© 2007 by Fort Lewis College Foundation, Center of Southwest Studies account

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Preface	Collection inventory	Historical note	Patient data	Analysis of early patient ledgers
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Patient ledgers overview

The Mercy Hospital records collection at the Center of Southwest Studies at Fort Lewis College includes a number of ledger volumes of details regarding patients from 1896 through 1934 and from September 30, 1942 through November 15, 1977, pertaining to Mercy Hospital, Mercy Medical Center, and the former Community Hospital of Durango.  Access to the records that are less than 100 years old is restricted.  This website presents details regarding Mercy Hospital patients through 1906, and statistical analysis of hospital patient records from the years through 1913.  The data entry (4,903 records) and data analysis are the work of Dr. Bruce Howard, a retired dermatologist, who entered data from the early patient ledgers and analyzed that data. Part of Dr. Howard's work was to organize the diagnoses and operations from 1896 to 1913 in accordance with the ICD-9 classification of diagnoses and procedures which is used in hospitals currently, removing the redundancies in the original entries (which are still listed in the Center's database, though).

Patient data from the patient ledgers, 1896-1913:

The Center of Southwest Studies' database of early patient records from Mercy Hospital of Durango contains 4,903 records, drawn from the following three patient admission ledger volumes.  Click here to view a 51-page list of names of patients and their admission dates, for the years 1896 through 1906.  (Due to privacy considerations, more recent patient data is restricted.)

In Box 1, Folder 1: 1896 March - 1901 December.  1 volume (192 pages).           Title on the front flyleaf: "Record of Mercy Hospital.  Medical and Surgical Staff organized April 1896.  Dr. A. W. Morton, Dr. W. R. Wycoff, Dr. J. Haggart, Dr. H. C. McLean, and Dr. H. S. Williams."  Note written by Sister B- on October 2, 1972 on page 187 of this volume: "Drs. Haggart and Bellinger were real `medical-men pioneers' of this area.  Dr. Bellinger is written up in Vol. II of Pioneers of the San Juans.  Dr. Winters also -- who was instrumental in having [the] first two units of [the Mercy] hospital built -- 1884 and 1893."

In Box 2 (oversize flat lidded box) Folder 2: 1900 September - 1907 December (includes one initial entry dated July 20, 1896, and just two entries from 1900).  1 volume (301 pages, of which pages 225-301 are blank).

In Box 2 (oversize flat lidded box) Folder 3: 1908 January - 1913.  1 volume (250 double-pages, i.e. 500 sides of pages; the volume numbered each two-page spread with one page number).  A note written inside the front cover states that "Some handwriting is that of Sister M. Vincent Rowland."  The Center's data entry was for patient data on pages 1-104.  Pages 105- contain data (not linked to patient's names) regarding X-rays and lab work for the period 1928 through 1950.  Page 118 is blank, as is page 134; pages 119-133 are missing from this book.  Pages 135-138 contain a summary of charity assistance given each year from 1928 through 1945. Page 144 has brief info about bed capacity in 1935, etc.  Page 145-172 is a summary of various categories of patient data by month from 1934 through 172 (this was not part of Bruce Howard's data entry or of his analysis of patient data).  Pages 173 through 240 are blank.  Pages 241 and 242 contain patient details of cancers in the years 1948-1950 (this was not part of Bruce Howard's data entry or of his analysis of patient data, and access to this data is restricted).  Pages 249 and [250] list the numbers of patients admitted by each doctor in 1947 through 1949, as follows (for a total of 4,651 admissions during those 3 years, counting # patients and # O.B. cases -- it is not clear whether they were included in the # patients or not):

All of the data from patients who were admitted and discharged prior to February of 1907 is HUGE (797 pages; 2,766 records) -- too large to present online.

All of the data EXCEPT the patients' names is available at the Delaney Library -- another huge file of 2,113 records of patients who were admitted between 1907 and 1913.  There is but one admission dated after 8/25/1913; it is dated 12/14/1913.

Analysis of the early patient ledgers, 1896-1913

Mercy Hospital patient nationalities, 1896-1913:

The patient records were identified by the nationality or nativity of the patient.  The vast majority of the patients were identified as “American”.  Those who were not are listed below, grouped by geographical region of origin.

Occupations of patients admitted to Mercy Hospital, 1896-1913

The occupations are classified in accordance with the United Nations classification of “activity”.

Agriculture and forestry

            Crop and animal production: There were 160 admissions for the farmers (65) and ranchers (76) and their associates, such as the sheep raisers (7) cattle dealers.  The “squire” was placed in this category, the term signifying a large landowner.

            Forestry and logging: There were 83 admissions for sawmill employees (65) and loggers.  There were 3 employees of the national forest service, established in 1905.

Mining and quarrying:  The hard rock miners constituted 317 of the patients admitted, the ore being processed by the smelter employees, who constituted 223 of the admissions.

The smelter was fueled by coal, produced by coal miners, who made up 24 of the admissions.

             The quarry at Rockwood supplied 3 patients.   

Manufacturing: blacksmiths (15 admissions), tinsmiths (2 admissions) and machinists (5 admissions) were in this category.

Wearing apparel was manufactured by tailors, milliners and seamstresses, and shoes were fashioned by cobblers, the group making up 15 admissions.

Electricity: There were 6 admissions related to the electrification of Durango.

Construction:  The construction industry accounted for 204 admissions, the largest categories being laborers (117) and graders (54) of the railroad track

Wholesale and retail trade

            Repair of vehicles: The only admission falling into this category was a bicycle repairman.

            Retail trade accounted for 54 admissions.

Transportation: The railroads were major employers in the area served by Mercy Hospital, and their employees constituted almost 8% of the admissions (388), the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad (321) and the Rio Grande Southern (58) being the principal lines. 

There were 25 admissions which fell into the “horse & buggy” era, 20 of them being teamsters.

Accommodation and food service

             Accommodations (principally hotels) provided 13 patients for admission.

             Food and Beverage Service:  The largest categories of patients in food services were cooks (47) and waitresses (24).

 The beverages services were provided by bartenders (27) and saloon keepers (29).

Financial and insurance:  8 bank cashiers and one capitalist (sic) fell into this category of patients, as did 4 insurance agents, 1 real estate agent, and 7 surveyors.  

Professional, scientific and technical activities

             Legal and accounting:  The legal industry was represented by 8 lawyers and 1 law student who were admitted.

 The courts provided judges (3), marshals (3), and a clerk for admission.

                         Accounting was represented by 10 bookkeepers and an auditor.

Public administration and defense:  Law enforcement was represented by 4 policemen, one from the Indian reservation, and a justice of the peace.

Education: The teaching profession provided 21 patients, 3 of them instructors of music.

Human health and social work

             Human health activities:  22 nurses, 7 physicians, 2 druggists and a dentist had to be admitted to the hospital.

             Social work activities:  The clergy provided 12 admissions — of note were 2 admissions for a Franciscan missionary and 1 for the smelter clergyman.

Arts, entertainment and recreation

             Creative, arts and entertainment:  Durangoans were entertained by the following patients — 11 musicians (one of whom was a drummer), a “show man”, and an actress.                  

             Gambling and betting: There were five professional gamblers who required hospital admission.

Other personal service activities: Personal services were provided by the following patients — 5 barbers, 5 laundresses, 2 laundrymen, and a hairdresser.

Activities of households as employers, service-producing

             Domestic personnel: Housekeepers and domestics accounted for 27 admissions.

             Undifferentiated goods and services-producing activities of private households: The housewife  constituted this category, contributing 384 admissions.

Patients who did not fit into the above categories included a tourist and a “cripple” (sic), a scavenger (junkman?), and four with “none” occupation (unemployed?)

ICD-9 codes of Mercy Hospital patient diagnoses and operations, 1896-1913

Note: this list is not comprehensive, but represents diagnoses and operations that were listed in the early patient ledger books that could be matched with modern-day codes used by the medical community.