Patients.

The Hospital now being sufficiently advanced, it was conRemoval of sidered desirable to have patients moved to their new quarters as soon as practicable, although the building was still far from finished. was the more necessary, since the Market Street house had by this time so outgrown its capacity that the demand for more commodious quarters had become imperative. The Managers also decided to have the accounts of the Hospital put in proper shape for publication and printed and circulated, in the hope of gaining new contributors. was deemed advantageous to include in this publication an abstract of the cases, with the names of the patients, and also the names of several contributors added since the last publication had been laid before the Assembly. This work was directed to be done by the Monthly Committee, aided by Benjamin Franklin and Daniel Roberdeau. Samuel Rhoads was instructed to get in all the tradesmen's bills relating to the new Hospital, in order that the Board at its next meeting might audit them and formulate a general account of the cost.

Franklin, Attorney for Hospital in England.

On December 17, 1756, all the patients were removed from the Temporary Hospital on Market Street to the new building at Pine Street, and the first new patient admitted into the Hospital was on the following day.

At the meeting held March 28, 1757, the following minute was

made:

The President of the Board, Benjamin Franklin, being appointed Provincial Agent to England and is about to sail in a short time, he is requested after his arrival there, to use his interest in Soliciting Donations to the Hospital whenever he may have a Prospect of Success therein, and Israel Pemberton and Evan Morgan are desired to prepare a letter to Thomas Hyam and Sylvanus Bevan, desiring their Friendship in Assisting our President in any occasion he may have of Promoting the Interest of the Hospital.

The object of making this request of Franklin was evidently to invest him with official authority so that he might legally solicit subscriptions and transact any other financial business which might be presented for consideration: this letter to Hyam and Bevan serving as credentials and as a power of attorney in any emergency requiring such official sanction and authorization.

When Franklin sailed on his first mission to England, in 1757, his circle of correspondents, both business and scientific, had already become widely extended. Among his European friends and correspondents were William Strahan, Lord Kames, David Hume, Baskerville the printer, Galloway, Bartram, Dubourg, Benezet, Joseph Priestly, and many others. This gave him a large field of acquaintance in which to work in advancing the interests of the Hospital.

66

On December 29, 1760, a letter was written to Franklin for some necessary drugs and medicines, and he was also asked to join with some others of our fellow citizens, now in London, in soliciting contributions on behalf of the Hospital from several merchants who, we apprehend, may be induced to encourage the progress thereof."

Instructions were also written to Franklin, while in London, to procure a specimen iron bedstead such as are commonly used in the hospitals in England.

Franklin's agency and mission in England detained him for five years, but it finally came to a successful conclusion and he returned to Philadelphia November 1, 1762.

In October, 1757, a Committee of the Assembly visited the Hospital and made examination into the condition of the patients, and the general state of its finances, and "they were pleased to express themselves to be well satisfied with the order and management thereof."

The following advertisement appeared in the "Pennsylvania Gazette" December 27, 1759:

For THE BENEFIT of the

PENNSYLVANIA HOSPITAL

On Friday, the 28th, of this instant, December, at
the Theatre on SOCIETY HILL will be presented
the celebrated TRAGEDY of

HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK.
Tickets will be sold by William Dunlap, William
Bradford, Thomas Gordon and Evan Morgan.

As the money originated from what was considered such an objectionable source, the matter gave rise to some discussion as to the proper course to be pursued, the Managers feeling in doubt as to the propriety of receiving it under the circumstances; yet unwilling to deprive the Hospital of it. The difficulty was finally happily adjusted, the Managers escaping from their dilemma in quite an original and ingenious manner, without sacrificing the interests of the Hospital, as the following minute will show :

Visit of Com

mittee of

Assembly.

The Board being informed that a sum of Money hath been lately raised for Theatrical the Benefit of the Hospital, by a Stage Play acted near this City, which has been Benefit. paid into the Hands of the Treasurer, the Matter being consider'd & most of the Managers being dissatisfied therewith, think it necessary that the following information should be published in the next Pennsylvania Gazette," of January 10th, viz. :

"THE PENNSYLVANIA HOSPITAL

Was founded in the Year 1751, by an Act of the Assembly of this Province, by which every Person contributing Ten Pounds, or upwards, towards founding the said Hospital, is qualified annually to Choose by-Ballot twelve Persons of their own Number to be the Managers of the said Contributors, & one other Person to

Explanatory Statement by

Managers.

Overcrowded condition of Hospital.

be the Treasurer of the same, who are enjoined to apply the annual Income or Interest of the said Contribution towards the Entertainment and Cure of such Sick and distempered Poor, as shall, from time to time, be brought or placed in the said Hospital; and haye no Authority given them to refuse any Sums of Money, which may be lawfully contributed thereto.'

This account of the founding the said Hospital and of the Power of the Managers, is published for the Information of such Persons, who being unacquainted with the said Law, may apprehend the Power of the Managers to be more extensive than it is, and to satisfy such that they are not authorized to direct the Treasurer to refuse the Money lately raised by exhibiting a Stage Play near the City, which was done without the Consent of the said Managers, in Consequence of the Injunction of the late Governor Denny, at the Time he granted Liberty to the Stage Players to erect the Theatre near this City.

"Published by Desire of the Managers of the said Hospital."

The Hallam Theatrical Company, of London, which gave the benefit, relieved the conscientious scruples of the Managers in a delicate and graceful manner, by placing the amount realized at the benefit, £47, 2s 6d, in the hands of Governor Denny, "by whose order through Evan Morgan it was paid to ye hospital."

It is not surprising that the Managers were loath to receive money obtained in this manner; since the condition of the public mind, at the time, was greatly excited against all of the kinds of public amusements then in vogue, and especially against theatrical performMoreover, the Managers, who were nearly all members of the Society of Friends, had themselves joined with other citizens, not long before, in a petition for an injunction against the erection of the theatre on Society Hill.

ances.

Notwithstanding the increased accommodations which had been provided in the new hospital, it was soon found that the overcrowded condition again caused serious embarrassment. It was quite difficult to reject many worthy applicants, who were daily presenting themselves for admission. Precautions were taken to admit only those requiring immediate and urgent attention, but in spite of everything the wards were usually crowded to their utmost capacity. The Managers were also obliged to give serious consideration to the problem as to the best means to pursue to meet the increased expense and the expected deficiency, as it seemed impossible to lessen the number of patients. They accordingly in their emergency, decided to make another attempt to increase the capital. This, however, they knew to be no easy matter. Their predicament is clearly indicated in the minutes of the meeting held Jan. 29, 1759:

On consideration of the present state of the funds of the Hospital, it is resolved that there is urgent necessity of lessening the expense, unless we can succeed better than we have lately in our endeavors to increase the capital stock

It was agreed to have a conference with the Treasurer and Physicians to devise some means to overcome this difficulty. This meeting was to have taken place on the twelfth of second month (February), but it seems that the subject was of so grave and important a nature that it could not be summarily settled; for on the 2d of February, 1759, it was noted:

Having conferred on the subject matter and no definite means decided upon, the Doctors agreed to examine and consider the methods of providing for several hospitals in England, &c., and when prepared to lay a plan before us at a future meeting.

The Managers in their extremity decided to make another appeal Assembly to the Assembly for aid in this emergency. An address was accord- petitioned. ingly prepared, and a committee was appointed to present it to the Speaker. It read as follows:

To the Honourable the Representatives of the Freemen
of the province of Pennsylvania,

in general Assembly met.

The Address of the Managers of the Pennsylvania Hospital,-sheweth That the said Hospital, founded about eight years since, with the approbation, and by the Assistance of the Assembly, hath been hitherto supported by the Contributions of private Persons and by divine blessing on the endeavours of the Physicians, upwards of three hundred distressed Persons have been cur'd of various Disorders of body and Mind, under which they had languished; and many other have been considerably relieved, and thereby restor'd to a capacity of being serviceable to themselves and the publick.

That the two thousand Pounds contributed by the Assembly, towards the building, being long since expended, we have been under the necessity of apply. ing most of the contributions obtained from private Persons the last three years towards compleating the Work, and of course are prevented from increasing the Capital Stock; the annual interest of which is the only fund we have yet received for the support of the institution.

That the number of patients, who from all parts of the province apply for admittance, is lately much increased, so that upwards of one thousand pounds is expended more than our Capital Stock; and as the benefits received by our distress'd Fellow Subjects are daily more known and considered, the prospect of our increasing Expences exceeds any rational expectations we can indulge, of being able to support the House, according to the original design, without some further Assistance from the publick.

We therefore recommend the present State of the Hospital to your serious Consideration, and hope the same benevolent disposition on which it was founded, will still be manifested by the Assembly of Pennsylvania, to promote so laudable an Institution, gradually becoming of the most extensive Service to this part of the King's Dominions.

The Committee having duly transmitted the paper and accounts Committee to the Speaker of the Assembly reported, April 30, 1759, that they reported. had performed the service assigned and that he had promised to bring the same before the House of Assembly.

The Managers waited for several months for some notice of their Hospital appeal, but without success. No action having been taken by the Assembly, it was decided to politely remind this body of the pressing needs of the hospital by adding to the documents the accounts of the last year past (1758-59), for submission.

Accounts before the Assembly.

"Gazette."

Before the House of Assembly now sitting, and to notify them that we should be ready to attend such Committee as they may appoint to visit the Hospital, inspect the Management and State thereof, also to remind them of the present Necessities to which we are subject for supporting the Institution which we hope they will take under Consideration and grant that Assistance and Relief requested in our Address presented at their last Sitting, in Order to promote the progress of a Work which hath been found to be of so great Benefit to the Distressed and Indigent.

The address and other papers were finally laid before the Assembly on June 25, 1759.

The needs of the Hospital were now very pressing, money was scarce and commanded a high rate of interest, and as yet no sign of relief appeared from the Assembly. The legislative machinery, at all times ponderous and slow, was at that time engrossed with novel and complex political problems; which with other matters, entirely overshadowed the appeal from the Hospital, which was accordingly temporarily set aside. Franklin's influence and prestige were sadly missed; his experience and energy were no longer available in behalf of the Hospital's interests in the Assembly, which he had so often wielded to great advantage-the philosopher, statesman and wise counsellor was now in London. No one seemed to possess the necessary ability or interest to press the measure to a successful issue. The requirements of the Hospital were urgent, every-day wants were to be met, bills to be settled, borrowing afforded but temporary relief, and only involved future expense in the payment of interest charges.

In order to emphasize the urgency of their predicament to the people and Assembly, adopting Franklin's tactics, the Managers had recourse to the public prints, as appears from the following communication in "The Pennsylvania Gazette," of July 12, 1759,1 with an Abstract of Records and Accounts and the following remarks:

From this View of the State of the Accounts, and by comparing the Abstract Appeal to of the Cases with those formerly published, the Publick may observe the great the Public annual increase of the Number of Patients, and consequently of the Benefits of through the the Institution; which Consideration, together with that of the Additional Conveniences for their Reception and Accommodation, which have been attended with considerable Labour, and unavoidable Expence must undoubtedly afford an equal Degree of Satisfaction to those who are already Benefactors to this Charity; and we hope, will render an Apology unnecessary to others, who have hitherto 1 Vide Franklin's "Some Account," etc.