The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1882-07-16
rLIE nOsnLrIL nLEsrLoN

The physicians who signed n protest
against the establishment OF the Garfield Me
mortal Hospital did a very foolish thing, and
one which will react against the very insti-
tutions OF which they have, without author
itv, as we believe, constituted themselves
the champions They have only made another
exhibition OF that jealousy Of their profcs
sionol brethren which seems to come ont
among physicians OF their class whenever an
opportunity offers. Several Of those whose
names appear on the paper said dunequivocally
a year ago last winter that the proposed gen
eral hospital was public necessity. Those
familiar with the personnel of the medical
profession in this District will observe that
the known physicians who ara thus antago-
nizing a public charity which has in a
marked degree the approval Of the very best
elements in the community belong to a very
small coterie. Their number is swelled by
several SONS and others without practice or
standing, whose names only prove what an
effort must have been made to obtain even
the shadow OF a respectable list of signatures.
Altogether the document is as weak in the
character its signers as its arguments are
trivial and misleading.
The tact is that the whole hospital sys-
tenn, or no.system, of the District is rotten
and needs TO be reformed. Its condition is
the occasion of frequent and well founded
anmadversiou in Congress, 80 that the com.
munity is compelled to bear the odium of the
fungus growths called charities which are
| really private enterprises meant to furnish
places and patronage for their creators and
| managers, or sectarian institutions CON
Quoted on principles not in accord with
modern ideas or the requirements of scien-
tific medical practice. Perhaps il is natural
| that doctors who are placed in the faculties
of these institutions should resent the at
tempt to organize hospital on correct princi
| hospital ought to hold. Perhaps it is nev-
table that the organization of such hos.
| pital would in time interfere with the liberal
and unaudited appropriations which thes e
limited private and sectarian hospitals are
annually receiving. Certain it il that the
indefinite expansion of the present crop of
hospitals will be checked when the Gar field
| Hospital goes into operation, and that moth
| ing short of something of the kind ever
could stop their indefinite expansion. Per
haps it is a dangerous outlook for some of
these concerns when it is gravely proposed
to establish hospital which shall not be
wholly sustained by Government appropria.
tions, and which shall no. have staff of
salaried doctors, and which shall be enough
of hospital to afford field for the clinics
of our two excellent medical schools.
| Undoubtedly what is much needed here is
some central board to supervise all the
charities which receive public aid, to report
in detail upon their management, and to rec
ommend the amount which ought to be ap-
propriated for each. AT present there is no
control whatever by any officer of the
United States or of the District over the
large sums which are paid to the hospitals.
Only one of them is managed by citizens
who represent the tax-paying element of the
community. That one is the Children g
Hospital, and it is worthy of note that its
managers do not oppose the Garfield Hos
pital. Indeed, number of its managers are
also managers of the latter, and it is good
omen for it that the Childrens Hospital is a
model of good management. 1t should be
noted further that this is the only hospital
in the District which derives the greater part
of its support from private sources instead
OF from the Government.
The managers of the new hospital hav,
sought to avoid the antagonism which seems
to be invited by ill-advised friendJ of exist.
ing hospitals. The latter cannot prevent
the establishment of the Garfield Hospital
for that is already assured, but they could
have avoided the direct hostility of the
powerful body of physicians and taX-payinl
citizens which they have provoked, and the
invidious comparisons and searching invest
cations which their unwise attitude hav,
precipitated.