IIS AROUND THE WORLD VIA INDIA. 



SYDNEY HOSPITAL. 



The Sydney Hospital was founded in 1814 and the 

 original building remains as a wing of the new build- 

 ing. It is a massive three-story stone building, adjoin- 

 ing thi' House of Parliament. It is the largest of the 

 hospitals, the number of beds aggregating 460. Two 

 large marble tablets in the main hall are inscribed with 

 the names of its donors in gilt letters. The smallest 

 amount that entitles a person to this distinction is 

 $250 ; the largest contribution among the more than 

 100 names I noticed was $11,500. The ceilings are 

 high and the wards well lighted and ventilated. Scru- 

 pulous cleanliness prevails throughout. There are two 

 operating rooms, one for aseptic, the other for septic 

 cases, and both are well equipped for modern work. 

 Ether is the favorite anesthetic and biniodid of mer- 

 cury, 1 to 500, is used for hand disinfection, and cat- 

 gut lias the preference over kangaroo tendon as a su- 

 turing and ligature material. In the surgical wards I 

 found many cases of fracture and excision of joints. 

 Plaster of Paris is used extensively as a fixation ma- 

 terial, both in the treatment of fractures and after re- 

 section of joints. Hip-joint resections are usually made 

 through the anterior Luecke incision. Asepsis is car- 

 ried out in a thorough manner, as was evident from 

 the many primary wound healings I saw. The medical 

 staff is assisted by ten internes, graduates of the Syd- 

 ney University. The appointment of internes is made 

 on the merit of their standing in their college work. 

 Those who have the best record go to the Prince Alfred 

 Hospital ; the Sydney Hospital has the next choice, 

 then come the remaining hospitals. The internes re- 

 ceive a small salary, serve for one year and receive the 

 benefit of all departments by transfer every three 

 months. The Sydney Hospital has an excellent train- 

 ing school for female nurses, which occupies a separate 

 wing, the Nightingale wing. The course of training 



