Page:Immigration and the Commissioners of Emigration of the state of New York.djvu/166

138 incurable cases—were admitted, except the insane and those suffering from small-pox.

Besides the more usual divisions, others were arranged, one for patients suffering from petechial typhus (ship-fever), another for cholera patients—the Asiatic cholera prevailing at that time—and still another for about 200 children infected with prevalent ophthalmia. In order to prevent the spreading of this contagious disease beyond the institution, the children were discharged from this division only when completely cured. A temporary building was erected for post-mortem examinations. All persons on their arrival at the institution were examined first by the Physician-in-Chief, and subsequently by the physician du jour, and those found to be sick were sent to their respective wards, after having complied (if possible) with the regulations made in regard to cleanliness, dress, etc.

In the spring of 1850, the Physician-in-Chief, who, in organizing the Hospital Department, had the direction of the economical affairs of that department as well as the direction and supervision of the treatment of all patients, and who performed, besides, all surgical and obstetrical operations, except such as he could entrust to his assistant-surgeons, proposed that his senior assistants should now be appointed physicians, to have charge of departments or divisions, subject to certain regulations and restrictions, and that each should have an assistant. This proposition was approved of by the Ward's Island Committee, but not formally acted upon by the Board, owing to the occurrence of some vacancies (two in the Ward's Island Committee, namely, one by the death of the Hon. David C. Colden, the other by the resignation of George E. Kunhardt, President of the German Society, both of whom had evinced a great interest in the organization and welfare of the institution).

This change in the composition of the Board resulted in a new course of action. While the Physician-in-Chief was convalescent from petechial typhus, from which disease the majority of his assistants, one after the other, had also suffered, the Board resolved to introduce a so-called new plan—in fact, the old English plan—according to which visiting physicians and surgeons living from six to eight miles from the island, and young resident