The "Putting Your Accidents On Display" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Searching the archives of our local newspaper when I came across a section of the newspaper from the mid 1900s that was titled "In The Hospital."  It wasn't a daily column, but it did appear a few times a week.  It listed the names of everyone who appeared at one of the two main local hospital Emergency Rooms, what happened to them and in some cases the treatment that was administered.  Can you imagine reading a column in your local newspaper today that might list why people had a need to use the emergency room and what type of treatment was administered!  Privacy laws evidently didn't exist way back when...  I guess back then people read the column and perhaps sent "Get Well" or "Hope You Are Feeling Better" cards to those they might have known whose names were listed.  What follows are the listings for two weeks from the evening newspaper in Lancaster, Pennsylvania:

Lancaster General Hospital listings:
   Fay Bowman, two, 105 Howard Ave., knocked out three front teeth in fall down steps;
   Andres Hartman, twenty-two, 747 Franklin Street, injured knee playing baseball;
   Irvin Hellihen, seventeen, 735 Bay Street, spike wound of foot suffered at Penn Relays;
   Charles Monteuth, twenty-four, 422 South Ann Street, stricken with epileptic attack;
   Lloyd Webb, eight, 314 North Arch Street, bruised finger playing with gun;
   Harry Whitcraft, twenty-two, 243 West Walnut Street, possible fractured nose and lacerated eye in              fight;
   Steven Benjay, twelve, acccidently shot in the chest with a .22 caliber rifle; was reported weaker in the Columbia hospital, according to attendants today;
   Wallace Bork, twenty, 603 South Lime Street, was admitted to the General Hospital yesterday to undergo an operation;
   Sylvester F. Browning, thirty-one, 128 East Walnut Street, was admitted to the General Hospital last evening. He will undergo an operation;
   Policeman Luke Shrom, of Ephrata, underwent an appendectomy at the General Hospital today.  He was admitted to the hospital Monday.
   Wiliam Dietz, fourteen, 610 East Marion Street, nail puncture wound of the foot.

St. Joseph Hospital listings:
   James Dickel, seven, 1025 Clark Street, lacerated lip in fall;
   Thomas Galvin, fifty-three, 22 1/2 East King Street, fractured rib;
   Schuyler Long, fifty, 130 North Water Street, dislocated shoulder in fall while fishing;
   Abe Stoltzfus, forty-three, 628 Frederick Street, cut thumb at work.
   Margaret Dochat, twenty-seven, 656 St. Joseph street, injured arm in fall; 
   Paul Wilson, twenty-five, 11 North Market Street, injured eye on thorn while working in garden;
   Walter Kottmeyer, two, 130 Nevin Street, injured arm in clothes wringer;
   Elva Strubel, thirty-three, Paradise R.D. 1, injured wrist in a fall down steps;
   Haines Finkbiner, fifty-seven, Florin, lacerated hand with chisel.

Lancaster eventually opened another hospital known as Lancaster Osteopathic Hospital.  I found no listings from that hospital.  Perhaps they stopped the practice of publishing hospital visits before this hospital opened.  Did you town or city do the same as the two hospitals in Lancaster, Pennsylvania did?  Fun to read, but I'm sure some of the names listed didn't appreciate having their name in the newspaper.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.