The First Private Hospital for Seattle's Industrial Laborers
Dr. G.A. Weed opens a facility to serve the many 'sick and disabled' workers in the hazardous timber and milling industries of the Puget Sound frontier.
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 many persons on Puget Sound needing medical and surgical aid, for comfortable housing and care at moderate prices, I have opened a hospital where every convenience and comfort will be provided in connection with experienced and skillful medical and surgical guidance. I aim to make this a permanent institution and to give serious attention to sickness and injuries of all kinds, constantly occurring in the saw mills, lumber camps, and logging camps surrounding Seattle. Seattle being centrally located with these interests, and more accessible than any other point, I mean with the aid of these advantages, giving personal and thorough attention to its entire management, to build up an institution indispensable to the sick and disabled who have no homes, and worthy of confidence and that of the public. The hospital is in a pleasant and healthy locality, and the rooms neatly and comfortably furnished. For further particulars, apply either in person or by letter to G. A. Weed, M.D.
“I mean... to build up an institution indispensable to the sick and disabled who have no homes.”
In 1876, Seattle’s economy was defined by the physical toll of logging and milling, leading to the creation of the city's first private hospital for itinerant workers. Today, Seattle's healthcare landscape continues to grapple with the tension between providing necessary medical infrastructure and maintaining affordability in a rapidly developing, boom-town economy.
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