NEW SURGICAL BLOCK

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLV, Issue 21178, 27 October 1938, Page 6

NEW SURGICAL BLOCK

Completion in Sight Modern Hospital Equipment Novel Electrical Apparatus Splendid progress has been made with the construction of the new surgical block at the Timaru Hospital, and the contractors anticipate that the work will be completed within about a month. Embodying the latest methods of construction and giving ample sunlight and fresh air, the new block will provide surgical and maternity patients with every facility to aid their restoration to health. Through the courtesy of the foreman a representative of "The Timaru Herald” was shown over the building yesterday, and to the layman the general lay-out and the modern equipment, from the electric lighting to the plumbing, was something to marvel at. The general public have but a vague idea of the comprehensive organisation entailed in the administration of a large hospital, but a visit to the new block conveys some idea of what is required adequately to provide facilities for the treatment of the sick. The building has now reached the stage vjhen the finishing touches are being applied, and painters and electricians were busy at work preparing for the building to be handed over to the South Canterbury Hospital Board. When building operations were at their peak over 40 men were engaged, but now that the final stages have been reached the number is considerably fewer. Two Operating Theatres On the first floor the men’s and women’s surgical wards are situated. There are two operating theatres, the No. 1 theatre being equipped with the last word in projection lamps for use during surgical operations. The lamp, which is fitted with a 250 watt bulb, throws a powerful light in any desired direction, and, by an ingenious use of Mirrors all shadows are eliminated. The bulb, which is inside a highly polished steel frame, is surrounded by six small mirrors which reflect (through apertures in the frame) on to six larger mirrors outside the lamp. These mirrors swing in any desired direction by means of a focussing mechanism, which eliminates the shadow of the surgeon’s head or hands. Any possibility of serious consequences should the power fail during an operation is removed by the provision of a stand-by plant, which lights the operating theatres and the passages. The provision of an electric fan removes any anaesthetic fumes from the operating theatre. No. 2 operating theatre is fitted with a large -mortally constructed blind which excludes the faintest trace of light, and the theatre will be used chiefly for eye operations. A modern X-ray room will be equipped with the latest appliances for this valuable contribution to medical science. A ‘ significant tribute to the potency of the rays is the fact that the walls of the loom are zinc-lined from floor to celling. A well-equipped dark room for developing the plates is a necessary adjunct. Maternity Ward On the second floor modern equipment and lighting will play a prominent part in the attention given to expectant mothers. One ward has provision for 16 patients, and it is so arranged that the erection of glass partitions will divide the ward into four sections, each containing four patients. There are also six s’ngle-bed wards and two two-bed wards. 1 svel Signalling System Each patient has her own reading lamp above her bed, and a wireless plug is also provided. If a patient requires attention she presses a push button, and immediately the light above her lied is contacted, a passage light outside the ward in the corridor, and the kitchen light is switched on, and a bell rings in the nurses’ duty room, and a small red pilot light above the bed also glows red. The circuit Is not disconnected until the nurse has attended the patient and has pressed a button which breaks the contact and the lights are extinguished. If a number of patients require attention at the same time the circuit remains unbroken until the nurse has attended to the remaining patient, and has pressed the last button which switches off the lights which were automatically switched on when the first patient pressed her bell push. The system is a recent innovation in England, and the Timaru Hospital will be right up to the minute in this respect. Another ingenious feature of the electrical Installation is the fact that the switchboards are sunk In the wall, instead of standing out on ungainly brackets which is usually the case. The main switchboard also swings out like a cupboard door, enabling any faults to be rectified with a maximum of efficiency. All the electrical fittings throughout the block were made in New Zealand. Electric Clocks The major wards, the operating theatres, and the main corridors are fitted with electric clocks, synchronised to the time shown by the master clock In the administration block. The electric motor providing power for the lift Is housed at the top of the building, and, alongside, Is a tank room containing three tanks, two holding 100 gallons and the third 500 gallons of water. If for any reason the mains leading to the hospital are turned off, the storage of 2500 gallons provides an adequate supply. There are two large areas on the roof on to which patients may be wheeled direct from the express lift Which services the whole building. Beds from any ward may be wheeled direct Into the lift and taken up to the top of the building so that patients may receive the benefit of the sunlight. The Nursery The nursery will accommodate 16 cots, and there is a locker and drawer

to contain the clothing of each infant. To ensure that the children receive the utmost benefit from the sun’s rays, the windows are composed of vita-glass which admits the beneficial ultra-violet rays and keep out the harmful infrared rays, which cause burning on sensitive skins. A special nursery is provided for premature babies. Doctors’ and nurses’ changing rooms, sterilising rooms and modern kitchen equipment, and all the adjuncts btc in keeping with the arrangements of the wards. , The building will be steam heated throughout, and there are even radiators on the concrete stairways. Storage Facilities Replete with linen rooms, blanket rooms, bandage rooms, and store-rooms of every description, no expense has been spared in order to promote the efficient working of the hospital. A fairly large room lined with dust proof cupboards provides ample accommodation for surgical instruments, of which there must be a deadly and glittering array when they are stored in their respective positions. In the basement are the stewards’ stores, and the size of the rooms give an adequate impression of the multitude and variety of goods and articles required. A large nurses’ lecture room and a smaller room for a similar purpose are also provided. A large storeroom for the patients’ clothes is fitted with a revolving fan. thus removing any lustiness which might otherwise arise. Subterranean Passage A lengthy subterranean passage leads from the new block to the boiler house, and it will eventually be connected to the recently completed administration block. Seven heavy power cables run through this tunnel, which also carries steam and hot and cold water pipes and gas mains and the telephone wiring. The mass of pipes of varying dimensions, from small to large, form a perfect plumbers’ nightmare, but they a*e so arranged that should a break occur repairs may be effected with comparative ease. The Boiler House The work in the boiler house is also nearing completion. Two forty horsepower New Zealand made boilers have been installed, and the furnaces will be automatically fed with coal from hoppers. A new coal store is arranged so that lorries may drive straight in to discharge their loads. The new 83ft concrete chimney which dwarfs the old boilerhouse brick chimney into insignificrnce is of the latest type, a feature being that for the greater proportion of its height it is hollow, an outer ring of concrete enclosing a smaller. This minimises tlie effect of the intense heat g r “»?rated by the discharge from the furnaces. The electrical gear on the main switchboards was being placed in position yesterday, but it will be several weeks before the furnaces receive their initial firing.