The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-05-24
The First Hospital Building Was Lo-
Gated ON East Vermont Street
twenty-five Years Ago.
RULES OF THE INSTITUTION
1T IS ABLY ADMINISTERED IN ALL
ITS DEPARTMENTS.
sister Stella the Superior and q Sister
I'm Charge of Each Departments
Three House Physicians.

In the early part Of the seventeenth CEN
fury in the outskirts Of what Is now the
gay and magnificent city Of Paris one might
have seen most any morning priest ming
ling with the humble Of this sunny land and
doing good whenever an opportunity pre-
scented. This wearer of the black was in the
true sense a man OF God. and his whole life
was devoted to charity. His name was st.
Vincent Of Paul
The community known as the Sisters Of
Charity originated some time IN the early
part OF the seventeenth century In France.
The priest ST. Vincent died in 1860. The work
OF the Sisters Of Charity In France is one
of those things which tends to brighten the
pages OF history otherwise darkened by war,
strife and revolution. They not only visited
the sick and wounded soldiers, but also at
tended the poor and any one In need Of nurs-
ing.
The organiEatfon which had. By this tina,
become an institution IN the Catholic
Church was FIRST introduced IN the United
States In the year 1909. Mrs. Elizabeth Sc
ton. q resident OF New York and a convert
to the Catholic Church. founded the COM
munity In this country. She attempted TO
secure its affiiiation with the Roman Church
when It was first organized. but the Napo-
leonic wars which at that period were caus-
ing so much discomfort throughout the world
prevented this. However, the community in
the United States was afiliated with the
original one In France In 1850. Mrs. Seton
had died In the meantime. Instead of the
white, which was the customary garb Of
the early sisters Of the Catholic Church. the
rsr,ffx Of
Sisters Of Charity are clad In black. This
comes from the fact that when the organi-
zation began 1t was not part Of the one in
France.
And such is the history Of the institution
from which st. vincent's Hospital in this
city. located at the corner OF Delaware and
South streets. takes its name. There are in
the neighborhood OF ninety similar hospitals
now In this country. The seat Of the Sisters
OF Charity community In the United States
IS at Emmettsburg. Nd, some fifty miles
from Baltimore.
FIRST ST. vINCENTS HOSPITAL.
In 1881 the 1irst hospital Of this kind was
started on East Vermont street, on the site
OF the old ST. Joseph's Seminary. another
Catholic institution. Sister Teresa was the
superior. This hospital was named st. Vim
-cEllE-s 5, IL. honor Of the priest mentioned at
the beginning Of this article. It was begun
IN simple manner and had no physicians
or nurses. the sisters doing al the work.
Like all deserving enterprises. the hospitals
reputation for caring for the sick soon
spread and the small equipment was found
Inadequate TO meet the demand that was
constantly growing. And so. in 1883, the
ground on which the present large and COM
PORTABLE home Is located, was purchased and
one year later possession was taken of the
building. This location was chosen on ac-
count of being close to the railroad ST. Vim
cents has charge Of the treatment Of all
railroad employees who are injured.
"A visit TO the hospital is enough to i'm
press one with the wonderful magnitude of
the institution and demonstrates what good
IS being done there. Patients who are able,
pay for treatment according to their ability.
but those who are too poor to contribute
are attended free. There are now three at
tending house physicians. who are taken
from the Indiana Medical College, and Sc
cure the places through competitive exami-
nations. just as the internes at the Dispen-
sary do Last year there were but two doc
tors. but the rapidly growing demand ne
cesstated another. DR.. r. v. Hannell, DIR.
r. c. Klein and DR.. Harvey Hsdley are the
present attending physicians and will be in
charge for twelve months. The retiring doc
tors are D.. F. T. Dowd and DR.. e. e.
Mace.
The hosr ital Is under the direction OF the
superior. sister Stella, and one sister Is at
che head Of every department. such as
laundry. sewing. etc. This practically makes
the institution self-supporting. There are
twenty-five nurses and sixteen sisters. The
hospital is divided into four halls, two for
men and two for women. and one sister is
sn charge OF each hall. The extent of the
work Is constantly increasing. Last March
there were one hundred operations per-
formed. which is about an average for each
month.
An adequate description Of the medical
equipment Of the hospital could not well be
Hiven. nor could the good work Of the
nurses and kind words OF the sisters who
have made lighter the pain Of hundreds be
explained In print. But all these character
3stics Of st. vincents may easily be no
4iced by paying a visit to the community
which has come down to bless the present
day generation from the seventeenth CEN
fury when the first Sisters OF Charity min
Uttered TO the weak and weary in France.