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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    ness about liaving their ailments openly investigated and spoken of freely before others, actually deters patients from applying for admission, who might obtain relief. It is necessary to deal with such ]3rejudices very gently, and to avoid so far as possible any appearance which might justify them. The whole Hospital should be imbued with the feeling that the interests of the patients are jDaramount; that the students are only allowed to visit as a privilege, dependent upon their orderly and considerate demeanor; and that even Professors, as such, have no absolute rights which patients are bound to resjpect against their will. This will really work to the benefit of both Hospital and Col- lege, by doing away with the prejudices alluded to; bringing applicants for relief in larger numbers, and more promptly; greatly increasing the opportunities of the classes for observation of disease ; and, by refining the relations between students and patients, doing something to prevent the relapse into scientific coarseness which is apt to temporarily obscure the ]progress of every young man in the profession. COUNTRY WAEDS. The letter of the founder does not limit the scope of the Hospi- tal to providing for acute or curable ailments ; but I think a general rule should be established by the Trustees, limiting the stay of patients to a certain number of weeks, subject to modi- fication in individual cases, on recommendation of the medical officers in attendance. It is a question for the deliberate consideration of the Trusiees, how far they will feel called upon to provide a home for disabled persons who cannot be cured, and who do not need the daily ministration of a physician, and skilled nursing. Certainly such persons should not be suffered to remain long in the Hospital in the city. Since provision is to be made for convalescents at a distance from the city, presumably at less expense than will be necessary in the Main Hospital, I would recommend that chronic and in- curable cases, not requiring much immediate treatment,—such as consumptives, for instance,—should be provided for, tempo- rarily at least, at the same time. There are other cases, of which scrofulous disease of the hip is