Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-12-14
AS ONE WOMAN SEES IT
Every Philadelphia Has a Right to
Go to Bloekley, and Those Who
Know Declare II Is Worth
Golnq To
BY SARAH d. LOWRIE


TT JUST happened, l suppose, that be-
cause my father was intensely interested
I'm certain hospital when I was a growing
girl that ] became then, and have found
myself ever SINCE very much interested on
my own account in hospitals in general and
In those in this city In particular.
have seen the PENNSYLVANIA and the Uni
vcrsity and the Presbyterian Hospitals grow
from their original buildings to their pres.
ent status; the Polytechnic knew from its
beginning, and the Episcopal and Jefferson
I've often visited, but curiously enough I've
never really seen the Philadelphia General
Hospital inside and out before today.
went through there today with group
OF women and two doctors to see especially
the new psychopathic clinic that the Dl-
rector Of Public Health has arranged such
ample and practical quarters for on the
side of the huge quadrangle facing Pine
street between Thirty fourth and Thirty
fifth streets. We passed from those obser-
vation and waiting and clinic rooms to the
new social service department, and from
there to the prenatal clinics and no on to
the venereal wards and clinics and to the
raq1um clinic rooms. / was amazed at the
scientific up-to -dhtcneSs of the whole Sec
tion both ns to quarters and to equipment
and to real dignity Of surroundings. The
impression was by no means lesSened when
we were taken through the new and beauti-
tul laboratory now almost completed. Each
department OF the hospital mas In TINS OUliu-
ing n sectional laboratory which specializes
IN its research and examination work on the
diseases Of the wards to which IL Is nomi-
naIly attached. In this way the physicians
IN charge of the wards have at their COM
mand every possible aid known to science 70
help them in the diagnosis of the diseases
they are encountcring, and in this way, too.
the hospital with the most varied types Of
diseases In the State can provide a labor
atory with hundreds of tests and cxnmina-
tionS and analyses that few biologists and
chemists could otherwise come upon in a
lifetime.
FELT suddenly proud TO be a taxpayer
and o new pride in being Philadel-
phian. It seemed somehow a thing to be
uplfted about that the city could provide
for its citizens-or rather that the citizens
could provide for themselves--a laboratory
tor the saving of life and the prevention of
contagion that could hold its own with the
great laboratories Of the world.
1t is odd that Of all places BloCkley
should be the plnCc in ihis town to give one
that sense Of ownership and pride of citi-
Zcnship.
One thinks Of Blockley as the place for
o"rellcts and castaways, the pigrOnhOle for
lost causos the plncc whore the old who are
noe wanted and the sick for whom there Is
none TO care are taken to wait until they
ne. AT least that is the way | once thought
OF 1t, but | never can again. after today.
! Know now that it Is for i'll folk what the
Part is for well folk, irrespective of rank
or class or lovRblencSs or dcsira bleness. II
Is the place to which any man or woman or
child Is taken who Is temporarily without n
private abiding place and who needs the
care OF physicians and nurses. 1t is built
ana maintained by the citizens Of this town
for themselves when they are i'll and help
less Just as the Park is set apart and main
canned ny the citizens for enjoyment when
ui md
A ND about this hospital as it stands to-
"A day there is nothing that is bclittling to
the city or to the sick in its wards
III" present Director very spnSbly Is fin-
'shing his predecessors works and quietly
accommodating worry practical ones of his
own. The trHnSfcrrnce to the pleasant and
substantial country quarters out at Byberry
OF most of til" chronic insane and some of
III" old -ngc patients has left frccr space to
r"n0vntc and spread ont the ward facilities
for tn" departments that remain. A great
deal was said at on" time about the over
rr"wdinC Of the patients in the nervous and
the psy"hupathic wards.
! was much interested in these wards.
Nearly every doubtful Gus" goes first to the
pSych0pathc ward, for diagnosis. That is,
If person il acting uuerry and is difficult
to restrain and seems threatened with some
mental disease or is suddenly possessed by
what looks like insanity, the place for him
to go or for her to 80 is the psychopathic
wnrd At the Philadelphia General.
Now what does the ward look like? Well
il looks not unlike specially we'll built
rather noble dOrnitory of the cubce type at
IN exceptionally good boys school. in the
w"man's ward each cubicle is large enough
for the bed and chair and table, though
think each only contained a bed The pa
tent may be observed from outside by the
nurse, bat is protected from the gaze of
Nr .l,V Il, . tI,,.
cheerful corridor sitting rooms that run the
length Of the wards and across the ends.
Very pleasant galleries where tables for
five are set Out, with windows overlooking
the quadrangle, form the dining rooms for
each ward. Connected with the wards are
the special baths for nervous pnticnts. oh.
scrvution rooms, etc. The ceilings are lofty.
the paint is fresh and immaculate tho floors
nrc beautifully cared for, as are the brasses
and windows all metal work the beds. the
aspect Of the nurses, the freshness of the
air could not be better in private sana-
torium.
THESE changes, the bringing the wards
l. up to date, understand, are directly
due TO DR.. Furbush, and the city owes him
hearty appreciation for so ably administer
ing his great trust. But back of that we
citizens owe our Council n real debt of re-
speCt for its enlightened allowance Of the
funds under its care for this rehabilitation
Of n great old building
it Is easier TO vote money for a new
building than substantial sum for the
complete doing over of an old building II
would have been great pity il Blockley
had been sCrappcd. 1t has beautiful and
practical points, but 10 do what has been
necessary to do for It has aiken large sums
for places the ordinary taxpayer is not ant
TO see or understand. So that both the Dl-
rcctOrs who planned the Changes and the
Il