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THE PRESIDENCY GENERAL HOSPITAL, CALCUTTA. NEW BLOCK FOR MEN.
THE PRESIDENCY GENERAL HOSPITAL, CALCUTTA.-BIRMINGHAM.
THE PRESIDENCY GENERAL CALCUTTA. NEW BLOCK
(FROM
A
FOR
HOSPITAL,
MEN.
CORRESPONDENT.)
hospital, about which I propose now to give only preliminary notice, is not yet open for the reception of patients. The building consists of a central block which will be chiefly taken up by administrative offices and private wards with a large rectangular block on each side. These THIS
new
a
contain the six main wards, two on each floor, and will accommodate 24 patients in each ward. There are at the inner end of the ward the ward offices and at the outer end of the building are the lavatories. The building has three storeys and is superimposed on what is practically a series of pillars, giving a free air space eight feet in height below the ground floor. The aspect is north and south-the building running east and west-because the prevailing winds are from the south. A wide verandah runs round each floor from one end of each block to the other. The roof is flat and affords a most excellent promenade extending over the whole building. The main wards are 108 feet long by 26 feet wide and are 16 feet six inches from floor to ceiling. As they are arranged to accommodate 24 beds this gives 116 superficial square feet for each patient and 1914 cubic feet capacity. There is a doorway between each bed so that the circulation of air can be almost as free as out of doors. The floor is cemented and the wall is tiled five feet up. There are no ledges for dust to collect on. The ward closets and lavatories are isolated from the main block and occupy the small wings at the east and west extremities of the building. The medical attendant’s room and the nurse’s room are arranged to overlook each ward. Besides the verandah there is a day room for the patients of each ward. There are also two separation wards to each main ward, which are placed in the block containing the ward officer. The central block contains six private wards on each storey. The operating room is beautifully situated over the porch. It faces north and is open on three sides. There is an anaesthetic room leading into it, also a splint .and bandage room close by. The design of the building is excellent and is so arranged The architecture as to adopt all the latest improvements. is plain, but the building taken as a whole is impo-ing. There have yet to be built nurses’ quarters and kitchen quarters as well as quarters for infectious cases. These will all be isolated from the main building and also from each other. The lighting will, of course, be by electricity, which will also be the motive power for the punkahs. At some future time it is proposed to build a similar structure for women, this one being intended at present solely for men. When the hospital is furnished and ready for occupation I hope to send you a second notice referring to details, as I have here merely attempted to describe its main features.
BIRMINGHAM. (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)
,
The Musical Festival. THE Birmingham musical festival is a triennial occurrence which will fall this year in October. Much interestis attached to the performances since the proceeds form an important element in the funds of the General Hospital. Formerly the festival was held in August ; on the last two occasions it was changed to October without any diminution in the receipts. On the present occasion the programme which has been issued gives evidence of a very full and complete list of works, and bids fair to uphold the reputation which the festival has always enjoyed. The first musical festival in aid of the hospital was held in 1768, when a sum of Z299 was realised; for the last festival, in 1897, E5117 was the amount of the net return. In addition to this the valuable organ in the town hall, valued at upwards of 5000. is the property of the General Hospital, as is also an extensive musical library. It would be needless to mention the musical works to which the festival owes its celebrity. The Elijah was first written for this festival, and its performance was conducted by Mendelssohn himself in 1846. Since
907
then other works destined to produce a lasting fame for their authors have been brought out here. Copies of the programmes for the present year with all arrangements can be obtained from the committee at the town hall.
The" Long Pull"Question. The general opinion is that the " long pull" in the beer trade is a pernicious habit, that it leads to unfair competition, and that it tends to the increase of drunkenness. The question is complicated much by the attitude of the wholesale trade and the fact of what are called free licences. it would appear from the variety of conflicting points introduced at the licensing sessions that some attempts have been made to influence the decisions of the Bench. To outsiders who hear that the "long pull"is, or should be, limited to 25 per cent. over-measure, some impression must be conveyed of the profits which admit of this liberal measure and yet leave sufficient to cover all the expenses of which the trade complains.
Plag1te P’I’eea1ttions. That the authorities are actuated by a desire to prevent as well as to cure is evidenced by the fact that the medical officer of health of the city has been notified by the medical officer of health of Glasgow of a Birmingham gentleman who travelled from Glasgow to Greenwich in the steamship Oopeland and then proceeded home to this city. He will be strict but unobtrusive notice so as to ensure every kept under should he be the means of spreading the disease. precaution
Sept. 18th.
________________
MANCHESTER. (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) Out-door Relief. IT may, no doubt, be taken as a sign of the increasingly humanitarian feeling of the times that boards of guardians are less rigid than they used to be as to granting out-door relief as an alternative to the offer of " the house," and if the practice is sufficiently safeguarded with respect to abuse there seems to be no good reason against an extension of it. At all events this seems to be the feeling at the Salford board, for at the meeting held on Sept. 14th the attention was drawn to the question by one of the guardians asking for an explanation of the increase in out-door relief, "especially in view of the present state of trade and the favourable weather." The explanation was that " the general disposition nowadays both by boards of guardians and the public was in favour of giving a little more out-relief." Three years ago the amount distributed per week was £ 115 and it has increased to 140. The Cancer Pavilion and 2ZoM6. Mr. F. A. Southam and Mr. G. A. Wright have accepted appointments as honorary surgeons to the Manchester Cancer Pavilion and Home. .
Registration DitJ’zculties in ]i’allorv.field.
Some inconvenience is felt at Fallowfield, a rapidly increasing suburb of Manchester, as to the registration of births and deaths. A new and populous district is attached most inconveniently to Ardwick which is not easily accessible, while the attendance at the branch office in Rusholme is very meagre. The matter was brought to the notice of the Chorlton board of guardians on Sept. 14th by a letter from Dr. W. E. Sawers Scott suggesting that "the increase of population warranted a readjustment and increase of the number of districts." The clerk said he would ascertain from the registrar whether more attendance could not be given at the Rusholme branch office." All reasonable facilities should certainly be afforded for
registration.
Presert’atives in Milk. charged the other week before the Bolton county justices by the Lancashire County Council with selling adulterated milk. Mr. Wllwn of Preston, who appeared for the council, said that they desired to give the utmost publicity to the case, ’’ which had been brought to put a stop to the growing practice in Lancashire of putting preservatives in milk." It seems that the sale of such things is being actively pushed among the farmers by agents selling formalin and other preparations. Part of a pint of new milk bought by the police was sent for analysis and found to contain formalin, the amount of which could not, A milk-seller
was
THE PRESIDENCY GENERAL CALCUTTA. NEW BLOCK
(FROM
A
FOR
HOSPITAL,
MEN.
CORRESPONDENT.)
hospital, about which I propose now to give only preliminary notice, is not yet open for the reception of patients. The building consists of a central block which will be chiefly taken up by administrative offices and private wards with a large rectangular block on each side. These THIS
new
a
contain the six main wards, two on each floor, and will accommodate 24 patients in each ward. There are at the inner end of the ward the ward offices and at the outer end of the building are the lavatories. The building has three storeys and is superimposed on what is practically a series of pillars, giving a free air space eight feet in height below the ground floor. The aspect is north and south-the building running east and west-because the prevailing winds are from the south. A wide verandah runs round each floor from one end of each block to the other. The roof is flat and affords a most excellent promenade extending over the whole building. The main wards are 108 feet long by 26 feet wide and are 16 feet six inches from floor to ceiling. As they are arranged to accommodate 24 beds this gives 116 superficial square feet for each patient and 1914 cubic feet capacity. There is a doorway between each bed so that the circulation of air can be almost as free as out of doors. The floor is cemented and the wall is tiled five feet up. There are no ledges for dust to collect on. The ward closets and lavatories are isolated from the main block and occupy the small wings at the east and west extremities of the building. The medical attendant’s room and the nurse’s room are arranged to overlook each ward. Besides the verandah there is a day room for the patients of each ward. There are also two separation wards to each main ward, which are placed in the block containing the ward officer. The central block contains six private wards on each storey. The operating room is beautifully situated over the porch. It faces north and is open on three sides. There is an anaesthetic room leading into it, also a splint .and bandage room close by. The design of the building is excellent and is so arranged The architecture as to adopt all the latest improvements. is plain, but the building taken as a whole is impo-ing. There have yet to be built nurses’ quarters and kitchen quarters as well as quarters for infectious cases. These will all be isolated from the main building and also from each other. The lighting will, of course, be by electricity, which will also be the motive power for the punkahs. At some future time it is proposed to build a similar structure for women, this one being intended at present solely for men. When the hospital is furnished and ready for occupation I hope to send you a second notice referring to details, as I have here merely attempted to describe its main features.
BIRMINGHAM. (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)
,
The Musical Festival. THE Birmingham musical festival is a triennial occurrence which will fall this year in October. Much interestis attached to the performances since the proceeds form an important element in the funds of the General Hospital. Formerly the festival was held in August ; on the last two occasions it was changed to October without any diminution in the receipts. On the present occasion the programme which has been issued gives evidence of a very full and complete list of works, and bids fair to uphold the reputation which the festival has always enjoyed. The first musical festival in aid of the hospital was held in 1768, when a sum of Z299 was realised; for the last festival, in 1897, E5117 was the amount of the net return. In addition to this the valuable organ in the town hall, valued at upwards of 5000. is the property of the General Hospital, as is also an extensive musical library. It would be needless to mention the musical works to which the festival owes its celebrity. The Elijah was first written for this festival, and its performance was conducted by Mendelssohn himself in 1846. Since
907
then other works destined to produce a lasting fame for their authors have been brought out here. Copies of the programmes for the present year with all arrangements can be obtained from the committee at the town hall.
The" Long Pull"Question. The general opinion is that the " long pull" in the beer trade is a pernicious habit, that it leads to unfair competition, and that it tends to the increase of drunkenness. The question is complicated much by the attitude of the wholesale trade and the fact of what are called free licences. it would appear from the variety of conflicting points introduced at the licensing sessions that some attempts have been made to influence the decisions of the Bench. To outsiders who hear that the "long pull"is, or should be, limited to 25 per cent. over-measure, some impression must be conveyed of the profits which admit of this liberal measure and yet leave sufficient to cover all the expenses of which the trade complains.
Plag1te P’I’eea1ttions. That the authorities are actuated by a desire to prevent as well as to cure is evidenced by the fact that the medical officer of health of the city has been notified by the medical officer of health of Glasgow of a Birmingham gentleman who travelled from Glasgow to Greenwich in the steamship Oopeland and then proceeded home to this city. He will be strict but unobtrusive notice so as to ensure every kept under should he be the means of spreading the disease. precaution
Sept. 18th.
________________
MANCHESTER. (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) Out-door Relief. IT may, no doubt, be taken as a sign of the increasingly humanitarian feeling of the times that boards of guardians are less rigid than they used to be as to granting out-door relief as an alternative to the offer of " the house," and if the practice is sufficiently safeguarded with respect to abuse there seems to be no good reason against an extension of it. At all events this seems to be the feeling at the Salford board, for at the meeting held on Sept. 14th the attention was drawn to the question by one of the guardians asking for an explanation of the increase in out-door relief, "especially in view of the present state of trade and the favourable weather." The explanation was that " the general disposition nowadays both by boards of guardians and the public was in favour of giving a little more out-relief." Three years ago the amount distributed per week was £ 115 and it has increased to 140. The Cancer Pavilion and 2ZoM6. Mr. F. A. Southam and Mr. G. A. Wright have accepted appointments as honorary surgeons to the Manchester Cancer Pavilion and Home. .
Registration DitJ’zculties in ]i’allorv.field.
Some inconvenience is felt at Fallowfield, a rapidly increasing suburb of Manchester, as to the registration of births and deaths. A new and populous district is attached most inconveniently to Ardwick which is not easily accessible, while the attendance at the branch office in Rusholme is very meagre. The matter was brought to the notice of the Chorlton board of guardians on Sept. 14th by a letter from Dr. W. E. Sawers Scott suggesting that "the increase of population warranted a readjustment and increase of the number of districts." The clerk said he would ascertain from the registrar whether more attendance could not be given at the Rusholme branch office." All reasonable facilities should certainly be afforded for
registration.
Presert’atives in Milk. charged the other week before the Bolton county justices by the Lancashire County Council with selling adulterated milk. Mr. Wllwn of Preston, who appeared for the council, said that they desired to give the utmost publicity to the case, ’’ which had been brought to put a stop to the growing practice in Lancashire of putting preservatives in milk." It seems that the sale of such things is being actively pushed among the farmers by agents selling formalin and other preparations. Part of a pint of new milk bought by the police was sent for analysis and found to contain formalin, the amount of which could not, A milk-seller
was