Annual report of the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital : 1938.

  • Peter Bent Brigham Hospital.
Date:
1938
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Annual report of the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital : 1938. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    45/252 (page 39)
    so many other X-ray examinations, this one was of no positive help or value except that it ruled out the 20% of positive” or opaque gall stones. Cholecystograms after the jaundice had cleared showed no gall bladder shadow suggesting a non-functioning gall bladder. The patient felt well, was again working regularly and de¬ cided to get along without further help from the Hos¬ pital or from the magic number of X-ray No. 100,000. The last new patient on December 31, 193 8, received number 104,009, making a total of 4,675 new patients this year. There was an even larger number of old pa¬ tients re-examined or treated during the year, with a total of 13,750 patient-visits for the year, an average of well over a thousand a month—more than the opti¬ mum for our present equipment and personnel. Other figures as to the work of the department will be found at the end of the report. Financially the department has suffered from the Sec¬ ond Depression with a marked fall in revenue and a slight increase in cost so that our record as a self-support¬ ing and revenue-producing department has been broken. For the first time in twenty years, the department was in the red for the year, but fortunately for only a small amount, roughly $500.00—which was the cost of a new~ therapy tube and new oil for its insulation. Efforts are being made to cut the expenses still more and we hope to be out of the red again next year especially if the gen¬ eral financial situation improves. Speaking of equipment, our department survived the hurricane of September 21 with no damage and with only a few hours’ shut-down due to the loss of power. In fact the Hospital and grounds fared well except for the loss of awnings and the loss of many of the old pop¬ lars along the street and between the wards—trees I never liked anyway. The X-ray department really did