The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1902-08-31

ceiving the proper treatment. Everybody is
busy, and as each man and woman knows
what the duties of each are, the whole force
works. with almost machinelike regularity.
Visiting Physicians Rounds.
AS soon as the babies are in their cots,
which is generally before the beat leaves
their rounds. There are two of these each
month; They are well-known practicing
physicians. FOR August they are Doctors
Fay and Fairbanks. In July they were Doe
tors Rreck and Coggestall.
Each mas charge of thirty patients in the
permanent ward and each sees these pa
tients every morning. Sometimes. when the
cases are very critical they go over TO East
BOSTON at night to visit them. Each has a
an assistant 10 make the rounds with him
ana receive whatever directions he NAV
wish to give. These house officers remain
In the wards all the time. and in case of
emergencies, either night or day, refer 10
Doctor Hastings. the resident physician.
Inese wards can be heated by steam il
necessary, and the air In two of them can
be dried and cooled on Il very hot, damp
Gay by means of the atmospheric plant.
deck. and who are only slightly i'll. but
who have been sent on board to prevent
a more severe sickness. are in charge Of
an externe and three medical assistants,
all of whom are under the special direction
of Doctor Hastings. These. remain on the
upper deck during the day. and Doctor
Hastings makes regular visits to that ward,
as well as TO the others.
A visitor on board remarked one day that
there were a good many nurses. 1t was
explained to her that the cases were so
extremely critical that each patient needed
the most careful attention and the closest
watching. as it takes but very little lack
Of either, as every mother knows. to put
a child back. even when 1t seems on the
road to recover
Each patient is recorded by Doctor Hast
ings after the method used In the City Hos
pital. and he can tell by a glance at his
file just where every patient is located. its
name. its residence and the names CT its
nareutS or guardians as well as other nee
essary Gata.
Mothers Allowed TO See
Yet there Is very little red tape" about
the hospital. and one thing that commends
it to mothers is the fact that they can go
down on the boat every day If they choose.
with their babies, or can visit them in the
afteTn9Sn on the return Of the boat boat or at
are not separated from their little ones
and can see them at any time.
the work is the preparation Of the food
for the patients. Very little medicine Is
given in many cases, and great reliance is
as the potent virtues of the salt sea air.
The food department is or the lower deck
and is now most efficiently conducted. The
and 100 bottles are filed in twenty minutes
with any of the twenty different kinds OF
food prepared there and ordered by the doc
tors. 1t Is in charge of Doctor c. E. Buck.
a pharmacist and physician. and he IS just
ly very proud of the department, as are all
connected with the hospital.
The food materials are kept at all times
below the point Of bacterial activity by
being packed in Ice until ready for use.
Only such portions of food as will be need
left over is destroyed. Each receptacle
for food is thoroughly cleaned ten times a
are sterilized.
Each kind of food is carefully prepared
according to a formula and placed in a
rack above the counter in front of the de-
partment.
How the Babies Are Fed.
Just before the hour of feeding arrives the
superintendent of nurses. Miss l. a. vii
Der. goes down to the food department with
a list of the patients and prescribed foods.
She calls off the number of each and what
food the patient is to have. It is quickly
placed in a bottle, tagged with the cor
responding number, and so on through the
list.
One woman places the rubber nipples on
the bottles, having scrubbed her hands and
made them .surgically clean" before touch
ing them. The bottles are put in a rack
and carried to the wards. and the nurses
them according to the numbers
which. Of course, correspond to the num-
Nobody is allowed to touch the rubber
on the bottles. except the woman
physicians have decided that diseases are
often contracted by infants and especially
sore mouths through unc!ean tops to nurs-
ing bottles. !
The expenses of the hospitals little over
s21, 900 last year-are not as large as one
expect who sees the number of per |
sons employed there, for the physicians and
nurses receive only a small compensation
for their services. All their meals are
served on board. They get experience.
in the care of sick babies. which
is Invaluable to them. and twice a week
IN the subject are given TO the
nurses.
At the end of. the season they have an
examination, and this. with the record OF
their work. entities them 10 a diploma II
are satisfactory.