As this useful and necessary charity loudly calls for further assistance, may it not be justly hoped, that many pious and compassionate hands will bountifully contribute to the support, continuance, and enlargement of a design, which reason, good policy, humanity, and religion so powerfully recommend?
This hospital consists of two houses, at a due distance from each other in airy situations.
That for preparing the patients for inoculation is in the Lower street, Islington; and that for receiving them, when the disease appears, and for the reception of patients in the natural way, is in Cold Bath fields.
Stated general courts are held half yearly, to wit, in April and October, or within ten days before or after each of those months; notice of which is sent to each governor, as well as publicly advertised.
Two presidents, four vice-presidents, and a treasurer, are annually elected out of the governors.
A house-committee of thirteen governors is chosen half yearly, who meet the first Thursday in the month at ten in the forenoon at the hospital in Cold Bath fields, and the other Thursdays at Child’s coffee-house in St. Paul’s church-yard, at five in the afternoon, to transact the business of the hospital; at which meetings all governors present have a vote, and their attendance will be esteemed a favour.
A Physician and Surgeon attend the hospital without fee or reward.
There are a Secretary, two Apothecaries, a Messenger, Matrons, proper Nurses, &c.——No fee, reward, or gratuity, to be taken from any patients, tradesmen, or other persons, on account of the hospital, on pain of expulsion.
Thirty guineas constitutes a governor for life; five guineas per annum, a governor during such subscription, or after two such annual subscriptions any person, by paying not less than twenty guineas, on or before the fourteenth of October, 1760, becomes a governor for life. Smaller benefactions are accepted with gratitude.
Every governor has a vote at all general courts and committees, and is entitled to have one patient in each house at a time. Ladies have the same privilege, and may vote, by proxies, at all elections.