The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1913-04-25
FAVORED A DETENTION
HOSPITAL IN MANKATO
From Saturdays Daily.

'S'' . tIdtfys
Resolved, that the city of Man.
kato is in dire need of detention
hospital for the care of contagious
diseases, and that the time rs now
ripe for building such an institution
and therefore be it resolved by the
board of health, the medical profess
sion and others, in special meeting
assembled, that the board of health
90 as a committee before the city
council and advocate the building OF
detention hospital, to be built in a
thoroughly modern fashion, with ter
or twelve rooms, and which will
probably cost from $1,000 to $4,000
the above resolution was unanimous
ly adopted by the audience at the
city hall last night, after the .ques
ton of building detention hospital
had been discussed.
number of physicians, Mayor A,
G. Meyer and Councilman A. G..
Lack and other citizens gathered in
the council chambers last evening to
discuss this matter, and Dr. II. Nj.
Bracken of Minneapolis, secretary OF
the state board of health, was pres
ent to offer suggestions and explain
the necessity of, and benefit which
would be derived from the construc-
ton of an institution of this kind.
Mayor Meyer presided at the meet
ing. and DR.. A. F. Schmitt opened
the discussion by explaining the pur.
pose of the meeting "As there are
two hospitals here" said he, land a
number of educational institutions,
there is urgent need of a detention
hospital to care for contagious dis
eases. The hospitals bring mum.
Der of people from other towns, and
the majority of the students here
are from out of town, and il any
of them should be attacked with a
contagious disease, where would we
put them? We are here to discuss
plans or which an institution of this
kind may be built"
Or. Bracken Agreed.
DR.. Bracken heartily agreed with
DIR. Schmitt on the proposition that
we should build detention hospital.
Yours is a growing little city said
he, "and you have large number
of people attending the various edu.
cational institutions here that should
be cared for properly if they should
get a contagious disease. You have
two hospitals for the care of other
diseases, and can take care OF the
out of town people in this respect,
but a person who has smallpox or
diphtheria needs just as good care
as if he has appendicitis or some
disease that requires surgical atten-
ton. With the discovery of the
germ theory hospitals we're establish
ed, because the medical profession
learned that surgical operations
could be much more safely conduct
ed in place like hospital which
is kept free from germs, than in a
house. | do not mean by an isola-
ton or detention hospital, a pest
house, for they should all be abol-
ished. The pest house is quite often
conducted without the necessary
sanitary conditions and without nurs-
ing, and the people who are sent
there, have usually exposed many
others before they are sent, and be.
cause the place is SO abominable no
one wants to go there. In an isola-
ton ward or hospital everything is
sanitary, nursing is furnished, and
the patients receive the best OF
care. | do not see why the city
cannot establish detention hospital
here in connection with one or both
of the hospitals. think that It.
should be near them, and not off in
the country where no one can get
to it,
Favored Isolation Hospital.
DR.. J. A. Hielscher expressed him
self very much in favor of the iso-
lation hospital, and did not want
another pest house. He was in favor
of building thoroughly modern in
stitution which could handle the
work properly. DR.. c.. j. Holman EN-
phasized what Dr. Bracken had said,
namely, that it was just as necessary
to care for contagious diseases care
fully as it was any other diseases
81 think that this is a municipal
matter" he said, "just as much as
tho ma inf nna ~ ia Ill
the board of public health, and ]
think that modern hospital should
be built. We are liable to encounter
damage suits from some of the PEG.
pie from out of town who send their
children here. If the boys and girls
should get smallpox or scarlet fever
or any other disease of that nature,
and could not be properly cared for
by the city,
When DR.. Schmitt mentioned build
ing modern institution. Dr. C. C.
Pratt, the health officer, said that
the cause of the meeting was partly
conversation between DR.. Schmitt
and himself, in which Dr. Pratt ia
vored buying the property on Fifth
and Washington streets for a deten-
ton hospital and Dr. Schmitt said
that he would not endorse the move
ment, because the place was out of
repair, and the maintenance would