New Britain herald., 1927-01-05
PR0TESTANTS PLAN
 TO TAKE CENSUS
Ministers Assn. Decides to Have
 Survey Taken

ton at it's January meeting yester- day noon at the Y. W. c. A., decided to invite the Connecticut Bible so- ciety to conduct a protestant census or survey of the city. Dr. T. Eben Reeks, superintendent of the New Britain General hospital, was the speaker of the day. He told of the development of the New Britain General hospital.
 Mir. and Mrs. Frederick Miner are employed by the Connecticut Bible society to make surveys of cities for Protestant churches. Sometimes the Catholics and Jews also cooperate. They have just concluded a survey of Bristol and are ready to begin their work in New Britain at once. They will make house to house canvass of the city, ascertaining the denominational affiliations of all the persons in the city. If person is not at home when the first visit Is made and the canvassers cannot find out from the neighbors as to the re- ligious connections of the family, a second, third or fourth visit will be made to that home, thus assuring complete returns. Besides discover ing the denominational utilization of the persons in a family, the effort is made to discover the Sunday school enrolment of the children, and if a family Is discovered who has no denominational utilization they are extended an invitation by a special printed card to any of the Protestant churches in New Britain. The results of the survey will be turned in each week to the respect i've churches and 1t is hoped that they will follow up the canvass and enlist families into their member ship.
 Dr. Beck in tracing the develop ment of the New Britain General hospital, pointed out that the mod ern hospital. as it is known today, is only 75 years old, beginning from the time Florence Nightingale start ed training schools for nurses. He described two different kinds of hos pital-one which provides good nursing. scientific equipment for diagnosis, and trained personnel. This type of hospital he referred to as scientific hospital. The other kind of hospital has good nursing and personnel, but has no scientific equipment for diagnosis patholo- gical laboratories, etc., for instance. This type of hospital he referred to as the boarding house type.
 No Hospital Here Before
 Before 1898 there was no hospital of any kind in New Britain. At that time the returning veterans froih the Spanish American war develop ed serious typhoid epidemic. A number of public spirited men start cd an emergency hospital to cope with this epidemic. When the typhoid was wiped out, the same men decided to make the hospital q permanent institution for New Britain. This was done in 1899. In 1912 the present operating room and surgical building was built.
 The Now Britain General hospital up to 1915 was in the class of non- scientific hospitals. During that year a great deal of money was ex- pended upon the institution which brought the necessary scientific par aphenalia to put the New Britain General hospital in line with the best city practice. With this change of policy the service increased so that the hospital was crowded be- yond it's capacity. This change also assisted in raising the standard of local physicians.
 In 1917 the American College of Surgeons gave the New Britain General hospital rating of Class B.
 In 1919 after the building of the new hospital wing, the rating was raised by the American College of Surgeons to Class Sub-A where it remains today. and thus is in the same class with the Hartford hospl tai which is also Class Sub-A.
 Until the year 1919 Dr. Reeks as superintendent of the New Britain General hospital, was not able to post the hospital In the best medical schools for it's purpose of obtaining internes, but in that year the Amer ican Medical association after visit ing the local institution and eXam- ming it carefully, gave his permis- sion to post the New Britain Gen. eral hospital in any medical school in the country that he cared to. This resulted in gaining for the To- cal institution internes of q very much higher type. The present in ternes of the institution are well trained for their work.
 Doctors Enabled To Cooperate
 Dr. Reeks pointed out that with the development of scientific hos pital in New Britain, the local doc tors have been enabled to form a more closely cooperative grouping and develop specialties. Without the hospital and its scientific para phernalia the doctors did not have a center where they could make sci cntifc diagnosis and confer one with the other which would keep them in pace with the best medical prac- tice of the country. Now, however, q number of local doctors are spending 75 per cent of their time and practice within their specialties. These specialties include internal surgery, infants diseases, eye, car, nose and throat.
 Citizens of New Britain may be proud of their local hospital be- cause of the high rating that is giv- cn out by American College of Sur geons and the American Medical as- sociation, Dr. Reeks said, adding that from the physical points of view there is not better hospital in the state. This in turn makes tt easier for New Britain to attract |