Hospital plans : five essays relating to the construction, organization & management of hospitals / contributed by their authors for the use of the Johns Hopkins hospital of Baltimore.

  • Johns Hopkins Hospital.
Date:
1875
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Hospital plans : five essays relating to the construction, organization & management of hospitals / contributed by their authors for the use of the Johns Hopkins hospital of Baltimore. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    trators of a charity, are here most strongly re-enforced by the teachings of science and exj)erience, especially with regard to all buildings permanently occupied by ]3atients. My attention has been early directed to the letter addressed to the Trustees by the honored founder of the Hospital; and I hope it is not unsuitable for me to express here my sense of its remark- able character. It evidences not only benevolence, but wisdom. It shows not only solicitude for the welfare of the poor and suf- fering, but a keen appreciation of their necessities, and discrim- inating skill in planning theii' relief. It is marked by liberality of views in the highest sense ; yet its provisions are so pertinent as to seem almost to imply actual experience in administration of a hospital. If any incentive to earnest eilort, further than they already had, were needed by those chosen to aid the committee with their counsel, it would be found in this truly admirable instrument. One of the first desires expressed in this letter is that the plan adopted may be one to allow symmetrical additions to the build- ings first constructed ; and this has been borne in mind by the present writer. But understanding that there is, at present, no free hospital in Baltimore, it seems probable thai little delay will be desirable in completing the Hospital to the full capacity con- templated by the founder—namely, 400 beds. And in any case, true economy would seem to require the erection of all the ad- ministrative portions of the Hospital, and those for general use, at once, and of the full ultimate size. On passing them in review, I do not think the delay of any of these portions advisable. But it will be entirely practicable to erect the wards by degrees, and nearly symmetrically. The size of the lot of land provided is ground for congratula- tion ; and according to the English estimate of 80 patients to the acre, it would seem unnecessarily large ; but I esteem it especially fortunate that the opportunity is thus given for a degree of lat- eral expansion seldom attainable in a metropolitan,hospital. I have not failed to avail myself of so remarkable and advantage- ous an opportunity to expand, in making the ]olan which I sub- mit, A limit of a very few hundred has been suggested for the total capacity of civil hospitals, and if the models of past time were to be followed, certainly the smaller the hospital the better. But