The Brownsville daily herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1897-1910, 1905-05-23

AnOtneT interesting feature W.
an address by DR.. F. Herff. ST
president of the faculty, dealin
with the development of the SAINT
Rosa for the past thirty-fve years
Dr. Herff said in part:
Over tfirty-five years ago tn
order of charity of the Incarnat
Word undertood the difficult tasl
TO build hospital for medical anc
surgical diseases. At that tim
our town although a celebrated
health resort was about the mos
unsanitary place as far as the sup
ply Of drinking water, drainage anc
sewerage were concerned. There
were no decent facilities for people
from abroad who fell sick, and nc
accommodations whatever for pa
tients who came here for surgical
treatment Our hotels and private
boarding houses were equally un-
sanitary and many patients were
compelled to put up with lodgings
and board which we would not
dare offer to beggar. There were
some weak attempts at private SAN
itariums but they were not con
Quoted in way to give comfort to
the patients and were consequent
~ abandoned by their owners as
worthless investments. The coun-
ty and city hospitals labored under
the same disadvantages and the
very few nurses, such as were to
be had, were mostly colored women
without proper training. On many
I have been compelled to
perform operations of a difficult
nature on the street or under the
shade of a tree because of the lack
IF light and ventilation in the ho-
els at which my patients were
to stop.
The Santa Rosa hospital began |
IS operations on an eXceedinly |
small scale i'll an old Mexican house
'ery scantily furnished and with |
)nly a few inexperienced Sisters
IS nurses. They, however, were
endowed with a sense of duty
strengthened by religious zeal and |
Il a spirit of complete selfdenial
which always characteristics their
forts, they applied themselves to
lnre,nitting labor It was not long !
)efore their efforts bore fruit. A
lew site (the present oDe) was
.hosen for the hospital and with
he help of better sanitary
ouditions through the in
reduction Of complete water,
and sewer systems in this
ity, this hospital passed its eX
stage, and it is now a
uccess. The buildings were added
o, and improved on every year I'M
il they now represent the best
quipped hospital in the State of
Texas. The sisters are all
rained nurses and have attended
ectures by some of the most emf
lent physicians and surgeons of
his city. Any Sister who receives
diploma from this institution is
S fully equipped as any nurses
Il this country Words are in
dequate to fully describe the
clf-sacrihce and untiring labor
hat these good women are daily
nd nightly expanding on suffering
humanity, and one only realizes
he full import of their duties by
oming in contact with them as we
physicians do.
The thanks of this community
re due the promoters and organ
zers of this hospital, clericals as
veil as laymen, more especially to
he dear Sisters who have the most
ifficult tasks to perform without
he slightest gain of worldly dis
motion. 1t is to them we give our
most hearty thanks
On behalf of the Sisterhood OF
he Incarnatc Word and especially
he graduating nurses, Rev. ]. G.
,ednarek delivered an address OF