Charlevoix county herald., 1904-04-30

In the photograph above Of the
University hospital at Ann Arbor the
main ward of the hospital is at the
right. At the left is the west pavili-
on, and between the two appears the
Palmer ward. Behind the Palmer
ward is situated the Nurses Home and
the pavilion connecting the east and
west wards. At the extreme right is
Office. Just beyond this, though not
shown in the picture, the new
psychopathic ward has now been pract-
ically completed. The hospital stands
on bluff, giving magnificent view
up and down the Huron river valley.
Up to 1875 the hospital facilities of
the University Of Michigan were in
adequate. In 1875 the legislature
gave $4,000 for a hospital conditional
upon the payment to the University
treasury of $1,000 by the city of Ann
Arbor. The citizens subcribed the
money, and the medical faculty was
authorized to adopt plans, the total
The date 1873 is of special interest in
the history Of American hospitals and
medical schools. In that year Johns
Hopkins gave thirteen acres of land
to the city of Baltimore, and two mil
lions of dollars, soon increased to
three millions, yielding an annual
income of SlsO,OO0 for a hospital and
| training school for nurses, with the
purpose that the institution should
form part Of medical school.
Not dismayed by the difference be-
tween the munificent OF the eastern
millionaire and their own modest cap
| ital, the University authorities erected
two wards. with other rooms, complet-
ing them in 1876. These frame Guild
ings, used since 1891 by the dental
faculty, have often been criticised as
out of place in University founded
as permanent institution. Such
criticism is based on ignorance OF the
history of hospital architecture.
| When built, they represented advan-
ced ideas, according to which it was
better to erect cheap barracks that
could, without great pecuniary loss,
be burned in few years when they
became, as was then thought inevita-
BILE, hopelessly saturated with germs
of disease. The buildings had room
for fifty patients. There was at first
no clinical amphitheater, that being
built in 1879, and up to that time the
clinics were held, as before, in the up
per lecture room of the medical build
ing. In this hospital the service rap
| idly increased, and within very few
years it became obvious that more
room was needed. The wards orig
inally intended for fifty patients
often had to shelter eighty, with cor
responding difficulty in ventilation
and administration, as we'll as with
unavoidable discomfort to the pa
tients, and impossibilty Of the best
results in teaching. But not until
1891 was another hospital built. The
new building, the largest one OF the
present groupe, was evidently planned
as part Of a large system. and the
failure TO provide some Of the build
ings, made the hospital seem less CON-
modious than the old one, The latter
had been forced to eighty beds at
times, yet the new building was
planned for only sixty.fve. The re-
suit was before the new hospital was
formally opened, in 1892, an extra row
of beds had to be put into the wards
Nevertheless the new hospital re-
presented progress. The introduction
of a training school for nurses 1881
was perhaps the most importan single
: step in the history of the hospital.
, In small room clinical laboratory
; was fitted up, and for several years II
gave students facilities such as they
never had before. At intervals other
improvements suggested that the days
J OF 1876-lS9o we're not likely TO be re-
, pested. The Office building 1885 gave
y,Nnr, for hatfer r1ipicaI 1ohovato tovr