HYGIENE IN THE ARMY. 



503 



6th. That efficient water-closets, ablution, 

 and bathing accommodations should be pro- 

 vided. 



7th. That they should be amply supplied with 

 water and gas, or other means of illumination. 



8th. That the furniture of all kinds should 

 be of suitable quality. 



9th. That the officers and attendants should 

 have their proper respective duties assigned to 

 them, and that they should be in number suffi- 

 cient for the wants of the sick. 



10th. That proper rules should be established 

 for the government of the hospital, for the diet 

 of the inmates, and for preserving order and an 

 efficient state of police. 



The idea of a hospital, conceived by most 

 non-professional readers, is that of a huge bar- 

 rack-looking building or buildings, three or 

 four stories in height, gloomy in appearance, 

 and into whose cavernous walls many a poor 

 unfortunate enters, but very few return to the 

 life and bustle of the outer world. This typi- 

 cal hospital is as far as possible from the con- 

 ception of Surgeon-General Hammond, or the 

 able medical directors and surgeons who have 

 been his coadjutors in planning and superin- 

 tending the construction of the General Hospi- 

 tals of the Army. They started with certain 

 fundamental ideas of construction, which have 

 been carried through all their hospitals. The 

 first of these was ridge ventilation, or the sup- 

 plying a way of egress for the foul air of the 

 ward by an opening of from ten inches to 

 three feet at the ridge or apex of the roof, pro- 

 tected from the admission of rain, snow, or 

 violent winds by a false roof, raised four 

 inches above the true one, and projecting 

 over it on each side about two feet. A per- 

 forated iron plate near the floor and behind 

 each bed admits the fresh air, which passes 

 thus upwards, and forces the foul air through 

 the roof opening. This forms the summer ven- 

 tilation. In winter the fresh air is admitted 

 around the stove from below, and passing be- 

 tween the stove and an outer casing of zinc, 

 which surrounds it, is distributed through the 

 room ; while a large, square wooden tube open 

 at the bottom, and extending to the roof, re- 

 ceives and encloses the pipe of the stove to its 

 termination above the ridge, and thus becomes 

 the ventilator of that portion of the ward. 



Another new feature in the construction of 

 these hospitals was the entire separation of the 

 wards from the administrative portion of the 

 hospital, and the making of each ward a sin- 

 gle one story pavilion, removed so far from 

 every other ward or building, that it could have 

 the benefit of the sun, and the free circulation 

 of pure air on both sides of it, throughout the 

 day, while at the same time one end of each 

 ward opened from a corridor which would serve 

 as a covered hall for exercise to the convalescing 

 patients, and through which there was com- 

 munication with the administrative buildings. 

 The pavilions were to have their long diameter, 

 where possible, a north, and southline. An- 



other point insisted upon was that no patient 

 should have less than 1,000 (except under very 

 peculiar circumstances not less than 1,200) cubic 

 feet of space, and the air of this, by the system 

 of ventilation, constantly changing. 



The pavilions were to be raised at least one 

 foot, generally two, above the ground ; the 

 floors to be coated with a mixture of beeswax 

 and oil, to prevent any liquid from soaking 

 into them ; the baths and water closets to be at 

 the extreme end of the pavilions, and form an 

 angle with them, and to be connected with, 

 such a system of sewerage as would convey all 

 offensive matters and odors away instantly. A 

 ward or pavilion was not to contain more than 

 fifty-two beds, and these were to be placed in 

 pairs with three feet space between the two, 

 and each pair to be placed between the win- 

 dows; the two beds occupying an average 

 space of fifteen feet in the length of the ward, 

 and of seven and a half feet in width, and a 

 passage way of ten feet to extend through the 

 middle of the ward for its whole length, thus 

 making the width of each ward twenty-five 

 feet, and its length, if it contains fifty-two 

 beds, about two hundred and twenty feet; the 

 additional twenty-five feet being occupied with 

 water closets, scullery, &c., *it one end, and 

 wardmasters', nurses' rooms, and mess room at 

 the other. In the practical application of these 

 principles, it has been found better not to have 

 the wards quite so long, and they generally 

 contain only thirty-six or forty-eight beds (some 

 only twenty-four) ; or, if there are fifty-two, 

 they occupy somewhat less than fifteen feet to 

 the pair. The first large hospital built upon the 

 principles presented by the surgeon-general, 

 was the West Philadelphia Hospital, situated at 

 the intersection of Forty-fourth and Spruce 

 streets, half a mile outside of the limits of the 

 city of Philadelphia/ "We subjoin an engraving 

 (fig. 1) of the general plan. The corridors are 

 each 860 feet long, 14 feet wide, and 13 feet high, 

 and serve as mess rooms for the pavilion. There 

 are 34 pavilions, & b &, each 24 feet wide, and 

 13 feet high at the eaves; they are now of nn- 

 equal length, ranging from 150 to 250 feet. 

 Between the corridors is the administrative 

 building, a. There are three kitchens, c c c ; 

 two laundries, d d ; a chapel, e ; store rooms, 

 f f; a mess room for special occasions, </; 

 two buildings for officers' quarters, h Ti ; boiler 

 room, i ; residence of surgeon in charge, ; 

 water tanks, Z; barber shop and printing of- 

 fice, m and w; boiler and tank, o; smoking 

 rooms, p p ; reading and lecture room, q ; 

 knapsack room, r ; guard room, 8 ; stable, t ; 

 guard, u. The pavilions are 21 feet apart, 

 which is too close by at least ten feet. The 

 building is of wood, lathed and plastered on 

 the outside. Its cost, aside from furniture, ex- 

 ceeded $200,000. It has 3,124 beds. The num- 

 ber of medical officers is fifty-two, beside 

 eighteen medical cadets, and of cooks, nurses, 

 and other attendants, four hundred and sixty- 

 four. There are also three chaplains. 



