History of medical practice in Illinois - Bushnell Historical Society

478 History of Medical Practice in Illinoiswas the establishment of a special outside nursing service made possible bythe $50,000 bequest from Mr. John Crerar. 2 This was the largest gift evermade to the school, and the new service was inaugurated in the fall of 1892.Four nurses were engaged exclusively for this work, each paid $65 a monthfrom the Crerar fund. In November 1893, the system was changed so thatany nurse available was sent on a Crerar case and was paid $15 a week fromthe fund. In this way they were limited in the number of cases suppliedonly by the funds available, and no nurse was paid who was not on duty.Only the interest on the fund was used, together with the money receivedfrom patients. The scale of prices was in direct proportion to the incomeof the patient or family.The early years of the 1890's were fully occupied in Chicago by preparationfor the World's Columbian Exposition, which was scheduled for thesummer of 1893. In March 1891, the Board of the Illinois Training Schooldecided to apply for space within the Fair Grounds for an exhibit of thework of the training schools. They desired to have erected a small emergencyhospital in which trained nurses, representing different schools, should beemployed, presenting to the public a practical demonstration of their workas well as affording relief and assistance to those persons either hurt whileon the Grounds or suddenly in need of medical care. For the purpose of thisexhibit, the Illinois Woman's Exposition Board offered the school an appropriationof $6000. Dr. Mary A. Mixer was appointed Director of theExhibit at a salary of $1200 for the five month period. Her two assistantswere Dr. Laura A. Randolph and Dr. Emma C. Geisse. These three residentphysicians represented the three schools of medicine: allopathic, eclecticand homeopathic. The model hospital was under the supervision of theIllinois Training School. The nurses volunteered their services but theirexpenses were paid. Space in the Woman's Building not being available,own. Although directly under the management of the Illinoisit was at last decided that the exhibit should be housed in a separate structureof itsWoman's Exposition Board, the small hospital was built by Harlow N.Higinbotham, President of the entire Exposition.The World's Fair Exhibit Committee of the Illinois Training School wasactively associated with the work atthe Exposition Grounds during theentire summer of 1893. When the hospital was dismantled at the close of2Mr. John Crerar was both a well known citizen of Chicago and a public benefactor.Born in New York, he had come to Chicago in the 1860's and built up a fortune, most ofwhich was returned in one way or another to the people of Chicago. By his will he left$1,000,000 for philanthropic work (including the bequest to the Illinois TrainingSchool), and $2,500,000 for the invaluable Crerar Library. Although Mr. Crerar diedin October 1889, the school, because of a contest of the will, did not receive the legacyuntil May 1892, but it had already been voted "that this legacy, when received, shall bekept intact as far as possible, be named the 'John Crerar Fund,' a partial endowment tobe held sacred to meeting the needs of those who cannot afford to pay the regularprices charged by graduates of this school."