118 A DISTEICT HOSPITAL : ITS CONSTRUCTION AND COST. 



I now turn to the ward-block. In the middle is a large room 

 for the occupation of the Matron and her husband who should act 

 as wardsman. It has French windows giving on the principal 

 verandah ; and it is guarded from being overlooked by patients on 

 the verandah by a light barrier as shown. The room has two 

 small casements overlooking the male and female wards respectively; 

 and it contains a press to hold the ward linen. On each side 

 of the entrance are the lavatories. Access to that for men is from 

 the hall only ; to that for the women, from their ward only. 

 Both are fitted with wash-basins ; and both have an appliance 

 which I call a bath-tray. It consists merely of a tray with a 

 sufficient combing and a waste ; and it is intended to economise 

 water in bathing, the patient having a bucket-full given him, and 

 sponging himself from it. But at Kiama, these trays have a 

 shower over them, and I think there is no objection to this. They 

 should be enclosed by a curtain hung on rods. The total 

 number of beds in this block being 20 is allotted as follows : 10 

 are placed in one large ward for males ; a corresponding space on 

 the opposite side is divided into two equal wards. Of these the 

 nearer, having access from the central hall, holds five beds for 

 women. The farther holds five beds for convalescent males — for 

 patients, that is to say, able to some extent, to look after themselves. 

 This ward has an entrance from the court-yard only ; its inmates 

 use the male lavatory in the middle ; but it has its own closet 

 attached. One fourth of the beds it will be seen are devoted 

 to females, and I believe this proportion sufficient, except, of 

 course, in large hospitals in cities. Such is the general arrangement 

 of the building. I now mention some details under the heads 

 "Ward -space, Ventilation, Lighting, Drainage, and Water-supply. 



Wardrspace. — This I have taken as follows : — Floor-space, 

 rather more than 96 feet ; cubic space, rather more than 1,000 

 feet per bed. The wall-space in the large ward is nearly 9 feet; 

 in the smaller wards it may be taken at about 11 feet ; but the 

 distribution of beds not being even over it, it must suffice to refer 

 to the plan when I believe it will be found enough. The height 

 of the wards (and of all rooms throughout the building) is 10 feet 

 C inches. At first sight these measurements may be thought 

 rather small ; but it must be remembered, first that there is but a 

 small number of patients in any ward ; secondly that there will 

 be no accumulation of serious surgical cases, nor any cases of the 

 infectious fevers ; and thirdly that the building is intended for 

 the country. 



Ventilation. — Considering the impermeability of the walls, I 

 think the ventilation openings should have an area of, for outlets 

 not less than one inch to every 22 feet of cubic contents ; and for 

 inlets, not less than one inch to every 21 cubic feet. These 



