HOSPITALS
In my research about health care in Calgary, it is hard to say what it
was that made us decide to build our first hospital. There was a number
of contributing factors.
A one room log cabin with a pot bellied stove and room for three beds
served the NWMP from 1883 t0 1887. In those days it was very hard on
you if you became ill. Especially if you were a young single man with no
family to look after you.. The little log cabin was constantly
overwhelmed. The sick were cared for by individual citizens in their
home (we have since the beginning been very volunteer oriented) but of
course diseases like Typhoid were a real problem.
In the winter of 1885 a young man by the name of George Shaw died alone
in his shack of Typhoid Fever. It was a miserable and dirty death.
This case and similar ones were brought to the attention of G.C.
King who was the mayor of Calgary. He called a meeting on November 16,1885 to consider
building a General Hospital. This meeting was addressed to Amos Rowe, Dominion Land Agent,
and Drs. Henderson, Lindsay, and Lafferty. As a result of this meeting an application was
made to the federal Government for a grant of the land known as Block 7 Section 10. Having
done that nothing more happened till 1899.
Jimmy Smith was a Chinese man who was also alone and friendless with the
exception of an Anglican , clergymen by the name of Rev. Mr. A.. F.
Cooper. Jimmy died in the Royal Hotel, and left all his worldly goods to
the Reverend. A suit of clothes and $100.00 to build a new hospital. The
good Reverend promptly took the money over to Mrs. Jean Pinkham who just
happened to be the wife of the Anglican bishop, Rt. Rev. Cyprian
Pinkham.
Mrs. Pinkham was a westerner who was appalled at the stories she heard
of suffering that was being endured. She heard of smallpox, typhoid
fever, of women dying in child birth, and of course there were all the
accidents on the railroad and on the ranches.
Mrs. Pinkham was worried that it might be considered an Anglican
institution. so she talked Mayor King into calling a meeting of people
who were interested in starting a cottage hospital. The people at that
meeting were. Bishop C. Pinkham, Senator James Lougheed, Judge
C. Rouleau, Messers D.W. Marsh, G.C. King, Amos Rowe, Wm. Pearce,
James Walker, A. D. Braithwaite, and H. Samson.
Funds were raised to the tune $6500.00 plus Jimmy's $100.00. A little
yellow house was purchased. It contained two rooms on the ground floor,
a kitchen and a living room. Upstairs there was 4 small rooms. So here
was our very own first hospital. The rooms upstairs had 2 cots each
and the front door had puncture holes from bullets that were a reminder
of the wilder times a couple of years back.
Mrs. Nelson Hoad was appointed as the first matron. She was also chief
cook and bottle washer. Her idea of sterilisation was a basin of
carbolic solution placed at the door of the hospital. All doctors
entering were requested to wash their hands. That was it, what they did
after that was their business.
Mrs. Hoad's husband acted as orderly and jack of all trades, He saw to
it that the patients took their medicines as per doctors orders. They
hired Miss M. E. Martin as a general servant, who's job was cooking,
laundry and assistant nursing duties, The two doctors on call were Dr.
N. J. Lindsay and Dr. H. G. Mackid..
Although the hospital was set up for eight beds it soon grew to
accommodate 12. Beds were placed in the halls, and the dining room table
doubled as a surgical
table. Our little general hospital was really pretty primitive.
The surgical instruments consisted of a probe, one pair of scissors, and
one pair of forceps. There was also a mackintosh to cover the floor by
the dinning/O.R. table. An 80 jar of carbolic completed the necessary
ensemble.
To help provide for the hospital's needs the Women's Hospital Aid
Society was formed in 1890 by our Mrs. Pinkham. The pioneer women raised
money the hard way. They had suppers and dances It is said that Mrs.
Pinkham was known to carve as many as 14 turkeys and bake enough pies
to use up 15 pounds of butter. Let's not forget the women had 7 kids at
home the next time we whine about not having time to bake.
Practical gifts to the hospital were also encouraged. The report for the
year 1891 lists such items as: a pint of ink, a tub of butter, a gallon
of native wine, six bottles of whiskey, and a sleigh-ride for three
nurses.
Of the 123 patients admitted to the "General" in the second year of it's
operation(1891) one had a cold, Three had alcoholism( that's where all
the wine and whiskey went I'' bet) fifteen had pneumonia, thirty-six had
typhoid fever, and nineteen had some sort of surgery.
Over the next few years there were Thyroid epidemics, Small Pox
epidemics (with the one in 1892 being the worst since 1871) and
Diphtheria in 1893.
In no time at all we out grew our cottage hospital.
On May 22, 1895 a new sandstone building was opened with a capacity of
35 beds. This new institution was to meet the needs of the changing
Calgary. We were changing from the big cattle barons to smaller family
owned ranches.
The population of 506 in 1883 had grown to 6,557 in 1900.
So many other things were changing as well. The carbolic at the door
changed to definite routines for the sterilisation of instruments, lines
and hands. Things were baked, boiled and what ever else was need to
make things sterile.
Abdominal surgery was limited. For the most part it was treating broken
bones, This was done with manipulation only. X-ray was not yet
available Chloroform was the anaesthetic but was used when there was no
there choice
Babies and more babies showed up. In 1899 a maternity wing was built.
They shared with the nurses residence
In 1905 a new isolation building was built
In 1905 the population of Calgary was 12,500 and we grew some more.
In 1894 Miss Birtles had taken over from Mrs. Hoad as the matron and had
moved to the new hospital. There she started a nurses training program.
Things were slowly but surly taking shape. And we grew
With the usual controversy a new site for the hospital was found.. In
1947 the board offered a new contract for a $4,500,000 structure.
Construction did not start till 1949.