The Pioneer Infirmary for the Puget Sound Frontier
Dr. G.A. Weed announces the opening of a new hospital to serve the 'pressing wants' of the rugged workers and pioneers in the Washington wilderness.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
To meet the pressing wants of laboring men in Puget Sound, needing medical and surgical aid, for comfortable rooms and good care at business prices, I have set up a hospital where every convenience and comfort will be provided in connection with experienced and skillful medical and surgical attendance. We aim to make this a permanent institution and to give personal attention to cases of sickness and injuries of all kinds, constantly occurring in the saw mills, mines, and logging camps surrounding us. Seattle being centrally located with regard to these interests, and more accessible than any other, I intend with the aid of the advantages of personal and thorough attention to the entire management, to build up an institution to help the sick and disabled who have no homes, and are worthy of their consideration and that of the public. The hospital is in a pleasant and healthy locality, and the rooms are neatly and cheerfully furnished. For further particulars, apply either in person or by letter to G. A. Weed, M. D.
“To meet the pressing wants of laboring men in Puget Sound... I have set up a hospital where every convenience and comfort will be provided.”
In 1876, Seattle’s medical infrastructure was essentially a private service built to support the transient labor force of logging and mining camps. Today, that legacy of industrial-scale health provision has evolved into the city's massive biotechnology and hospital corridors, though the tension between 'business prices' and accessible healthcare for all remains a persistent civic challenge.
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