Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-08-10
City Hospitals
The Observer.

In view OF the failure OF city Coun-
ell to appropriate $4,000 60 aid in car
rying on the work of the contagious
unit OF the Physicians' and Surgeons
Hospitals, the managers of that instl-
tuition are In a quandary. IL has been
proved there is necessity for n hos
pitai OF this character in our city, and
tho managers fear they will be un-
able to keep the contagious unit i'm
successful operation without aid from
the public purse. The suggestion has
been made that the city administra-
ton assume control and management
of the contagious hospital. but this
proposition does not meet with much
favor. The manner in which local
administration conducts some other
adiuncts OF government is not an as
surfing recommendation 10 such a
venture.
Ncr is there lack Of actual expert
ence TO show how risky an experiment
1t would be for the city adninistra-
ton TO undertake to run a hospital
II was tired nearly half century
ago, and abandoned after the trial
had resulted in complete and discredi-
table failure. OF course this does not
mean that it is impossible for a
municipal administration TO success
fully conduct hospital. but il is evil
dence of a character that at least
does not encourage propositions of
that kind in this day.
After a lone .xvs+atfnr oF tba r,,ne
ton. our local municipal alminis-
tratien launched city hospital by
the purchase. in 1873, OF tho Milton
Jackson property, OF the east side of
Franklin street, between Seventh and
Eighth streets. The property includ-
ed large double building which had
been erected by Mr.. Jackson, at that
time connected with the famous 4.
Clarkson Taylor Academy, at Eighth
and Wollaston streets, now the site
Of Public School No. 3, as a boarding
place for women pupils of the acad-
emy. II was very well suited. in
size and arrangements, for hospital
purposes. The City Council paic s1S,-
500 for the property, which at that
time was regarded as a gcod price.
The building was fitted for hospital
use and opened, in charge of a SUI
perintendent and. small working
force, and Drs. Evan G.. Shortlidge,
Howard Ogle ana G.. Troupe Maxwell
as physicians in charge Patients,
however, were few, although some
notable cases We're treated there.
About 1876 there was a mad dog
epidemic" in Wilmington, and with
in half q year five persons, ranging
from an old man Of seventy to a boy
of between two and three years, little
Lawrence Corson, were bitten and
died of hydrophobia One Of these
victims was George Sedgwick, a young
man of about 80 years. an engineer
on the Wilmington and Northern
Railroad, who was taken to the City
Hospital for treatment. / shall never
forget my visit to the hospital to in
quirc about his condition. one morn-
ing. DIR. Shortledge, whom / met on
my way out, invited me to go along
with him, and as we entered the rcom
where the patient was confined. we
found him in the midst of d terrible
hydrophobic spasm, with three men.
their hands protected by pillows, hold
Ing him down on the bed. One hook at
the writhing body and the horribly
distorted face was more than enough
for me, and l fled. Sedgwick died
after several days Of awful suffering
Another victim Of that epidemic was
william Powell, a well-known fish
dealer.
An inmate of note was WiIliam
Baylis. a well-known citizen and ex-
soldier of the Civil War, who hal
both arms blown off while operating a
cannon for firing a salute at Fourth
and Broome streets, on the morning cf
July 4, 1876. the centennial ami
versary of the Declaration of Inde-
pendence. lie died the next day.
For eight years the City Hospital
was conducted under the management
of the City Council, and while il sery-
ed good purposes occasionally the ma
jor part of its career was a public
scandal Its operations were costly
and during its closing days careful
estimates showed that it would have
been much cheaper for the city 10 have
had All its inmates during that time
taken to the Clayton House. carefully
and provided with medical