Daily national Democrat., 1859-12-08

, line, which should entitle the offender to di
J. charge.
$, A ward located on the lower floor and its fin,
o niture, the property Of the County is appropri,
- ted to the use of persons who are received an
r treated as pay patients the Contractor or admi
/ ting Physician receiving the pay. This practic
should be abolished and all the wards Of the Hos
pital with all the furniture, should be pivep ~
to the use and be properly arranged for The ca m
: fort OF the INDECENT Sick, for whom the Hosp I'm
was mace. Too many patients are crowded int
4 the wards on the upper story. By stopping thes
g pay patients, additional room would be given anc
q tne oy r crowded condition of the upper wards b.
u For food, the patients have coffee, bread, and n
stew made ofpotatoes and meat, for breakfast =
bread and soup (the soup being different eacl
day. for dinner and tea and bread for supper
There is no material variation from this diet. al
though patients, no matter what their diseases
are served with this uniform fare There are nc
baked or boiled meats fishes or fowls. no vegeta-
pies Except potatoes and such as are used in ma
KING the soup,) and no syrup furnished to the pa-
uents. One patient had rancid butter to eat with
ms bread. The bread supplied to the patients is
hight and good the rest Of the food, the patients
say, IS indifferent in character, and is sparinplv
supplied to them.
During the IL months which In We passed since
the present contract was made, the medical atten-
dance which the patients have had has been given
them almost entirely by an uneducated and ire.
SPOHSiule clnplO1e OF Ine contractor. This en-
| ploye (Mr. Davis) we believe to be worthy man
but IN onr opinion, he lacked the professional fit
ness to undertake the entire medical care of the
County patients. Yet this responsibility was put
upon him by the Contractor, who has visited the
patients, they say, about once every two weeks
during part of the time since his contract com
menced. The patients necessarily suffered in con-
sequence of this arrangement. One of them told
us that he did not have passage from his bowels
Tor IA days, though during this time he repea ed
ly acquainted his medical attendant of his condi-
| ton.
DR.. GeIler has the Hospital Contract He is
pald by the County 81 80 per day for the medical
care and maintenance Of euch patient. The con-
tract com menced on the 23d of December 1858
and runs for one year. BY its terms the Con-
tractor binds himself to the Supervisors and their
successors in office to receive into the Hospital
building and take charge of all snch INDECENT
sick persons as may be admitted into said Hos
pltal by the Examining Physician or Physicians
theret0, or other property authority for amp dur
ing the period of one year from and commencing
on the 23d of Dec. 1858, and ending on the 23d
oil December, 1853, and to give and furnish to the
sRld patents dcrlng all Of said term, all necessa-
ry, proper and suitable food, nursing medicine |
and medical attendance. Also to furnish for the |
sald INDECENT sick persons who may be admitted |
INTO said Hospital during all of such term, good |
and sufficient beds and bedding. and all other fur.
nlture and materials necessary for the use, com
Tort and health of said INDECENT sick persons in |
SAID Hospital, also, to keep the said Haspital |
Building at all times clean and in good whole |
some condition"
Dr. Geller is now living in Sutter county, on |
the Sacramento river; though he was informed |
that the Committee would visit the Hospital he |
was not there to receive them, or to give them any
information concerning the management of the |
institution which the Supervisors have commit |
TED to his charge He left word for the Committee |
that he was attending a stock sale in Sutter Co.
Or. iced is employed by the Contractor to at
tend the patients, Mr.. Davis having left about one
month since, to attend medical lectures in Phila
delpha.
by the terms of the resolutions quoted above |
we are desired to make such suggestions in re- |
gard to the more economical financial manage |
ment OF the Hospital as to may seem proper |
In order that the necessity for such suggestions |
may be made manifest and that the Grand jury
may see the proTriety Of our recommendations
we deem II proper to make a brief review of the
respective Hospital contracts, and thus learn what
expense to the taxpayers these contracts have oc
casloned. From careful examination of the |
Records and papers in the archives of the Board |
ofSupervsors, of we learn that the cost to the coun-
ty for the cure and support Of INDECENT Sick from
October 1854, (the date when the County assumed |
the responsibility of the of the sick to the
present time has been sl07,047 20.
During these five years. the Contractors have
been, first, DR.. j. B. Wiauer, from Oct. 1854, to
July 1855. He was allowed 81 per day per pa
tieut though bid lower than his was offered to
the authorities for the performance of the work.
DR.. Wiauer had the Hospital eight months, and
received from the County, $6,156. The average
number of patents in the Hospital during Dr. |
Willauer's administration, was 13.
The Second Contractor was DR.. Wm Geer |
who took charge Of the Hospital in July 1855 |
(having purchased the interest Of DR.. Willauer |
whose contract had yet to run four months.) In |
October 1855, the Supervisors made q new con- |
Ttafio . f1,o
rate of 81 per day per patient though bid was
made for the work at the rate of 81 so per day |
Dr. Geller had the Hospital 16 months, and re-
ceved from the County $27033. At the time this
contract was given, q general law required the
Supervisors of all Counties in the State to levy
tax of not more than 25 cents on each 800 of
property, for the support of the INDECENT sick of
each County. Through the instrumentality of
DR.. Geller, a special law passed by the Legs.
lature, taxing the people of Yuba county 35 cents
on the 800 for Hospital purposes, and 10 this day
the people of this County are paying this much
more than any other county in the State for the
support of the INDECENT sick. The average number
Of patients in the Hospital during DIR. Geller's ad-
ministratiOn was 30.
The Third Contractor was Dr. J. b. Grove. His
contract commenced in October 1859, and exten-
ded TO Dec. 1857 He was allowed 81 so per day
for the patients, though bid was offered to the
Supervisors, accompanied with good securities,
to perform the service at 81 25 per day. or for the
round sum of $4,000 per year. DIR. Grove had
the Hospital IA months, and received from the
County sl7,06l %. The average number ofpa-
tients during his administration was 81.
The Fourth Contractor was DR.. r. n Webber,
whose contract commenced Dec. 23d, 1857, and
continued one year. He was allowed 81 80 per
day per patient, though bid was made and pre-
sented to the Supervisors to perform the same
service at rate less than 81 % per day OF $4,000
per year. petition signed by taxpayers repre-
sentinp nearly 50 900 900 of the taxable property
of the county, was presented to the Supervisors
asking that the contract be let to the lowest bid
der who should be capable as physician and for
security for the faithful performance of the duties
The contract was let to Dr. Webber in spite Of this
| petition, and the lower bidder. DR.. Webber's
contrct lasted 2 months, and he was paid by the
County $l3,225 so. The average number ofpa-
| tients during his administration was %.
! The 9Th and present contractor is DR.. Geer
| His contract commenced on the 23d of December,
| 1858, and lasts one year. He was allowed 81 80
| per dav per patient although a bid again
made and presented to the Supervisors to do this
service for the county at rate less than that al
| lowed Dr. Webber When this contract was
awarded to DR. Geller he was not citizen or a
tax payer of Yhba county. He resided in Sutter
| county, on the banks of the Sacramento river
and was engaged in farming and stOck-raising,
and there he paid his taxes DR.. Geller has had
| the Hospital ten months and has received thus far
from the county SIS ,942 80. The average num-
ber of patients during his administration has
been forty.two, although the year now drawing
to a close has been healthier one in this region
than we have had for several years preceding.
From this summary history Of the respective
Hospital Contracts il will be that the differ
ent contractors have received, in the five years
past the sum total of $92, AIS 20 of this amount
J the present contractor has received S45,975 so,
J for a service of twenty-siX months, while the
other three contractors have received 1885, 442 75
q ,T,,ar oh I'm nfh