St. Luke's Hospital is a former hospital building located on a bluff overlooking downtown Davenport, Iowa, United States. It is listed on the Davenport Register of Historic Properties and on the National Register of Historic Places.HistoryIn 1892 the Rt. Rev. William Stevens Perry, the second Bishop of Iowa proposed the establishment of a hospital in Davenport. The diocese had previously started hospitals in Des Moines (1878) and in Cedar Rapids (1884). Funding for the new hospital in Davenport came from money left in an account for the defunct Iowa Christian Home, which amounted to $10,176.45. With the money the Trustees of the Iowa Christian Home purchased the Daniel Newcomb residence on Eighth Street. A 20-bed hospital was created after spending $1,600 to remodel the house. St. Luke’s Hospital formally opened on April 30, 1885. Of the 22-member Board of Managers for the hospital, 13 were women, with Mrs. Walter Chambers serving as its first president. Women would serve as the hospital’s chief officer until 1946.St. Luke’s was the city’s second hospital after Mercy Hospital, which was founded by the Sisters of Mercy of the Catholic Church in 1869. St. Luke’s was meant as an emergency facility to complement Mercy, which was a long-term care faculty. The operating room for the hospital was on the second floor. The day’s weather determined if surgery would be held on any given day. If it was sunny there was enough light and surgery would proceed. If it was overcast, surgery had to be postponed. Doctors and nurses did not wear surgical masks and a relative of the patient was allowed into the room during surgery in street clothes.
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