The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1914-04-27

county may have a clear conception
Of modern hospital and It's rune
ion in a community. Will briefly
'utline the process of development
leading up 70 present day hospital re-
suirementss
Beginning with the year 1900 the
hospital idea became a raging mania
|ehfoughout the United States and
other countries asswell. Almost ey-
sry ambitious physician conferred his
highest aspiration on being the head
II some sort OF a hospital.
In consequence OF what has proved
to be d delusion and a snare, so;called
hospitals sprang up in every section,
Of the country. without the slightest
idea OF the. actual Requirements oi
hospital services. These Institutions
were cheaplyc CONSTRUCTED and equips
ped, badly managed. poorly manned
and fortunately for tlie8public. were
poorly patronized. v.,s
A little experience was sufficient
10 convince most OF these deluded adj
ventures that a hospital was! some
thing more than a mere boarding
house for the sick and injured. Even;
our largest and richly endowed hos.
,itals, fifteen years ago offered but
little advantage over the private
Tome of tie patient.
Today conditions are vastly differ.
'ent and the modern hospital now
plays an important part in municipal
and city life.
I In the year 1905 a large appro-
priation was made by. Andrew Car
negie for the advancement of medi-
cal teaching in the United States
and Canada. This led to the careful
Investigation of the teaching facili-
ties of all medical colleges and the
quality OF physicians being turned
loose upon the credulous and unsus-
;pecting public, The report5of tbs
Investigation was simply appalling
but served the noble purpose Of rails
ing the requirements of medical
schools and the standard otsmedical
education 10 such a degreetllat q
large majority Of medical colleges
were compelled to discontinue or to
merge with other colleges.
The entrance requirements of our
medical colleges have been advanced
within the past nine years from nom
inal to unconditional high school
education plus two years Of college
work, and the time required in the
medical course leading to the degree
of Doctor ofaMedicine (M.t ID has
been increased to four years and tile
college years have been heightened.
The hospital is now essentially an
Institution of education whether as
ISOLATED with a degree school sor in
the city Of Fairmont, w. Va, and
should have the same. public support
as other, institutions of learning.
The education of our physicians is
one of the important functions of a
modern hospital. The medical stu
dent of today is trained. in the practi-.
cal application of hospital methods
and without hospital he is unable
10 give the public the benefit of his
superior knowledge. He is simply
without a shop. The doctor who
leaves the college with his doctorate
degree and locates where hospital fa-
cilities DIRE not accessible simply
closes his eyes and ears to further
professional progress.
Association with the daily work.
ings of a well appointed hospital
gives the physician or surgeon per-
petual postgraduate school which
advances his usefulness constantly to
the community he serves. -.
II the public wants the best doc
tors .obtainable and the best Of SER
vices they must join hands with
those who are striving to attain that
much desired end
The word cooperation clearly del
fines the highest aspiration of every
social, religious and commercial ac-
tivity within the limitsSo civilization
and there has never BEEN time in
The history of Marion county that Of
fered>a greater, reward for united eff
fort than the present. refer to the
creation of hospital protection.