Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-07-21
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up the contention OF MISS NJ. r" McSoi
mont. an extremely earnest and emclent
looking young woman. formerly superdn-
tendent of the Civil Hospital at Manila, In
the Philippines and supervising nurse OF
the bureau of health there who is now
back in this country working at brand
new job. which she has invented herself.
She now calls herself hospital spe-
cialist and consultant' Her aim is to
cooperate with hospital architects, trus-
tees. superintendents and all others con-
cerned in hospital building and manage
ment with a view to giving them the
benefit of ten years experience and study
of hospital work from the inside.
Miss McCalmont believes that there Is
something wrong with the majority OF
hospitals. She thinks that they are built
wrong managed wrong. BY her cooper
alive scheme she hopes to remedy all
this. She feels sure that in time many
others. especially women. will take up
work like hers with the result that future
hospitals will be run not only on bust
nesslike basis. but with a far greater re-
gard for the comfort and welfare OF the
patients within their walls.
During her stay in the Philippines this
latest of hospital reformers had most
variegated experience. Not content with
The heavy duties imposed upon her in her
capacity of hospital superintendent and
supervising nurse, she personally took
charge OF the entire equipment of the
Manila hospital and-not content even
with that-she designed a thoroughly up
to-date hospital for Cebu, the second city
in the Philippines. II was while doing all
this that Miss McCalmont became imbued
with the desire Of reforming hospitals
from top to bottom.
Miss McCalmont was found by n Star
reporter in her Brooklyn office. surround
cd with all the paraphernalia of her job
schemes worked out on paper to the
smallest detail for the reorganization of
hospitals that have already applied to
her for help, photographs of hospital in
teriors and exteriors, ETC. etc. And there
was also Q. genuine stenographer with
highly businesslike air. who, at word
suttant, deircs into a drawer here or a
letter file there and produces blue prints
or something of Il like impressive nature
First of all Miss McCafnont took up
the subject Of hospital building. on which
she has some aggressive views.
when those who intend to have a hos
pital built get the money together" she
said, they go to some architect whom
they know about and ask him TO make
them a hospital He designs something
with good-looking facade and an inte-
rior arrangement that looks all right on
paper, and they tell him to go ahead and
build ii.
He does. often it is his first piece of
work in this line. consequently he cannot
know the practical needs of 4 hospital.
The only way TO gain such knowledge is
10 work in hospital.
When the hospital is o1ilt-and not
before that. rule-thoSe in charge
think OF equipment and care of patients.
Often they are confronted with all sorts
of difficulties which did not appear when
tho hospital was merely something
paper They find frequently that what
looked excellent in that form is very I'M
practical in reality.
Take what happened when one of the
blg New DIRK hospitals built. The
designs submitted by the architect we're
approved by the trustees and he went
where the steriliZers were TO be placed,
and this sketch OF his looked perfectly
good TO those employing him.
But when the hospital was built il
vas found that he Rad made an error.
ihat his plan had not been drawn to
scale so, when the time came for in
stalling the sterilizers. which are the most
important items in hospitals equip
ment, it was found that there was no
room for them,
There are many hospitals planned
Just that way-without regard to organi-
zation. management or equipment They
are not soundproof.
I'm rlany hospitals the windows are not
made light All windows should be low
enough Cor reclining patients to see out
Of thesl Nothing pieases a convalescent
more than being able to look into the