A standard history of Allen county, Ohio : an authentic narrative of the past, with particular attention to the modern era in the commercial, industrial, educational, civic and social development, Part 64

Author: Rusler, William, 1851-; American Historical Society (New York)
Publication date: 1921
Publisher: Chicago ; New York : The American Historical Society
Number of Pages: 598


USA > Ohio > Allen County > A standard history of Allen county, Ohio : an authentic narrative of the past, with particular attention to the modern era in the commercial, industrial, educational, civic and social development > Part 64


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When the Miami and Erie Canal was being constructed through the western part of Allen County in the '40s, the contractors recognized the need of reliable medical advice, although there were no hospital advan- tages, and Dr. William McHenry, who was Lima's foremost physician, made twice-a-week trips to Delphos, rather as a measuure of prevention than cure, and there are families and corporations today who pay doc- tors to keep them well rather than cure them of diseases. The welfare


OPERATING ROOM-CITY HOSPITAL


idea is as old as Allen County itself. In 1857, the Thespian Club of Lima gave a drama entitled "Black-Eyed Susan" for the benefit of someone injured in a Fourth of July explosion, but there is no record of where he was given attention. He lost his arms as a result of the injury. It is a part of the pioneer history that women went about min- istering to the sick and afflicted, but it was always voluntary service. There always have been Florence Nightingales in Allen County.


There is casual mention of the Meyers Hospital in Lima, but no description of it in the papers available for research. Someone said that a widow opened her home in the vicinity of Memorial Hall, and that was the Meyers Hospital; many never heard of it. While the true meaning of the hospital-its primary mission-is first aid to the injured, there is excellent nursing available and sometimes the homes are unable to supply it. Physicians always recommend efficient nurses and the hos- pital is the place where they get their training. Only public spirited citizens take hold of enterprises that do not pay dividends, and Allen


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County hospitals are operated on a humanitarian basis rather than as profit-sharing institutions. The trend of popular thought on the subject of disease has rendered the hospital a necessity. "An ounce of pre- vention is better than a pound of cure," although a homely adage has lost none of its truthfulness, and people are learning now how to antic- ipate and prevent diseases.


While more people die of tuberculosis than from any other one dis- ease, the Allen County Medical Society and all progressive physicians are united in a campaign of education and there are popular lectures on how to combat the ravages of the white plague. It used to be called consumption and its victims had no possible ray of hope until fresh air enthusiasts brought it to them. While Lima was a prosperous, growing city, it was tardy in turning its attention to hospital needs. It was not until 1894 that there was concerted effort toward a public hospital. While operations are now of every day occurrence, and a topic of polite conversation in many social circles, it was not until 1890 that appendi- citis made it first appearance in Lima. There was no hospital and the operation occurred in the office of Dr. P. H. Brooks. The patient was Charles Swan and the operating surgeon was Doctor Stamm of Fremont. Till then polite society knew nothing of the vermiform appendix. Since then many local appendices have been removed, and today it is regarded in the light of a minor operation. In some com- munities clubs are organized among those minus the vermiform appendix. Any surgical operation admits one to polite society. "When I had my operation," and almost any one can finish the story. Many times an enforced vacation in a hospital is all the respite known to the patients and their friends are called upon to cultivate the virtue of forbearance. They must tell about the operation "once again."


When the progressive citizens of Lima began agitating the question of a public hospital, there were public meetings and newspaper articles on the subject. "As Lima put off the childish ways of a village and put on the manly ways of a city," it recognized the need of a hospital. It was in 1894 that the sentiment began to crystallize into definite plans and when the movement was started the local pastors' union-perhaps the Lima Ministerial Association-was behind it. There were committees appointed and there were conferences with the Allen County Medical Society. These joint committees worked out the preliminaries and there were mass meetings always well attended. A hospital society was organized, strictly nonsectarian, although every religious organization supported it, and the name "Lima City Hospital Society" was chosen for it.


Mrs. Villa Cook was the one woman named on the hospital board of ten members, and while she always attended the meetings in the capacity of a listener, when the question of hospital property came up for dis- cussion, she suggested the Overmyer property on East Market street. While a sarcastic member of the board replied that no old house would be purchased for a hospital, the plan finally worked out and the sug- gestion made by a woman carried. Lima had doffed its swaddling clothes and with a hospital it had become a city. The complexity of civilization had changed the old-fashioned conception of the word "neighbor," and there was need of public oversight of those unable to take care of themselves. When Allen County mothers visited and min- istered to the sick, the strength of the patient was often exhausted in an effort to appear friendly and hospitable, but the time came when the trained nurse from the hospital changed the situation -- the patient was protected from friendly visitors. When a nurse has been installed


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friends do not think of visiting the sick. While they inquire about those afflicted, they do not ask to see them.


In 1894 the hospital question concerned the whole community. There were meetings held and benefits were planned. In asking to stage a benefit, the Lima Lodge of Elks said: "We feel the great necessity for a place where the halt, the lame and the blind without regard to creed and nationality, can be taken in and their burdens lightened. There is nothing that could command our more hearty support. We thank you for the honor you have conferred upon us. Yours in charity, justice, brotherly love and fidelity," and right well did they prove their interest by giving a minstrel show netting $816.30 for the hospital. There was a board of trustees, but the whole community was interested in the site of the hospital. The Overmyer property was purchased November 27, 1898, the consideration being $3,635, Dr. S. B. Hiner acting for the Lima City Hospital Association in buying it. He was a public spirited, progressive citizen, and remained actively interested in the hospital till the end of his days. He was one of God's chosen people and many pay tribute to him. He was a surgeon for the C. & E. Rail- road and he organized the Northwestern Ohio Medical Association. The property has 100 feet front on Market street and the lot is 266 feet on Scott street. It is underlaid with gravel, and is a sanitary possibility. There was a two-story brick house. The property had to be remodeled and a nurse's home was acquired adjoining it. On January 15, 1899, the board appointed twenty women as hospital managers and they worked earnestly in providing the necessary equipment. They popu- larized "sweet charity," and everybody stood ready to contribute to it. Numerous local organizations gave benefit entertainments, and $50 life memberships were taken by many citizens. The remodeled hospital was ready for occupancy April 1, 1899, and Mr. and Mrs. J. T. Black became the first superintendent and matron. They remained four years in charge of the hospital. Mrs. Black was a practical nurse, but the time came when a scientifically trained nurse was in demand at the head of the institution. The duties were arduous and Mrs. Black was no longer able to attend to them. She had assumed too much responsi- bility and the time came when she had to relinquish it. Mrs. Black is shown in the group of nurses and the man with the broken arm was among the first patients at the Lima City Hospital. Mrs. Black was known to all physicians as an excellent nurse. When she left the city hospital she established a maternity hospital in her home, taking only as many patients as she could care for alone.


The demand for hospital accommodations was soon greater than the capacity. There were applications from many patients outside of Allen County. In 1899 the Lima City Council made a levy for the support of the hospital and each year it contributes to its support. Charity patients are received and they receive treatment by the hospital staff of Lima physicians. All physicians who register patients are members of the hospital staff. Because of the city support, policemen, firemen and other public servants are received at the hospital. In its present form the Lima City Hospital accommodates ninety patients. There are thirty student nurses, some remaining to complete the course of training. The pay patients make the hospital able to care for others, although no emphasis is placed on charity. Graduated nurses frequently come back as special with pay patients. The school of nurses was opened January 1, 1902, under the supervision of Alice Henderson, chief nurse. The busi- ness manager is B. H. Simpson and Miss Roma Lambert is now super- intendent of nurses, conducting the school and having oversight of the


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hospital. While they sometimes deal with contagious diseases, none are admitted in developed form. They are assigned to the detention hos- pital. The city hospital lacks the necessary isolation features. Tag days in the interest of the city hospital are well patronized, but the thing to be desired most is a new city hospital. The property on East Market street has served an excellent purpose in the community, but there are later ideas in construction and hospital equipment.


St. Rita's Hospital, Baxter and West High streets, has capacity for 100 patients. It was opened December 11, 1918, as an emergency hos- pital for flu victims, the first patient being a Lima nurse who succumbed to the dread disease. It was planned to open it later in a formal way, but with contagion raging none but epidemic patients came for a time. St. Rita's is a general hospital with medical, surgical and obstetrical departments. Lima physicians and many skilled surgeons from outside Allen County practice there. There are well equipped operating rooms and an excellent medical and surgical staff. It is a Catholic institution conducted by the Sisters of Mercy. While it is under control of the Toledo diocese, in time the Sisters of Mercy plan to finance it them- selves. Sister Mary Margaret is the superintendent. She had her pro- fessional training in the best city hospitals and there is an accredited nurses training department in connection with the hospital. There is a nurses' home adjoining and the hospital operates its own heating and ice plants. The engineer has a home on the hospital property. While charity patients are received, the nurses themselves do not know who pay and who do not, and all are accorded the same attention. Some- times the patients themselves give out such information.


St. Rita's Hospital finally received recognition from the American College of Surgeons, being one of twenty-five institutions in Ohio to gain such recognition. The American College of Surgeons is conceded to be the greatest medical institution in the world. It was formed for the purpose of increasing efficiency and establishing uniformity of method in the best hospitals of the United States. Its members are famous surgeons and recognition by them is considered one of the highest honors of the medical world. Sister Mary Margaret is recognized as a capable hospital superintendent. A recent newspaper article says: "Lima has within her bounds an institution of love and mercy, the scope of the work of which none can comprehend until brought face to face with its great benefits. It is St. Rita's hospital. It was built by popular subscription. It has been declared the best institution of its kind between Chicago and Pittsburgh by skilled surgeons and learned doctors who have inves- tigated its facilities. Protestants, Catholics and persons of no religion at all are welcome to the training school or to employment at the hos- pital. There are sun parlors and porches, and many Allen County citi- zens have endowed beds and have their names on door plates because of their generosity. None are turned away who apply for care at St. Rita's for medical assistance. St. Rita's Guild, which includes women of all religions, has provided many necessary supplies for the hospital."


While there is no local Red Cross hospital, the Lima Chapter of the American Red Cross maintains three visiting nurses who co-operate with other welfare organizations, already mentioned in connection with war activities. Social workers and health boards have many problems in common and there are many advantages from federation. The welfare investigators learn many things to the advantage of the health guardians and it holds good that in the multitude of council there is wisdom. There has been some complaint that quarantine restrictions are not observed,


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and the welfare representatives have an opportunity of observation. They are naturally interested in law enforcement.


As Lima City health officer, Dr. J. B. Poling said the Lima Deten- tion Hospital had capacity for fifty patients. The detention hospital is an economic industrial arrangement. In case of contagion, patients may be removed there and the family need not be quarantined. The quar- antine interferes with business and in many cases stops the income. The detention hospital is a benefaction. Beside the custodian there is always an efficient nurse. Male and female nurses are provided according to the necessity. There are more patients taken to the detention hospital with smallpox than any other disease. While vaccination immunes a com- munity, some do not resort to it. In 1920 there were some virulent cases of smallpox. In the '50s there was great loss of life from an epidemic of smallpox in Lima. The detention hospital is not a charity only in the sense of economy. The removal of the infected person relieves the necessity of quarantine. Since resistance has much to do with disease, patients in the detention hospital are furnished the best possible diet and the necessary medical attention.


The Mennonite hospital in Bluffton has twelve beds and it is in reality a Mennonite Deaconess Home. It was opened in 1908 by Dr. J. J. Sutter and conducted as a nonsectarian institution until he sold it to the Mennonites. It is now controlled by the church but patients are received regardless of their creeds.


The District Tubercular Hospital located in Shawnee is supported by taxation in the counties constituting the district-Allen, Auglaize, Mercer. Shelby and Van Wert. Dr. William Osler has said: "The battle against tuberculosis is not a doctor's affair ; it belongs to the whole public," and that idea prevailed in establishing the district tubercular hos- pital at Lima. The combined medical fraternity has conducted a cam- paign of education and not so many die from the white plague. They do not wear themselves out in search of health and strength since they understand that Allen County air properly utilized has the necessary health-restoring properties. Out-of-door living, sun parlors, sleeping porches and window tents are now understood by all, and a different architecture prevails-ventilation the dominant purpose in home construc- tion ; air and sunlight free to all.


Public health measures not only prevent a great deal of suffering and prolong a great many lives, but in the long run they save money. This fact should be sufficient to give such measures some standing even in the minds of those who think of nothing but dollars and cents in connection with such movements. It is generally conceded that pul- monary tuberculosis is not an inherited disease, and that when taken in time it is curable. Fresh air, sunshine, plenty of nourishing food and proper attention are the requisites. These things, including the proper care, are provided in the district tubercular hospital. Dr. Oliver S. Steiner is the Allen County trustee, and each county in the district is thus repre- sented on the medical board. The hospital was opened March 1, 1909, and Dr. C. A. Files is the resident physician. The five counties consti- tuting the district share the expense pro rata as they have patients in the hospital.


The administration building at the district tubercular hospital has accommodations for twenty-four patients and there are eight cottages, each accommodating two patients. There is a campus of thirty acres and fresh air is afforded, the campus reaching the bank of the Ottawa River. Both men and women patients are received and patients in the incipient stages are successfully treated there. The hospital is modern,


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and sanitary methods are a requirement. No patient touches any article of food or any cooking utensil except his own portion. Patients are not employed at all. Mrs. Files, who is a graduated nurse, superintends the housekeeping and culinary department, and every precaution is taken against possible contamination of food. Although 150,000 die annually of the white plague, it is now considered a preventable disease. The difficulty is with people waiting too long before seeking knowledge and assistance. The Lima district hopital is an inviting retreat at the end of a winding cement walk and a shrubbery-flanked drive, with plenty of sunlight and air-nature's own restoratives.


The lockers are in the halls and all patients are required to spend much time in the open air. Their clothing lockers are excluded from their rooms for sanitary reasons. A current of air passes through the lockers in the hall. There is a fine sward and plenty of shade. The birds are invited to nest in boxes of ornamental design, and the patent with physical resistance need not succumb to the dread tuberculosis. The experiment with a district tubercular hospital has been satisfactory. The charge is so often made that communities are more active in con- serving the health conditions of livestock than of human beings, and the district tubercular hospital is a monument to progress in humanitarianism. In 1896 such an institution was established in Massachusetts and since then it has been understood that when taken in time tuberculosis is a curable disease. Almost every family has been touched by the white plague and has seen relatives and friends waste away without under- standing scientific treatment for such conditions.


The Lima State Hospital is within the bounds of Allen County, although in its government it is independent of the locality. It is a state institution for the care of criminally insane patients. An act establish- ing this hospital in Allen County passed the Ohio Assembly April 25, 1904, and Governor Myron T. Herrick appointed a committee whose duty it was to select the site for it. A number of sites were offered in other communities. The Hon. Walter B. Ritchie was a member of the committee and he used his influence in favor of Lima. The Lima Club was very active in its effort to secure the institution. Dr. Charles H. Clark is superintendent of the hospital. There are 576 acres in the farm and except about thirty acres of natural forest adjacent to the buildings it is cleared and cultivated land. The patients are used for the farm labor. While sometimes one escapes, as a rule they are effi- cient laborers. Many of them realize that they are well off in the insti- tution. It is a shifting population-some dying, some escaping and some being dismissed as cured, although all must return to the penal institution from which they were committed for their final freedom. In some instances it would seem better if they might return to their homes, as the thought of the penal institution is a depressing influence. In December, 1920, there were 789 men and 165 women in the hospital. Some have seen better days and some have eventful life histories.


The State Hospital was opened for patients July 1, 1915, and the superintendent is allowed three assistant physicians. The percentage of recoveries from illness based on the admission is twenty-four, and death has resulted to only 4 per cent of those treated for illness. While there are some physical ailments, Doctor Clark deals primarily with mental difficulties. While illness does not often result from exposure, all the ills that flesh is heir to are sometimes apparent. There were 244 cases of flu and 8 per cent of the number died from it. Dr. William H. Verbau and Dr. Albert Pfeiffer were the assistant physicians and there was one vacancy. Visitors are admitted on Tuesdays and Thurs-


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days. Twice a year Doctor Clark entertains the Allen County Medical Society at a clinic, using rare examples of mental disturbances, and the doctors seldom miss those opportunities for investigation. Their con- tact is more with physical than with mental ailments.


The State Hospital farm is in Bath township north from Lima, and it was acquired by the State at a cost of $63,622, and while it was said to be the poorest land in Allen County, through systematic crop rotation and dairy farming and the use of commercial fertilizers, satisfactory results are obtained from the farming experiment there. It is now regarded as an Ohio oasis in Allen County. A four-year crop rota- tion is practiced, the farming being under the supervision of Charles McIntire. a farm specialist who has the oversight of agriculture on all the institutional farms of the state. He pays frequent visits to Allen County. Labor-saving devices are installed and the State Hospital farm is in reality an agricultural experiment station.


While no agricultural products are sold from the State Hospital farm, everything is invoiced at market rates and the 1920 crop valuation reached $9,362.33. The farm products are all consumed on the farm. The dairy is stocked with Holstein and grade cows, and under watchful training there are men with sufficient intelligence and honor to operate the dairy. In 1920 the farm produced 433,280 pounds of milk, and 9,084 pounds of butter. A small poultry department is operated with- out expense for feed and the fiscal report was 762 dozen eggs. The swine department yielded 19,405 pounds of pork and 7,299 pounds of lard. The beef breeds of cattle are not kept, but when a cow is no longer profitable in the dairy she is slaughtered. In 1920 the farm yielded 4,148 pounds of beef and 1,850 pounds of veal. Only dry cows and male calves are butchered. Including livestock food products, the total production reached $14,520 on the State Hospital farm in the last fiscal year. The pro rata from the state amounted to $21,977.84 for maintenance, Allen County paying its share in it. The entire property inventory amounts to $1,833,639.83 and the equipment is valued at $82,929.30, and Allen County dealers profit from the supply of mate- rials for the institution.


The State Hospital has its own water system, sewage disposal plant and electric lighting system. It has every comfort known to science in handling the unfortunates assembled there. It is one of many state institutions. They are: Athens State Hospital, Cleveland State Hospital, Columbus State Hospital, Dayton State Hospital, Lima State Hospital, Longview Hospital, Massillon State Hospital, Toledo State Hospital, Ohio Hospital for Epileptics at Gallipolis, Institution for Feebleminded at Columbus, State School for the Blind, Columbus; State School for the Deaf, Columbus; Ohio State Sanatorium, Mt. Vernon; Ohio Sol- diers and Sailors' Home, Sandusky; Madison Home, Madison; Boys' Industrial Home, Lancaster ; Girls' Industrial Home, Delaware; Ohio Penitentiary, Columbus; Ohio State Reformatory, Mansfield; Ohio Reformatory for Women, Marysville; New Prison Farm, London, and at the State Brick Plant, Junction City, near Columbus, prison labor is utilized. The Lima State Hospital gives to Allen County citizens some conception of the number of unfortunates cared for by the State. The hospital is the helping hand held out to society.


CHAPTER XLVII WELFARE WORK IN ALLEN COUNTY


There are persons who, by reason of age, infirmity or misfortune, have a claim on society. Just as certainly as the taxpayers of Allen County contribute to schools and the higher institutions of learning, it has another coterie of citizens that receives benefits from the county and state charitable and benevolent organizations. Some live in their own homes while others live in public institutions. While some attend universities, others go to asylums. All are beneficiaries of the county and state. While some homes are more fortunate, in others there are children who are educated in the institutions for the blind, the deaf and dumb and for them munificent provision is made, several state insti- tutions having been enumerated in the previous chapter. When such things are provided through taxation, all property owners have part in "sweet charity."




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