Our Medical Work in Philadelphia
By Arthur G. Daniells
On the ninth of February a council meeting was held in the city of Philadelphia, in the interests of the medical missionary work being conducted in that city. This meeting was called by Elder Underwood, the president of the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference, and was attended by members of the conference committee, the Philadelphia Sanitarium Board, Elders H. W. Cottrell, W. C. White, and J. E. Jayne, Dr. G. A. Hare and Brother J. R. Scott, both of Washington, and the writer. The object of this council was to take into careful consideration the general management, or perhaps more properly the development, of the medical missionary work in the city of Philadelphia. Those in charge of the institution placed before the council a detailed statement of its history, its financial standing, its prospects for the future, and its present6needs. The facts presented deeply interested the brethren from abroad, who had been invited to the council, and who assisted much in the consideration of the plans for the further development of the work. Dr. Read, who has charge of the institution, explained their plans of working by which they were able to co-operate with a number of the leading physicians and surgeons in the city, and to secure a patronage of a most excellent class of patients. By this means they are able to place our medical missionary work on a good, permanent basis in that city of reliable medical schools and physicians of wide reputation. The financial statement for the two years during which the institution had been in operation showed that it had been fully self-supporting. Under all the circumstances, this was considered encouraging. The institution has been running two years. It has had no gifts from our people. All that has been expended for furnishings, equipment, rent, wages, training of nurses, and charity work has come from the earnings of the institution, and from loans on which interest has been paid. After paying all current expenses, there has been a small gain, which has gone into the equipment. But it was evident to all that some changes were necessary. The facilities and equipment are not what they should be for the character of the work open to the institution. These facilities can not be provided from the earnings. They can only be added by either securing loans or gifts. Those in charge of the work could not consent to borrow more money. The struggle to meet the present obligations is too great to be continued. When physicians and managers are continually worried with financial perplexities, they are, in a measure, unfitted to render the highest service to the sick and suffering. In view of the whole situation, it was decided to immediately put forth an earnest effort to secure donations to this medical missionary enterprise. The steps to be taken are these: the medical missionary work in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference will be made a department of the regular conference work; the Philadelphia Sanitarium will be taken over by the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference; the property and the immediate management of the institution will be placed in the hands of a legal board of trustees, to be elected annually by the conference delegates, and an earnest effort will be made to raise five thousand dollars in donations to place the institution in a position to do better work. While it will be expected that the brethren and sisters in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference will donate liberally toward this fund, it was agreed by all present at the council that there were reasons why it would be right to give our people in all parts of the United States an invitation to contribute to the medical missionary work in Philadelphia. The Eastern Pennsylvania Conference has a small membership, and the conference has been burdened for years with a crushing tract society debt, placed upon them by former conference officers without their knowledge. The brethren and sisters have been giving of their means to remove this oppressive burden. They are getting free, but this long pull on their means has crippled them so that they are unprepared to do all for the Philadelphia Sanitarium they could otherwise have done. Furthermore, it is plain to any who will give the conditions careful study that Philadelphia must be classed with the cities in the East to which the spirit of prophecy has repeatedly called our attention, as demanding the gifts and services of our people throughout the field. It ranks among the largest and most influential cities in the United States. It is the center of a circle of populous cities. Its age, history, factories, and educational institutions all place it in the front ranks. Up to the present time but little has been done by our people outside of the Pennsylvania Conference to establish our work in Philadelphia. Special help has been rendered to other important cities, both in the West and in the East, but no general gifts have been made to this city. After reviewing the whole situation, the council agreed to place the opportunities and needs of the city before our people, and ask those who may be impressed to do so, to give of their resources to this work. The council requested me to make this statement in the REVIEW, and it assigned similar work to others in charge of the work in Pennsylvania. I am pleased to speak a word in behalf of the work in Philadelphia. The ministers and physicians, assisted by Bible workers and nurses, have been working heroically during the last two years to place this cause on vantage-ground in that city. The lack of funds has made the struggle a hard one. We now come to our people with a modest request for help. Many thousands could be expended there, but the brethren ask for only a few thousand dollars, in order to provide suitable surgical and bath-room facilities, so that they can do better work. Now is the time to help. The brethren present at the council began the fund with as liberal donations as they felt able to make. Dr. Read and others will say more regarding this matter.