The Hospital Question

Monday aflernoon such menibers of the nedical faculty as were u the city were nvited to meet a committee of citizens, hat had been appointed at a previoiis neeting, consisting of Judge Harrirann, S. Dean, E. B. Pond and A. W. Hamilon, to confer with theui In reference to what w8 needed in the way of hospital acllities, and what, if anytbinfr could be ione by cltizens of Ann Arbor toward asslstinpt In putting the hospitals in a stiape to meet the neccssities of the delartmcnt. Tbere were present from the faculty Dr. FrokhlBghU), Dr. Prescott, Dr. Herdnan, Dr. Stowell, and Dr. Gibbes. Dr. Prescott being called upon suid that lie was gratified to see tlie people Ukiiif; au interest in this matter, for it WU a subject tlmt liad atfitated the minds of thu medical faculty for a long time. There was great neeil of more and greater hospital irtcilitics. The present building was uot oiily inadequate to the nced of the school, but had been in use long cnouirh to le torn down and destroyed. The Dr. reviewed the woik of the school somewlmt, tliought tlial our ftraduates stood high everywhere, but thoiifilittliere were some thinpts needed that were not suppliod and that the citizen3 might be abln to materiHl liclp should they sec lit to take hold of tlie miittcr. Dr. Frothlngham was next called upon He also was ciad to sec an interest taken iu this matter, for It was one 01 me cryng needs of the departmenL As i ciür.en himself lic should bc glad to pay liis [iroportion of uny reasonableamount tliat nügbt be raised to biiild such a hospital lis was necded for the class of patients as could be sccurcd and trcuted here. Then he deseribed the alarmini and unpleasantcondition of the present hospital, anil stated that the present building could only bc used for a year or so longer, at the most, wlth any degree of sxfcty to either physician, attendant or patiënt. Dr. Frothlnjrham tben laancbed Into the rernoval question, and was so honest, earnost and cvidently sincere, that he would nearly eonvert the ekeptical A nu Arborite, who not knowing how to dodge soine of the points brought up would be obliged to let them scratch pretty hard. The Dr. is a linn believer In the Detroit 8cheme. He is positive that t would not only work well hut redound to the glory and tfflcieucy of the university. It was all nonsense that those who favored that idea were enemies of the medical departinent herc; they were itswarmest f rienda, and were anxious to builil up such a medical departinent for the university that no one would ever think of going from here to anothur school to gradúate. Hut entirely apart from tbat it was absohitely iieresary that a hospital should be maintained here, and a new one was a pressing necessity. Dr. Herdman thought the necessities of the case had been well preiented by those preceding him, hut had full faith that all cases needed for the medical department could be brought here by makinor suitable provislons for their care and raainrenance. He thought a lying In hospital could be kept full all the timo and recited the class of people who would be apt to avail tbemselves of it. Furthermore, he thought that even in Detroit this class of cases wou ld not be as plenty as sonic thought for from the fact that the hospitals where they were cared for were private ones, and could not and would not be opened to stilden ts nnder any clrcumstanees. He believed that if the people would take hold Of the matter wlth sufflclent ioree and energy 11 deficlencies herc could bo suppUed nud abundantly supplied, nnd believed in making üie eflfort, at least. Dr. Gibbe lald tbat la the University f Boolland where he graduated they had the saine difticulty to contend wlth exactly as the faculty had here. Students woiild attend three years there and then ro down to London to gradúate. So they set about remedyinjr tlie matter. They cominenced by enlariug and iucreasing Iheir hospital tacilities and advertising the same. As they increased the capacity of the hospitala the jatients increased and of the class they deslred. It seemed to him is if that was the way out of the present diftïculty. He then spoke of some changes in way of instruction ihat he thought would prove benclicial. Dr. Stowell fouglit shy of the removal question, being as coy as a uiaiden just budding out into society. But on the hospital question he spoke' in terms tiumistakable. Au entire new hospital was needed. It should be located oft the campus. It ought to be a $60,000 or $75,000 building. The present aftair was a diagrace to the university and the city. A person in goiug throu;h it now had to hold hix nose to keep from beiug nauseated. Kor one he was digappoluted that the members of the faoulty should be called to dUcuss the propriety of building a new ward or a little lying in hospital, and dld not consider a proposition of the kind worthy of bein entertained. He thought the city should give $15,000 or $20,000 and the state $50,000 or $60,000, and put up such a hospital as would be an honor to the great instltution which liad been built up here. Then the Dr. spoke of a plan which had often been thought oi by him how rooms in this hospital cnuld be iitted up and cared for by private citlzens. He was most aseuredly iu favor of action in the matter, and thought it should not be delayed a day. Dr. Frothingham estímated that such a building as would meet the req.uirenients at present could be built with from $15,000 to $20,000, and that its annual nviintenance would be about $7,000. All the faculty aftreed that the hospital should he removed from the campus. The commlttee probably got some idea on which to work, and it stands to reason that some work should be done. Ann Arbor ought not to stand on $15,000 or even $25,000 if that much is needed to put suitable hospital facilities at the comiiiainl of the university. Land is not dear !:cre, and good locations at reasonable prices may be found on which to lócate such a building. The positlon of the people and the press of Ann Arbor is misrepresented by the Detroit pres9, and notably so in an artlcle published in the Evening Journal of July 4th. No newspaper of Ann Arbor, or no citizen of Aun Arbor has ever attempted to prevent the people of Detroit from building np just as frniixl and v&ltiable a clinical school in that city as they migbt choose. Wliat the CoL'rier, the press aml the people of this city do protest most earnestly against, i-t the employment by the Kegents ol any man in the medical faculty in this unlvereity who seeing a defect in the school Instead of atteinptingtoreinedy it, jroes deliberately at work to make it still worse; who, occupylng a prominent position as lecturer, insiiMil of attempting to build up and aid the departinent, is constantly dwelling opon an alleged defect, mul making the students discontented. And that that is just what is bcing done here, and wliat has been done here for some time butfew will dispute; and just that thing is gradually Injuring If not destroying the medical departinent of Ihe University of Michigan. There is no professor or instructor In the university, in the medical department, (or any other department for triat matter) whose place can not be tilled. It Is the iniiviTsity thiit makesthe reputation of the professors, not the professors that make the university; consequently the loss of no one of theui would effect its prosperity or standing. The tounders of the universitv in thelr firstefforts to establish this now famous iii-titiiti.iii, attempted the plan of havinj; university departmenU all over the state, aml it was u magnificent failure; as It must of a neceasity always be. And Dr. Maclean cannot make succeed what other men under far more favorable ¦"¦ - ¦ ¦¦ "¦ ' ¦" = lances, ml of fully great ability illed, tmü ïitfiialiy CilMd. In acconipligli'Ve would like te ask if Dr. Maoleen r any otlier perwn bas ever attempted o supply the alleged " great defect n he medical department ? Has the falntt move ever been made w secure for he hospital the sort of material whicli it a clKimed is so necessary to the success of the department? If 't has been atemptcd no one has ever heard of it. Heore destroying the department would It lot be wise to make that attempt? In he meantime it Detroit wishes to bulld ïp a medical school of her own no Ann Arbor paper or person will say tiye against t. The Detroit Journal says that ia the aw depaitnient the professors are not required to reside in Ann Arbor. CerUlnly. The professors in the law department ïave vcry different positious to Uil. In he medical department the professors of surgery and of gynecolosy cspecially, have niany very difflcult operation to jerforiii, mid they should be wbere they :an be consulted almost constantly. I f tne advantages at Detroit are so very superior in tiie olinical line, how Is it that the Detroit medical colleges, after years of precarious existence liave not been a preat success instead of just creepiug along as they have done? and are BOW attempting to crawl into success by tearlog down this department. How many students hare ever left the medical departmeut here to rniduate in Detroit, wlicre so many superior advantages toa thorough education exist? If Detroit possessRS so nwiiy advautaea superior to Ann Arbor, New York City il will not be denied is immeasurably superior to Detroit in the same line. Why not remove the department it once te New York City ? The medical departnient of the uuiversity is wellestablished. Il isina iiourishIng condition notwittutanding the e flor U whicli have been made to kill it ofï. It lias llourihed too in the face of the f act that in Detroit one or two medical colleges have existed all this time, where these boHSted superior advantages are. It lias nourisued in the face of the fcl Ihut aoouiseoftlireeyearsof MMmonthi each are required liere, wliile in Detroil mul in nearly every olher medical schoo! in the country, only three years ofstx inontli cacli are required. Why has noi that very important fact together witl the iminensely superior advantages o Detroit changed this? The medioal college liere has Üourished, too, notwith standing the fact that her professor o surgery has coutiuually retuinded tlie sludents that the department is seriously detective, and a complete educatiou cai not be obtained liere. It U claimed that the medical depart ment of this university graduates student with an untinished education. Strange that such is a fact, for in looking ove the list of jjraduates we find some quite distineuished people. Dr. Donald Mac leau is blmtelf a gradúate, and so is Dr Frothingham. The surgeon in chiefo the M. C. B. R. in au alumnus, and so are nearly all of hisassistants. Dr.Lewi F. Pilcher, a distinguished practitioue of New York City, who de'ivered the medical alumni address last Cominence ment, is a gradúate. In looking over the Univeisity Book we find the uauies of 53 gradúate who were teacher?, or professors in colleges That ia up to the year 1880. Two of th cla8á of '81 went trom here to Aintaih Turkey, and were appointed professois ii n colleee there. And the name of Trof J. N. Martin should also UkWd to th list, besides others with whom wc are na familiar. Pretty fair record is it not '! Another thlng to be found exeeedingl. astonishing ! The Detroit Medical Co !L calh upon our University for be professors! Henry F. Ijyster, II. C Wyman and V. A. Spaldinr are all grai uates trom herp. How can such a tuin be possible with only a partial educatio having been obtained? And there ar others who have been professors In De troit, one we eau oall to mind beins J. K Clark, of '77. With such eminent men as gradúate from our medical college; with such hui cessful men in the world as our gradúate have proven themselves to be, wouhi i not be wiee to let well MlOQftb alone? I Detroit desiies to buik! up a college clinie let her do it, bilt do not destroy a gram state institution in order to accomplish it Somewhere about '82 a yoiing felloi named A. N. Collins came here pennllM but determined to win a medical education Judge Clieever happened to run acros him one day, gaw that he was made on of the true metal, and gave him sucl employment as liecouldduring theschöo year, and in suminer time he secured place as agent for I). M. Ferry & Co In this marnier he woiked hU way through the university medical depart ment, graduating in '85. The next yea he thought he would supplement hls ed ucation by a clinlcal course at l$ellevue Hospital, and by dint of preseverance earned money to take it, and went down there. Upon arriviug in the city he learned of a positiou to be awarded b; competitiva examiiiatioii. This was a the workinjr hospital ou Blackwell's Is land. Thougb discouraged by everyone he met, because bis hospital practice ha been limited, he determined to try, a ik he did try and juined the place over boys who bad been at the eastcru bospitals and taken the course there. After he had completad the work to be done in the position obtained, another chance for n position, this time in Bellevue Hospita itself was offered. He entered the lists in both oral and wrltten examination and had candidates from all the greai eastern hospital colleges to content against, but he won the place. The surgeons ouly asked him onequestion In the oral examination and hls auswer Mtltfied them that further questions were useless Dr. Collln8 In writing to Judge Cheever told him that the boys down there were always afraid of the Michigan University boys in competitive examinations, and be sak) the reason was this, that the student here were given the most thorough drill and training of any collegein the country. At Bellevue and at other hospital colleges students would neglect their books to witnes8 operations perfortned by eminent pbysicians. Tliey gained some knowledge in that way to be sure, but not what tliey ought to gain, for in the life of a common country physiciun the cases that are treated ín city hospitals are very rare indeed. If any one doubts the faith of Dr. Colliii8 in the medical department he better write to him about it. I( may not be generally known tliat tlie African Baptist Society of tliis city are building for themselves a cliurch at the corner of Pontiac and FiftU sts., but such is tlie fact. Sometime ago they bought the lot and pald $52.") for it. L:iter on they let tlie contract to Oscar Jackson for building the stone basement 8 ft. hlsh, the members of the congregatlon doinj the excavaling theinelves. Jackson has completed his job now, and that wlll be paid for when done. The stnicture tsell will be of brick veneer, will be 10 feet to the roof and a neatand respeetable though plaiu building. They hope to keep within $1,100 in Ihe cost, and are worthy of asslstance. The old building on the west end of the lot is now used for the congregution, which consista of 38 members, to wonbip in, but will eventually be fltted up for a parsonage. The head and front of tlils work is Eider Lewis, the pastor, who has done mucli of the solicitin;. Chas. Taylor and Richard Zabbs have assisted sotnewhat in the wiiy of collecting. The meuibers of this congregation wish it understood that Rev.(?) S. R. Tliompson has noconnection whatnver with them nr with this enterprise, and U nut authorized to solicit money for them. Among the zealous members of the congregntion are Mr. noi Mrs. S. Crawford, the conrt house janitors. The last man to pay his liquor tax was John Reichert, of Manchester. This makes $28,210 paid altogelher, of which the county has one-half after deductinjf one per cent.