Ably conducted as is this institution, systematic as is its internal police, and salutary as are its general regulations, there is, nevertheless, room for amend.. ment and reform. It may not be amiss to suggest a few improvements, which I think would render this hospital more complete. I would propose, 1st. That all the wards in the east and west wings (I mean the buildings which front east and west) should be ventilated by means of air-ducts in some one cor ner of each ward, communicating exter nally. These wards have no contrivance far ventilation.
2d. That the long wards of the build ing that joins the centre to the east wing should be furnished with four or six ven tilators in the window sashes, to render the ventilation of those wards more per fect.
3d That an air-duct should be intro duced into the entry of each story of the west building, that. contains the cells for lunatics, which air-ducts should be ten or twelve feet in length, so as to pass through the corner cells of each story, and communicate with the external air_; these air-ducts should be introduced al ternately in the north and south walls, from the lower story.
4th. That a communication should be made between the lower entry and that of the ground-floor, by gratings similar to those in the entries of the second and third stories. This could easily be done, by removing the boards covering the openings that appear to have been ori ginally left. Though I have before re marked that this part of the hospital is un commonly well ventilated, yet these al terations and additions would, I think, render the ventilation quite perfect.
5th. 1 would recommend that warm, cold, and vapour baths be constructed in some convenient part of the east building, on the first floor, to be appropriated ex clusively to the use of the patients of that part of the hospital, and such private pa tients (not maniacs) as inhabit the large rooms in the west building. (These are now erected.) 6th, That two small buildings be erect ed, about twelve or fourteen feet square, and 2 stories high, at the distance of about fifteen feet from the north end ofthe east and west wings, and communicating with each story of these wings by means of a covered corridor. Or, should this plan be found inconvenient, such buildings might be erected on any part of the north side of the hospital, that an architect should deem most proper.
7th. That a building, containing conve nient dissecting rooms, be erected in some part of the area of the hospital, re mote as possible from the main buildings, for the purpose of examining and dissect ing dead bodies. No hospital is complete without such a building.
8th. That the American chimney-place stove be erected in the managers' room, the library-room, and as many of the wards as convenient. The first cost of these stoves would be considerable, but their erection would result in an annual saving of three-fourths of the quantity of fuel usually consumed in open fire-places.
9th. That a concise and well written ac count of the hospital be printed in small pamphlets of four or five pages, and be sold by the gate-keeper for three-pence each, to such strangers as visit the hospi tal, who may be disposed to purchase them. Scarcely any person visits an in stitution of this kind, who would not will ingly give three-pence for an account of it ; and the annual amount of the sale of such pamphlets at the gate would, I am persuaded, be considerable. The per quisite for showing the great hall of Greenwich hospital to strangers is one shilling, three-pence of which goes to the person who exhibits it. The remaining nine-pences make an annual revenue, which supports, clothes, and educates., twenty boys, the sons of distressed sea men. I would propose that the fund arising from the sale of such description of the hospital be appropriated toward the support of an additional number of paupers in the institution.
10th. That at some future day, when the finances of the hospital will admit of it, and their vacant lots shall be exempt ed from the present unjust taxes to which they are subjected, a lunatic asylum be erected on such one of the vacant lots as may be deemed best situated for the pur pose ; and that all that portion of the pre sent building now divided into cells be converted into wards for the sick. In fact, the legislature of this state should grant an adequate sum of money for this pur pose, and enable me contributors to the institution to commence such an asylum immediately.