History of Oakland County Michigan a narrative account of its historic progress, its people, its principal interests / compiled from the official records of the county, the newspapers and data of personal interviews, under the editorial supervision of Thaddeus D. Seeley.

HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY

263

and Mrs. Groom of Ann Arbor hospitals. Others visited hospitals in
Bad Axe, Batavia, New York, and Detroit. Joseph Mills, the architect,
was asked to plan a hospital to cost about $Io,ooo, although some time
previous they had rejected plans, very attractive, but in excess of the
$6,000 which they originally expected to expend. They had made the
discovery, however, that the absolute necessities of a hospital, including
diet kitchen, baths, linen room, supply and chart room for each ward,
besides operating room, sterilizing room, office, elevator, dining room
and general room, must be maintained, no matter how small the hospital
may be, and that all details of that nature must be considered as carefully for ten patients as for one hundred. It developed that the hospital,
built in dull times, with much of the work and material donated, cost
over $I7,000. It will accomodate twenty-five patients and is regarded
as a model of completeness and convenience, experts claiming that it
could be improved in but few minor details.
On July 12, I908, the corner stone was laid, with interesting and impressive ceremony. Rev. Fr. T. J. Ryan made the opening prayer and
the address by Judge Stockwell was a masterly effort. In May, I909, the
building was opened, absolutely free of debt. Mrs. E. A. Christian, of
the board of trustees, supervised in person the furnishing of the hospital and saw to the placing of every item of equipment in the establishment. While the work of construction had been going on, the advisory
board, a company made up of representatives from every church and
women's society in the county, was busily at work making provision for
the linen furnishing of the hosiptal, and on opening day, not only sheets,
pillow cases, towels, mattress covers, table cloths, doilies, tray cloths and
napkins were in place, but also bed gowns, door hushers and operating
pads were in readiness for the first patient.
The operating room was furnished and equipped by the physicians
of the city as a memorial to the late Dr. F. B. Galbraith.
The building committee was composed of Aaron Perry, Miss Anne
Murphy, Mrs. R. W. Groom, Edwin M. Murphy and A. L. Dewey, with
J. R. Prall as superintendent in charge. The committee on plans was represented by Mrs. S. W. Smith, Mrs. R. W. Groom, Mrs. H. C. Guillot,
Mrs. H. Coleman, Mrs. J. S. Stockwell, Mrs. H. S. Chapman, and Joseph
E. Mills of Detroit, architect.
The work of raising money for the building extended over a period of
eight years, and at no time the sums coming in were large. The amounts
donated usually were small, and the largest subscribers were Mrs. David
Ward who gave $500 and furnished two rooms and Judge J. L. Jacokes
who gave $I,ooo. The bulk of the money came in as profits from entertainments given, rummage sales and catering. When the building was
opened, $1,200 was raised through the columns of the Gazette to pay the
final cost of the building.
It is the present plan of the board of directors to build an addition comprising six private rooms, with room for nurses, they being housed at present in a cottage rented by the hospital. The institution is out of debt, and,
when run at its capacity, is self-supporting. The average number of
patients cared for during I9II was fifteen. Thus far the city and county