Hospitals were owned
and operated by churches and charities until 1900. The Masons had Shriner’s
hospitals, there were Baptist hospitals and most denominations had them as
well. Most healthcare was done at home. Doctors did house calls and sick calls
and many had their offices in their homes. Patients would pay doctors in cash
if they had it, but they also paid them with produce from the farm. Doctors who
had offices had operating rooms in their offices. Hospital stays were limited
to patients with infectious diseases and serious injuries. Birthing babies was
done at home with the assistance of a doctor or midwife.
The effectiveness of
medical care was severely limited until Louis Pasteur published his work in
microbiology beginning in the 1860s.
Effective prevention
of diseases caused by dirty drinking water became possible in 1880 when water
chlorination was introduced by John Leal.
The effectiveness of
treating infectious disease and inflammation was severely limited until 1928
when Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin and it was released for use in
1942.
Life expectancy rates
are calculated by averaging the death age of the population. It has been
increasing from age 50 in 1900 to age 80 in 2018. In 1900, the US had a higher
death rate for newborns and adults who died in childbirth and those who died
from inflammation like post-op infections and infectious diseases like typhus,
cholera, malaria, small pox, yellow fever, influenza, tuberculosis and other
diseases that are more treatable now.
Hospitals began to
appear in the US in 1727 when the Ursuline nuns founded the New Orleans Charity
Hospital. By the 20th century there were 400 Catholic Hospitals in
the US
There are now 75
Catholic Hospitals listed.
Catholic hospitals
once dominated the US and hospital costs were low, but after Vatican II, many
Catholic hospitals were sold to for-profit corporations. Prior to Vatican II in 1962, Catholic
hospitals were staffed by nuns who were trained to serve as RNs. They also had
nuns serving as Presidents and Hospital Administrators. They raised money to
fund expansions and equipment improvements. After Vatican II, nuns began
leaving the hospitals in large numbers and fewer novices were signing up to
take their place.
In 1965, the passage
of Medicare and Medicaid caused healthcare costs to quadruple and these costs
continue to quadruple today. Lyndon Johnson began the transfer of US healthcare
from the free market to government control. Prior to 1965, hospital room and
board costs were $24 per day. Major Medical insurance covered all rescue and
repair costs for medically necessary treatments. Insurance premiums were $25
per month and policies had a lifetime max of under $1 million.
Norb Leahy, Dunwoody
GA Tea Party Leader
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