Who, at their first meeting, made choice of the same physicians and surgeons as last year. Divers inconveniences being found to proceed from washing the linen, &c. of the patients in the common kitchen, it was concluded expedient to build a wash. house, a small distance from the house; a committee was appointed to make out a plan for consideration of the managers, and to provide materials for building it, which was accordingly done, and the work nearly completed this year. The circumstances of the institution, and state of the funds, occasioned a conference to be held by the managers, treasurer and physicians, in order to consider of measures proper to be taken, for lessening the expenses, regulating the diet of patients, and to solicit contributions for advancing the capital stock, and to defray the charges accruing on the necessary conveniences lately made for accommodating the patients. In consequence of which some additional benefactions were obtained, a bill of diet agreed upon, and the following address prepared by the managers, and presented to the house of assembly, viz. To the honourable the representatives of the freemen of the province of Pennsylvania, in the general Assembly met, The address of the managers of the Pennsylvania Hospital. SHOWETH, 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 the divine blessing on the endeavours of the physicians, upwards of three hundred distressed persons have been cured of various disorders of body and mind, under which they had languished; and many others have been considerably relieved, and thereby restored 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 applying most of the contributious obtained from private persons the last three years towards completing 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 stoek; and as the benefits received by our distressed fellow subjects are daily more known and considered, the prospect of our increasing expenses 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. A committee being appointed to examine and state the accounts, in order to lay them before the contributors, at their approaching annual meeting, reported the state thereof to be agreeable to the following abstract. Dr. The Capital Stock of the Pennsylvania Hospital. contributors, To 14 subscrip. tions for which Cr. By amount of all the contribu tions before the bonds are not given, To 8 bonds, with land securities, for money lent on interest, 2850 0 0 |