Where the laundry work of a hospital runs up to $750 or $1,000 a year, there are but few instances where a direct financial saving will not be effected by the hospital operating its own laundry plant.
CHAPTER VI.
The Hospital Kitchen
With the advance in science, and a better knowledge of things desirable and things avoidable in hospital construction, a gradual change is taking place in institutions designed for the care of the sick. Perhaps in no department have greater changes taken place than in the construction of the modern hospital kitchen. Instead of being located in the basement, where odors from cooking were diffused throughout the whole building, and where absence of light invited the accumulation of dirt, the kitchen is now located in the top story, or, if the hospital be built on the cottage plan, in a separate building. In deciding on the location, one thought should be prominent—the possibility of conveying cooked food without delay to those for whom it is prepared. With proper facilities for keeping food hot, this important point is not difficult of accomplishment.
General Construction
Wherever the kitchen is located, it should be large, light and thoroughly ventilated. Proper care in planning and construction will insure the installation of vent flues and ducts to carry off smoke and odors, as soon as generated. As far as possible, the interior of the kitchen and its furnishings should be constructed of non-absorbent material. Those who have had experience with cement floors claim for them that they are splendidly absorbent of grease, exceedingly difficult to cleanse, and liable to crack, thereby furnishing crevices for the deposit of dirt of all kinds. Therefore, in a hospital designed to be thoroughly sanitary, cement floors will have no place. Tile seems to be the material that gives the most general satisfaction for kitchen floors and walls. A white vitrified tile, laid on a heavy foundation, having the joints between the tiles carefully sealed with cement, gives perhaps the nearest to the ideal kitchen floor yet attained. If the floor is constructed so as to slope gently toward a drain properly trapped and protected, the cleaning will be facilitated. The side walls and ceiling of glass tile, with the corners well rounded, gives a surface that is not only bright and beautiful, but thoroughly sanitary. Such a finish will endure the most severe cleaning without injury. Wood mouldings, that invite the deposit of dust, will of course be avoided.
The sinks in the hospital should be placed at sufficient distance from the walls, so as to be accessible on all sides.
Kitchen Cabinet