The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-11-30
CRIME LARGELY
AMONG NEGROES
This Is Contention of DIR. E.
P. Hogan
IMPROVING HOSPITAL
New Wing Will Probably Be Com
pleted in go Days-Will Practi-
cally Double Capacity of
the Institution
IMPROVING HOSPITAL

An interesting side light on the much
heralded and advertised crime record OF
the Birmingham district was brought out
yesterday by DIR. r. p. Hogan. superin-
tendent of the Hillman hospital, when he
stated that fully s5 per cent of the VIC
Tins of fights, brawls and general law
lessness who come to that hospital were
cases where negroes got to fighting among
themselves
The point which Superintendent Hogan
brings out is that there are as few or
less crimes among the respectable and
honest citizens of Birmingham as any
other city and that the crime record
which has made this city notorious is due
almost solely to the ignorant negro
classes who get into fights mostly over
low women as DR.. Hogan expressed it.
In solving Birminghams crime problem
many prominent citizens believe that just
such evidence as this will have to be
carefully considered
The Hillman hospital being a county
institution. is the first recipient of the
large majority of persons injured by vio-
lent means. ~l
Work on Wing Progressing
Work on the $4,000 wing addition to
the institution is progressing very we'll
and will probably be completed within
the next 60 days. The new wing puts a
people are compiimenting the board of
revenue. 1t not only lends symmetry to
the building, but it will practically double
the capacity of the institution affording
beds for about 100 additional patients
When this new wing is completed and in
operation, the Hillman will be as modern
q hospital any in the country. The
board of revenue intends to spend some
thing like 5000 new equipment, the
old hospital is to be overhauled, cleaned
and repainted on the inside and made to
conform with the new and modern wing
In this new wing there will be II wards
accommodating 92 patients By means of
housing the nurses of the Institution, how
ever, in the residence on the old Cox
property. which has been overhauled and
repainted inside and out, the present
nurses quarters in the old building will
be vacated SO that the entire building
will hold practically 200 patients
There is to be a new operating room
entirely 1t being located in the new wing
and is said to be as modern as medical
and surgical science knows how to make
it. 1t is low with glass ceiling and is
so arranged that the entire room can
be washed and sterilized at intervcls
whenever it is considered necessary.
More Graduate Nurses
Instead of the one trained nurse who
has been employed in the past to superin-
tend the undergraduate nurses of the
institution, there will be five graduate
nurses in the building. At the head of
the nurses will be Miss Catherine Eli
son, who has recently come to the Hill
man from the Cincinnati General hospital
where she was principal of nurses. She
will occupy the same position here
With all these improvements, 1t is said
the county hospital will stil be far be-
hind those of some other cities such as
Louisville, Cincinnati and others. But the
industrial activities of this city, the hos
pital officials say, makes the need of a
large and modern institution absolutely
neces sary, however, and they feel that a.
long step and a strong step has been
made toward an institution which in time
will be on par with those of other cities