Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-10-24
FOR A PUBLIC HOSPITAL
Meeting Of Physicians Results in
Something Practical-.Oifer
Written Guarantees.
Commercial Club Asked to Call
a Public Meeting 10 Con.
slider Matter.
Doctors Believe the Hospital
Should Be Managed by a
Public Board.

enough of them had slgnitied their Will
ingness to cooperate to justify the
meeting last night in passing the fol-
lowing resolution:
To the Commercial Club: We, the
physicians and surgeons of MARSHALL
town, in called meeting assembled on
this 2Sd dayo of October. 1901. declare that
Whereas. There Is at present no pub.
lie hospital In our city which public
bodies can consistently support and to
which all physicians feel free to send
their patients; and
Whereas. We believe that such an In
stitution is greatly needed by all ctti-
zens: be 1t
Resolved, That II such a hospital is
pon-sectarian board, upon which no
physician is ever to hold membership.
and established with suitable equipment
and competent attendants. we Will un-
dertake to raise individual written
guarantees from the physicians of this
city of patronage for said hospital to the
sum of not less than 81 600 per year.
We recommend that your organization
call a public meeting to which oil frater-
nal organizations, church societies, clubs
and philosophical citizens be invited to
be represented with view to co-operat-
irg for the establishment of public
hospital in the city Of Marshalltown.
A committee consisting of prs. Janss.
Mighell, Chesire, Bay and Trotter, was
appointed to present these resolutions to
the Commercial Club in person. Some
one having learned that new private
hospital enterprise was on foot COM
mittee consisting of Drs. Merrill and
Mighell was appointed to see II these
parties would not make a proposition to
turn their property. II suitable, over to
public Management or not go ahead With
It, since the cooperation of all the ply
s,cians was desired. The committee
consisting OF Drs. Cottle, Lierle and
Merrill, which was interviewing the phy-
sicians regarding the guarantee. was
instructed to go on with It's work and
another committee, consisting of Drs.
Bay, Nichols and lierulff. instructed to
ascertain the probable annual cost of
maintaining a good public hospital and
report at future meeting
II the public will take hold of the en-
terprise it is the intention of the doctors
to secure from every physician In the
amount of patronage he can give pub
lie hospital stated in such language that
it is promise to pay such a sum II the
patronage of patients under his care
does not fulfill his guarantee within the
year.
The subject was discussed very en-
Enthusiastically for several hours 1t was
the opinion OF all the doctors present
that public hospital should be e.stab-
lished by the public and managed by q
public board, with no doctor in any way
connected with the management. It
seems that professional affairs are con-
Quoted at so delicate a poise that no
doctor feels exactly free to patronize
another Doctors private hospital, and
even in public institution the greatest
Of care in management has to be exer-
cieed to avoid favoritie,n on the part of
nurses or attendants toward the cases
of any of the physicians.
The point OF greatest interest to the
public is In having public hospital un-
der the care Of trained nurses and with
the best OF equipment, where the unfor-
Inmates in the care Of county and city
and members Of church societies and
fraterral orders can be sent in times of
sickness. The city and county authors-
ties have provided room and attend
ant for the cases under their care, but
this is not altogether satisfactory. If
the physicians can guarantee from their
private practice $1,000 worth of annual
business for public hospital. 1t was
thought by those present that with the
cooperation Of all the fraternal orders,
Iowa Central railway. city and county.
written guarantees Of patronage could
be secured sufficient to maintain pub
lie hospital from the very beginning.
The women's clubs and churches could
then lend assistance in furnishing the
building. However, the doctors were
emphatic in their opinion that after the
guarantee of patronage their activity
should cease and that the hospital
should be established, equipped and
managed by public board, at whose
hands every doctor would receive the
same treatment.
Heretofore the city federation Of
women's clubs and, from time to time.
the churches and lodges. have discussed
the public hospital. A public meeting
will probably be called soon by the
Commercial Club to consider the mat
ter, and Representatives from every
public body In town should be present
to contribute their suggestions. With
a public hospital running successfully
liberal hearted citizens will appear to
erect and donate building