DUKE
HOSPITAL
Durham, N. (’
THE ORIGINAL STAFF
I Remember When
Because Duke Hospital celebrated
its 25th year last month, we asked
Ross Porter to give our present em
ployees (as well as the old-timers)
a glimpse of the early days. We
think you’ll enjoy his reminiscence.
As Dr. Davison said, “-July 21,
11)55 M-as a s:reat deal c-ooler ihau
July 21, 1!):5(). ...” It could also be;
said that we weren’t nearly so har
assed on tlie latter date. . . . The com
bination of excessively hot weather
and the strain of tryin>j to f>:et the
place goiuf? on July 21, 1!);5() cer
tainly didn’t contribute much to
ward sweetness and lij^lit on tluit
occasion.
T remember, that as an eager little
beaver fresh from collefje, 1 was
chewed out, but f?ood, by Dr, Amoss,
.Miss Bessie Baker and several othej-
])eopI(! 1 don’t ev(‘u rem('nil)er before
1 could find saiu;tnary in the bijj;
empty business office iidiabited only
by J\Irs. (’ampbell, an addiiiff ma
chine and a bookke(‘pin; machine we
didn’t know how to ojicrate.
Things picked up pretty rapidly
after that, however, and in a few
days we even knew where tlic pa
tients were who had rushed in on the
first day. . . . This accomi)lishnient
was larjrely possible throne’ll a track-
inpr operation conducted by Air. 31.
E. Winston, the Superintendent, as
he ])rowled the wards witii his pre
cious ])atient ref?ister in hand.
('ontrary to our exi)ectations that
the Hospital wards could be opened
at a leisurely pace we foiuul our
selves openin>' them just about as
rajiidly as we were able lo force out
the students and House Staff living
in the unopened oiu’s, . . . This
growtii was a fine tribute to the judg
ment of Di'. Davison and his Staff in
their original i)lanning, l)ut it surely
did keep us all stepping.
We remember, too, routine esti
mate's of ten days for an appendec
tomy ... foui'feen daysfoi' delivery ...
fifteen to twenty days for a herni
otomy. .. . Hospital costs in those days
was less than six dollars per day ...
starting salary for secretaries was
sixty dollars |)er month and for grad
uate nurses, less than oiu' hundred
dollars.
As always, in recalling the i)ast, we
remend)er a great deal nu)re about
colorful individuals and inconse-
(juential incidents than about the
im])ortant milestones. . . . T^iining
gets out of kilter, too, and hai)i)en-
((’outinued on page (i)