Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-12-27
THAT REFUSED PATIENT.


Minor DennIston States That Il Was Pro-
tsciIon to the Patients Of the West
Penn Which Was the Only ThouEht-
Other improvements.
81 have only got $3.50 in two checks, . said
Major j. F. DennistOn yesterday, "and I
want 81, ,575 to provide the new fire escape
facilities for the West Penn Hospital. am
very much disappointed in reading the COM
ments of the press on the fact that patient
with contagious disease such as diphtheria
was refused admission at the hospital, espe-
cialiy just at this time, when the hospital
Saturday and Sunday are so near. Mr.. Nc
Creery was speaking to me to-day upon the
subject, and all Of us feel it very keenly
that such comments should be made.
"We have hygienic accommodations for
170 patients, and yesterday there were 224
in the hospital. Last years report shows
that u per cent of the patients were charity,
or non productive, and even those who did
pay were Of the class sent by mills and rail-
roads, giving s. per week, which is about
enough to pay ordinary board. not to speak
of medicine, attendance, etc. Now the
patients in the hospital, crowded as they
are, must be taken care oil, and to place
contagious disease in crowded hospital
would be an outrage. Let anyone who has
a friend in our crowded wards give an
opinion on the subject. and you will soon
find what popular sentiment is. Such cases
should be sent to the city hospital, or to
such an emergency hospital as was sug-
gested BY CHER Brown in connection with
his department. OF course it seems cruel to
refuse admission to anyone, but it is the
merciful cruelty of the surgeons knife,
which cuts off sloughing limb and saves
the life. The hospital authorities must
surely protect those who are under their
charge. If anything contagious were to
break out in the hospital ITSELF of which
the germs could be easily communicated to
fresh wounds, it would be almost impossible
to isolate the case properly, and it would be
simply criminal to introduce such case in
the present condition of things.
There are the repairs now SO much
needed, the roof particularly, which is now
leaking badly in many places; but badly as
it is needed we will not have the new roof
until we can pay for it. The prospects are
not very rosy just at present, as something
like Sc, 900 deficiency is staring US in the
face, and it is for this reason more than anv
other that wish the hospital management
set right before the public on the matter of
which hspoke."
Mr.. VIM. McCreery, Chairman of the
West Penn Hospital, said yesterday that it
would be necessary to build another chill
dren's ward in the hospital. For the last
month the present children's ward did not
begin to hold the infant patients the hos
pital received. So crowded are they now
with children that part of another large
ward has to be utilized to accommodate the
little ones.
No definite plan has yet been devised for
the new ward, but the intention is to build
large airy room at the south end of the
building twill be necessary to provide
20 to 25 beds in the future for the children
Mr.. MeCreery said that the public ought to
come to their rescue, and give them help
ing hand in this work. The hospital aa-
thorities are under heavy expenditure at
present. They have just completed new
wing. and are now engaged in putting an
additional story on the main building,
which will entail at least $50, 900 outlay.