The Waterbury Democrat., 1933-05-10
Hospital Day To
 Be Observed May 12
Open House for Public From 2-4 P. M. Maintained
 Name Committee at Waterbury Hospital

Hospital Day, May 18th. will be | observed at the Waterbury hospi-
 tai by having open house for the public from 2 to p. m. Members
 of the Waterbury Hospital Aid so-
 ciety will meet all guests and ar- range for their visit through the
 hospital. Members of this recep- ton committee include: Mrs Percy Warner, Mrs Lewis Reed, Mrs T.
 I. Driggs, Miss Helen Frisbie, Miss
 Lois Warner, Mrs Charles Larkin,
 Mrs A. J. Thomson, Miss Margery Hayden. Mrs Edwin Northrop. and
 Miss Helen Driggs.
 Every year for the past twelve years on National Hospital Day, a united effort has been made to
 bring before the public facts about our hospitals. This year the out
 look for general hospitals has been
 challenged. Great social forces
 have brought them face to face with the fact that they are operat-
 ing in a world of unceasing
 change. Many patients who were
 formerly able to pay in part or in
 full for their hospital care are now
 obliged to ask for admission as
 free cases. Therefore, the income
 from operations of our hospitals
 has been greatly reduced.
 In an endeavor to discharge our
 obligations in the care of the sick from the communities served by the Waterbury hospital and at the same time maintain sufficient standards of hospital care. we have benefited by the descending prices
 of food and other commod odities;
 also by marked reduction in the amount expended for personal ser-
 vices as a result of salary de- creases. It is not to be expected that these particular benefits will long continue. We hope through
 stabilization of economic condi- tions that our hospitals may look to more substantial and continuing
 measures for balancing their Our hospitals need and are re- ceiving community support. It is
 my opinion that the public is be- coming more and more interested and concerned in the tremendous 1 ly important place occupied by the hospital as a health factor in the community. We therefore hope that a large number of our hospi- 1 tai friends will visit the various de- | partments of the institution and ask questions, that they may be
 better informed.
 ''Why is May 18th observed as
 Hospital Day?' many may ask. It
 Is because on May 12, 1920, Flor | ence Nightingale was born. During her lengthy and extremely active | life, she contributed a great deal
 for the welfare and progress of so- ciety. Greatest of all, however,
 was her spectacular reform of the care of the sick. Instead of hav- | ing the illiterate and untraSned person caring for the. sick in the manner of Charles Dickens
 "Sariey Camp" Miss Nightingale | interested women of good moral character and education in term of schooling to give them specific | training for the scientific care of
 the sick. Her influence has been
 world wide in bringing about this reform and inspiring and help
 ing subsequent leaders to carry on the work she started.
 Miss Nightingale was English. Her parents were very wealthy and of high social standing, thereby be- ing in a position to offer their daughters a broad and thorough education, considerable travel, and the opportunity of mingling with
 the most prominent people of Eng
 land. Despite intense family re-
 monstrance, Florence Nightingale
 at the age of 31 went to Kaiser
 worth for a three-months period
 to study their method of caring
 for the sick. She also made sur
 vey of French and English hospi-
 tals. Her first great opportunity
 came during the Crimean war
 when she was sent out in charge
 of the nursing of the wounded soldiers. The conditions were atro-
 cious. Her organization of the nursing service, erection of a laun- dry, building diet kitchen. and dispensing proper food, arranging sanitary improvements. etc,
 brought the death rate from 50-60 percent down to 3-5 percent. She also instituted recreation for the soldiers and found time to write to families of soldiers who were i'll. Statistics compiled during the Crimean war and presented to the war department resulted in q com plete reorganization of English army nursing. This in turn was an inspiration to Mir Dunnat. through whose efforts the Interna. tional Red Gross was later found-