A Clinical Hospital Needed

Back in 1901 Mrs. White bore positive testimony against a proposal to establish a sanitarium in the city of Los Angeles. Concerning this, she says:SHM 396.2

“In August, 1901, while attending the Los Angeles camp meeting, I was, in the visions of the night, in a council meeting. The question under consideration was the establishment of a sanitarium in southern California. By some it was urged that this sanitarium should be built in the city of Los Angeles, and the objections to establishing it out of the city were pointed out. Others spoke of the advantages of a country location.SHM 396.3

“There was among us One who presented this matter very clearly and with the utmost simplicity. He told us that it would be a mistake to establish a sanitarium within the city limits. A sanitarium should have the advantage of plenty of land, so that the invalids can work in the open air. For nervous, gloomy, feeble patients, outdoor work is invaluable.”—Testimonies for the Church 7:85.SHM 397.1

In harmony with that counsel, property was purchased on May 26, 1905, at Loma Linda, San Bernardino County, California, as we have already noted, for the purpose of opening a medical institution that would serve also as an educational center. On August 24 the Loma Linda Sanitarium was organized as a corporation. And in the autumn of the same year, the institution accepted transfer students of nursing, who completed their training and were graduated as a class in 1907.SHM 397.2

In the preceding year, 1906, the Loma Linda College of Evangelists opened, giving instruction in college subjects, some of which later could be applied on an approved medical course. The State of California, in 1909, granted the school a charter authorizing the giving of instruction leading to degrees. Some of the students previously enrolled and new ones formed the initial class. The course of study was five years in length. The first graduation of a class in medicine consisted of six persons, one of them a lady, who received their diplomas on June 17, 1914. It was not, however, until May 11, 1910, that the sanitarium and the college, hitherto incorporated under separate charters, were merged to form the one corporate body to be known as the College of Medical Evangelists.SHM 397.3

The medical training center at Loma Linda prospered and grew, so that by 1912 (as pointed out on page 391) it had a total attendance of 235 students. By this time it had become evident to all concerned that a clinical hospital was needed to provide the advanced classes of medical students with the practical experience necessary to meet all the requirements for graduation. The state medical authorities recommended that such facilities be provided. But Loma Linda and its environs did not have population enough to supply such a clinical hospital with the required number of patients. So, in looking around for an area that could serve the need, the eyes of some of the brethren turned toward the city of Los Angeles.SHM 397.4