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History of MGHS  |
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The early beginnings of St. Luke's traced
"New St. Luke's
Will Open Today" "A reception will be held for the public at the new St. Luke's Hospital, which will be formally opened from 3:00 to 5:00 o'clock in the afternoon and 7:30 to 10:00 o'clock in the evening. In the evening also, the Marquette County Medical Society will hold its January meeting at the new institution and at the close of the session a supper will be served to the physicians by a committee of Marquette women. Special street car service has been arranged." This article marked the end of a long and dedicated fund-raising project for the city, and the start of today's Marquette General Hospital campus. Fund-raising to build the hospital was a local, community project. Instead of selling bonds or requesting government funds, the majority of the money for construction came from private individuals. Often, this came as a donation in memory of a family member. The Maynard, White, Rees, Morse and Mather families contributed more than $22,000 toward the building fund, and lesser amounts were given by other Marquette families. In recognition of these gifts, rooms and wards were named in perpetuity for these generous donors. In addition, a number of rooms were furnished and maintained by individuals or societies. Ordinary citizens also made their contributions - St. Luke's annual report for 1915 listed jellies, baked goods, a turkey and a deer as items donated to the hospital. Even the X-ray machine and pathology lab were acquired through family bequests. The construction and upkeep of St. Luke's were a true grass roots effort, supported by both the wealthy and common people of Marquette. Construction began in May 1914 by the Foster Construction Company of Milwaukee, and was completed in November. The building cost was about & 70,000, with another $ 30,000 spend on equipment and furnishing. The hospital had a capacity of 52 beds, but could be expanded if needed. The first floor held the hospital office, reception room, nurse's class room and study, and two-to four-bed ward rooms, including a children's ward. The second floor consisted of private rooms, some even boasting private baths. The third floor had nurse's apartments in the South Wing, while the North Wing housed the operating rooms, sterilizer room, and the Sarah Ward pathology lab. It is worth noting that the third floor was unheated until 1926. Hospital staff consisted of the superintendent, assistant superintendent, head surgical nurse, night superintendent, and 10 students from the School of Nursing. The new hospital was "state of the art" for its day. An electric elevator connected all floors, so Frank Stolpe no longer had to carry patients up and down the stairs. All floors had two bath and toilet rooms; an electric light system replaced the bells which patients had used to call their nurses. Each floor also had a kitchen room connected to the main kitchen by a dumb-waiter. The operating room had a surgical table "identical in style with the one used by the celebrated Mayo Brothers in Rochester, Minn." Special ventilated light fixtures above the table were designed to keep the surgeon and patient cool, but employees reported that it was like working under heat lamps. The opening newspaper article mentioned a "physician supper served by a committee of Marquette women." This was a common practice at the time, and its modern equivalent is our Friday Physician Clinic Conference. Physician programs were somewhat more free wheeling in those days. Dr. Harry Hornbogen related this account of a Upper Peninsula Medical Society meeting held in a Marquette hotel. "One of the older doctors, after he arrived at the hotel, failed to find the bar room. He was very thirsty and made inquiry. 'What' he said to the secretary, 'no whiskey? That is an unheard of thing. I have attended many meetings of doctors and always whiskey has flowed like water. Young man, send out and get us a jug of it."' Soon there was plenty on tap.
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Patient
Rooms Direct Dialing - (906) 225-3(Room#). Room #'s: 233-245, 374-390, 501-527, & 601-827 |
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