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BUILDING NO. 1 WALKING
TOUR This descriptive
walking tour has been edited from oral presentations given by
CAPT T. H. Conaway, Jr, MSC, USN-R
(For orientation to the spaces described,
consider the following. When entering the foyer of the main entrance
on the second floor, with back to the door, north is to the right and
south to the left. The extended building structure's wings will be referred
to as being northeast and southeast.)
First Floor
Down
the south stairwell to the 1st floor, the space directly across from
the elevator and stairwell alcove was the dishwashing room, or scullery.
Food service materials which had been sent to the patients on the wards,
were cleaned here. Facing south, to the right, was a steam table next
to the mess hall. The scullery for mess hall dishes and utensils was
at the far end of the space. This mess hall was for Hospital Corps School
students who marched to the main building for their meals. When the
students left, the ambulatory patients were served. At the far end was
another scullery and six brig cells.
Returning to the
passageway and facing south, the space to the left was the officers' dining room. Next to
that, there was a rest room for the Food Service Division, and then also a nurses' rest
room, and locker room. The dietitian's office was on the right, and a women's public rest
room on the left.
Continuing on, the
ENT office was on the right, followed by the ophthalmologic examining, cardiograph, and
file rooms. The ENT operating room was at the far south end of the space, with an
examining room on the right.
Turning to the north
through the same area, just after the elevator and stairwell alcove, was a series of food
storage rooms. The main galley and bakery, where all bread and pastry products were
prepared, were to the left.
The large space on
the right and to the north was the diet kitchen where special meals were prepared. To the
left, under the ward building, was another scullery where the trays from the patients were
cleaned. There also was another mess hall, steam table and scullery for use by the
enlisted members of the hospital staff.
Back in the
passageway and facing north, the physical therapy facilities were located on the right.
Further on, there was a small room referred to as the "gymnasium". Actually, it
was the physiotherapy room to aid in rehabilitation of orthopedic patients. The autopsy
room was located at the far north end of the space, and the morgue was next to it.
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Second Floor
Descending the north
stairwell to the 2nd floor, Ward 1 (Urological Service) is to the left. This ward was used
primarily for the treatment of venereal infections. Facing north in the passageway was
Ward 3 which was also used by the urologists. This was where long-term treatment for
syphilitic patients was provided. (The antibiotic therapies of today was unavailable
then.)
To the south, the
space on the left was the Pharmacy. The next several offices were for personnel, pay, and
the Executive Officer. There was a general public rest room on the right which today is
for women.
Facing south into
the foyer, and to the left is the vestibule of the main entrance. The original picket
doors, no longer in use because they do not conform to current safety and fire standards,
are still recessed on either side of the main entrance. These ornate doors were designed
to resemble those found on a fort or other military structure of the era in which they
were designed.
Facing the main
entrance, the small room to the left was where the very small telephone switchboard, even
for those days, was located. To the right of that room was a cloakroom. In an about face,
we see the grand staircase which was installed during reconstruction. To the left and
facing south is the office of the secretary to the Chief of Pediatrics. This was, at one
time, for the Officer of the Day. The room directly across the hall was a waiting room for
the convenience of those who were visiting seriously ill patients. When a patient died,
this was also the place where official notification was made to family members, and
arrangements were made for disposition of decedent remains. Originally, the Navy was not
responsible for this function, and burial was left up to the family/friends.
Proceeding south,
the next offices on the left were for the Property and Accounting Officer and the Chief
Clerk who actually was the hospital's First Lieutenant. The First Lieutenant was the
closest thing, in those days, to an administrative assistant to the Medical Officer in
Command.
The next office was
that of the Medical Officer in Command. To the right is the southwest ward which was known
as Ward 2 (Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat Service (ENT)). At that time, ophthalmology was not a
separate specialty, and was combined with ENT. Ward 4 to the south, also belonged to ENT,
and was used primarily for the popular tonsillectomy procedure.
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Third
Floor
At the bottom of the
stairs on the 3rd floor, and to the south, was Ward 8 (Surgical Services). It was used for
what was then called "clean surgery". Containing three quiet rooms, it was
similar in layout to the other wards. Facing north in the passageway, the next four rooms
on the right were for sick officers. Ward 6, to the left (the southwest ward) was used for
"dirty surgery" and emergency cases. The surgical dressing room in this area was
the closest thing in the hospital to what is now referred to as an emergency room. The
ward also also had two quiet rooms.
Continuing north,
the office on the left was for the Chief Nurse, and the Medical Library was situated in
the space opposite the stairwell on the right. The next four rooms on the right were for
sick officers, and the room on the left, next to the stairwell was a public rest room.
Continuing on, Ward
5 on the left was used for treatment of neuropsychiatric patients. At the extreme west end
there was an iron grate cell-like space with a secure door. There were also two quiet
rooms within this space where care was provided for the more violent patients. There were
several beds outside of the quiet rooms, but within the secure area, for those patients
inclined to be less violent.
The north ward, Ward
7 (Orthopedic Service), was similar in layout to the wards on the floors above and below.
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Fourth Floor
Adjacent to the
north stairwell, on the 4th floor, is the north ward which was designated as Ward 11
(Internal Medicine Service). Two quiet rooms were at the extreme north end of the ward.
The washroom and toilets were at the south end, as was the linen room and surgical
dressing/medication room. There was a passage way that lead to a diet kitchen in the
southeast corner of the ward. This kitchen was used jointly with Ward 9 (Surgical
Service).
At the west end of
Ward 9 were six private rooms used for sick officers.
Returning to the
passageway from the elevator area, and starting at the fire door at the north end, there
was the Chief of Surgery's office. Next to that was the Surgical Service office. The next
room was for X-rays, and across from the darkroom the officer's washroom was on the right.
The radiologist's office was next to the washroom, followed by the radiology clerical
office. Next were two more rooms for sick officers.
The ward at the
south end of the floor was identical to that at the north. This was Ward 12, and also
assigned to Internal Medicine. The southwest ward was the same as the northwest with the
exception of having two quiet rooms on the west end instead of six. This was Ward 10, and
for Internal Medicine.
During the 1930's,
Wards 10 and 12 were referred to by the staff as "Death Valley". There were no
"miracle drugs" available at the time, and these wards were used for pneumonia
patients during the winter. Many of those admitted were retired and elderly, and
unfortunately not many of them survived. The only care that could be provided was good
nursing in an attempt to reduce fevers.
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Fifth Floor
There are stairs, an
elevator shaft, and a passageway leading into the main surgical spaces. A moderate space
on this floor was used for dressing by the operating room technicians. Each technician had
a locker and there was also a large table used for cutting gauze into surgical bandages.
In the early days, the technicians manufactured all of the 2X2"s, 4X4"s, and
sponges to be used.
To the north, down
the hall, is the surgical suite. On the left is a small instrument room with floor to
ceiling metal and glass instrument cabinets. On the right was the sterilizing room. The
sterilizers, which still remain in the room, were installed and used when the surgical
facilities were replaced in the 1940's. This entire area became the central surgical
supply room at the time.
Back in the
passageway, on the left is a room that was an early surgical supply room. There, surgical
packs were assembled and folded prior to sterilization and storage.
Continuing north,
the next room was the number 2 operating room (+ 10 x 14 ft.). Next is the "anesthesia room". Although never used as such, it primarily served as the
operating room office. In the early days, most of the anesthesia used was either a local
spinal, or the open drop method of ether instillation. An anesthesia machine developed in
the 1930's permitted administration of nitrous oxide and ether in a closed system.
Anesthetics were administered right in the operating room immediately prior to surgery.
Across from the
office was the surgeon's dressing room. Most of this area was used as a scrub room where
staff surgeons and technicians prepared for surgery.
The main operating
room (+ 24 x 21 ft.) was situated south of the scrub room. Ceramic tile floors were
installed throughout the surgical suite, and at the end of each day, the technicians were
responsible for scrubbing the floors. The swabs were maintained in a clean state and when
not in use, were placed on the terrace to be dried and bleached by the sun.
The remainder of the
floor and attic space north of the operating suite was used for storage.
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World War II and Building 1
The third phase of
the life cycle of Building 1 began in 1940. Incident to the mobilization immediately prior
to the war, the hospital compound saw much construction activity. Changes to the building
included the addition of two four-story wings extending out from the main structure, one
to the north and the other to the south. To accommodate the addition of these wings, there
were new corridors added next to them on each floor.
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Last Updated:
29-Nov-2006
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