The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1910-03-05


at the big printery. which is the
largest in the world, nearly 5000 men
and women are employed there.
Through illness and accident some OF
this great number of employees are in.
capacitated for work each day, and 1t
was to render these persons imme.
diate and gratuitous assistance that
the hospital was established in 1906,
under the administration Of Public
Printer Oscar Ricketts,.
The official designation Of the hos
pital is the emergency-room of the
government printing office. 1t is one
section of the division Of sanitation
1t is purposely located in that part OF
the building most accessible from all
sections, on the fourth floor front,
midway between two elevators. It Isl
connected by telephone with each
room of the building, and in an cmer
gency call its combination reclining
chair and stretcher can be rushed to-
any part of the Office without delay
The hospital is not great distance
from either the top or bottom floors.
The hospital chair. like a small am.
bulance, has the right Of way In the
corridors and elevators and can he
seen frequently being wheeled quickly
and silently in and out of the eleva.
tors and along the corridors to differ.
ent parts of the office, going to the
assistance of those who are taken Ill
or have been injured through an &C.
cident.
The hospital occupies one room,
about forty feet long and sixteen feet
wide. Each end of the room is fitted
up in duplicate and so arranged that
1t can be eurtained off as q separate
ward. The furniture and equipment
are complete. but compact, arranged
somewhat like the hospital on board
large ocean liner.
There is a bed at each end of the
room, and also stationary baths,
basins and washstands, and q ward
robe for the patient ThS floor is of
marble mosaic, and the wainscoting
and walls are of white enamel so that
they can be kept in a thoroughly
clean and sanitary condition. AS the
room faces the east there is plenty of
sunlight In the morning, and also
rather an extended view. In general
appointments and location the hos
pital is as pleasant room as the pa
tents could possibly wish for In
which to recuperate from any slight
illness or accident.
Modern equipment of all kinds has
been provided, and many who have
visited the emergency room declare
that 1t compares favorably, with that
in any hospital in or near Washing
ton. At each end of the room there
Is an electric instrument sterilizer,
and in the center larger sterilizer
for dressings. There are duplicate
medicine chests, well stocked with all
the usual remedies known to modern
medicine, and an instrument case
containing all the instruments neces.
sary for emergency or first.aid work.
There is also an oxygen and nitrous
oxide generator, receptacle contain
ing salt solution, an operating table,
electric warming pads and every
other contrivance that goes to make
the equipment of modern hospital
complete.
That the emergency room supplies
a real want in the government print
ing office is shown by the large mum.
Der OF cases treated each year. Dur
ieg 1908 there were 1880 patients
treated; 544 were surgical cases and
636 medical Four persons died In
the hospital last year of heart disease
or apoplexy, and there have been two
deaths from apoplexy this year.
AS a rule there are more women
treated than men, especially for i'll.
| ness, but accidents are confined al.
| most exclusively to men, as they have
all the heavy and more dangerous work
to do There are many cases where
women come or are brought to the
emergency room faint or exhausted.
and yet return to their work in an
hour or two completely relieved by
some simple and immediate treat,
| ment.
Among the kinds OF cases treated
| for both men and women are fracture
or disocation OF limbs, infected
wounds, burns, strains, foreign bodies
In the eye, epileptic flts, heat ex-
haustion, acute indigestion and faint.
ing. Four cases OF rtomaine poison.
ing we're treated last year.
There have been frequent cases of
poisoning due to overdoses OF head.
ache powders or cough medicine,
taken by employees at home when
they felt too Ill to report for duty.
Lead collie is a rather frequent cause
of trouble with those who work in the
composing rooms and inhale the
graphite fumes OF the molten metal
used with the printing machines.
There have also been numerous cases
of electric shock.