Evening star., 1951-04-29

The Central Dispensary and
Emergency Hospital was estab-
Ilished in connection with the
Georgetown Medical College,
then occupying quarters on the
northeast corner of Tenth and E
streets NV, mainly. it is said,
through the efforts of DR.. G. Lloyd
Magruder and DR.. Howard Hines
Barker, son of James w. Barker
and his wife, Sarah Ann Rossel
Hines, and was opened on May /,
1871. 80 years ago next Tuesday.
Acting on recommendation by
DR.. Kober, funds raised for the
establishment Of a dispensary "for
the benefit Of the German element
unable to speak the English
language" were transferred to the
Central Dispensary in 1874, when
the latter undertook to add to the
staff a few German-speaking
physicians. In May. 1877, the
Idispensary was removed to 5l4
Sixth street NV. Three years
later an emergency department
was added, with headquarters at
4l6 Tenth street, when the insti-
tuition became known as the
Central Dispensary and Emer-
gency Hospital.
To DR.. Thomas Sewell is given
credit for the first attempt to
found public hospital here in
1920, which would have no "poor-
house" stigma attached to 1t, and
though he failed at that time, yet
he was later successful in found
ing the Medical School Of George
Washington University in 1925.
Inadequately Housed
For a brief period this depart
ment occupied a place in the uni
versity, where the facilities were
inadequate; then in few months
the school moved to the west side
Of Tenth street between D and E
streets. This building was also
poorly adapted for the purpose,
and Drs. Sewall, James M.
Staughton, Thomas Henderson,
Nicholas Worthington, Frederick
May and Richard Randall, mem
bers of the faculty. bought a lot
at the northeast corner of Tenth
and E streets.
In 1889 the medical department
Of George Washington University
moved to the Purdy Building, then
at the southeast corner of Fourth
street and Indiana avenue. Here
it remained until 1874, when Con-
greSS gave it the use of the old
jail building in Judiciary Square,
this latter structure then taking
the name of the Washington In
f1rmary, which in 1853 was con-
siderably enlarged. Here the med
ical college remained until the
outbreak Of the Civil War, when
the Government took possession OF
the building for military purposes.
| Soon afterward this building was
almost entirely destroyed by fire.
City Needed Hospitals
| At this time. aside from the
Federally controlled hospitals, the
burning of the Washington Infirm-
ary left the city practically with
out any facilities except the hos
pital attached to the poorhouse,
which then stood in the vicinity
| of the present Gallinger Hospital.
Due to this deplorable condition,
authorities were forced to take
possession of schoolhouse which
stood on the east side of Fifth
street between G and H streets
NV, a private residence on E be-
tween Fifth and Sixth streets, a
part of the Patent Office, Mrs
English's Female Seminary School
jim Georgetown and the Union
Hotel, In the West End. Military
patients also were cared for at
what was then Georgetown Col
Ilege. overlooking Georgetown.
| This period also marked the be-
/ ginning of Providence Hospital
which was started June 10. 1861
when the Sisters of Charity opened
in rented house on the corner
Iof Second and E streets Sc. DR.
u. M. Toner, Noble Young. James
lE. Morgan and johnson Elliot
were mainly instrumental in get.
ting Congress to appropriate
$4,000 "for support, care and med
i. ical treatment of 40 transient
Ipaupers."
Acting on recommendation by
IDr. Kober, funds raised for the
establishment Of dispensary "fol
the benefit of the German element
unable to speak the English Ian
guage," were transferred to the
Central DispenSary in 1874. Wher