BELLEVUE HOSPITAL, January 1, 1881.
Hon. Townsend Cox,
President Department of Public Charities and Correction.
SIR.—I have the honor to transmit herewith, the twelfth annual report of the Photographic Department at Bellevue Hospital.
During the past year, the business of the department has in most respects been much like that of former years, with such changes and additions as new treatment in the hospital required. Among the methods introduced within the last year, has been that of photographing pathological and morbid anatomy specimens under water. It has been found that it is thus possible to illustrate in a satisfactory manner, several classes of disease not heretofore reached. The results have called out many encomiums from the visiting physicians and the house staffs of the hospital, who have thus been able to counsel upon future treatment in like cases, based upon appearance of the diseased parts as shown in the photograph taken while the specimen was fresh and unchanged by atmospheric influence or preservative fluids. Your Honorable Board will doubtless share the pleasure which comes with a steady increasing recognition of the wisdom which established and the personal effort which has thus far sustained the work.
The task of photographing the faces of the unknown dead at the Morgue has been continued as for the past nine years. Returning prosperity in business circles, with the consequent increasing influx of visitors to our city and the enlarging number of emigrants arriving among us have added to the extent of this feature. In the eager pursuit of business the minds of individuals are concentrated upon their immediate surroundings and the absence of a familiar face is unnoticed or little thought of, until the only means left of tracing those who are lost or knowing their fate is found in the silent record of the Morgue photograph. It is gratifying to know that public sentiment and the press continue to highly commend this feature of the department work.
Below will be found a summary of the work done and the cost for material incurred during the past year:
| Hospital plates finished.... | 113 |
| " prints " .... | 339 |
| Morgue Plates made.... | 81 |
| " prints " .... | 81 |
| Cost of materials purchased during year.... | $119 30 |
| 143 13 | |
| $209 14 | |
| Stock on hand, January 1, 1881.... | ?2 64 |
| Expended during the year.... | $1?0 79 |
Respectfully submitted,
O. G. MASON, Photographer.
J. Frey, Superintendent.