from these comparisons that
the Maine Eye and Ear Infirmarv 10 not
an institution for the gratuitous treat
ment of patients in the sense in which
the Central Maine General hospital is,
Int merely a qussi-publio Institution
masqueradiDg under the CLOAK of q free
state institution,
Mr. Speaker, might go on making
comparisons with other institutions with
fully az unfsyorable results to the In
Urinary. will not take the time Of this
House to do so.
Let us now oomnare expensess The pay
roll OF the Lewiston hospital with fifteen
more patients than tine sIHlrmary wss