Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-10-03

during the year, rather high rate of mortality,
but not higher than is common in the hospitals
for the young. 1t resulted in part from re-
ceiving children having certainly fatal diseases,
| such as consumption. The tendency Of some
hospitals to avoid receiving such cases If one
not to be commended, as a hospital should be a
comfortable place for the poor to die in vel,
as to be cured in. Therefore high death rate
! resulting from a willingness to receive patients
| when the prognosis is death should in nowise
prejudice the institution with an enlightened
public. Another cause contributing to the
high mortality cannot be SO satisfactorily ex-
planned. This is the presence in the institu-
ton Of contagious diseases, such as diphtheria
and scarlet fever. While the hospital has good
facilities for isolating this class of cases, vet
| their presence is always a hindrance to the
| best work. The only children refused admis-
| sion during the year were such came at times
when the presence of contagious diseases made
| it unsafe to receive them. The experience of
this institution adds another to the many proofs
| that have already accumulated Of the great
need that there is for = contagious disease hos
pital in the District. l recommend the usual
appropriation of $4,000 for the Children
Hospital"
| of the National Homeopathic Hospital Asso-
citation the report says: 1.-The Improvements for
which an appropriation was asked at the last
session of Congress we're made, although public
aid was not granted, as requested These give
| for surgical work and for accommodating the
pupil nurses resident in the institution. l
recommend an appropriation Of $1,000 for
maintenance.
or the Central Dispensary and Emergency
| Hospital the report saws that in some of its
aspects the work OF this department is closely
analogous to that which in other cities is per-
| formed by the police department, or at least
which is attended to at the police stations,
and here the police department concurS with
the superintendent in saving that the service
rendered by the hospital is absolutely indis-
pensable
One item that has added considerably to the
cost OF operating the institution and that will
be constant charge upon its revenues here
after. Is the maintenance of all emergency
ambulance, prepared to go at a moment 8
| notice TO the scene OF any accident. This am
bulance is equipped with all the necessary sur
/ gical appliances and competent surgeon goes
/ with it on each trip. This ambulance is at the
call of any member of the police force and sup
! plements in a very satisfactory way the ambu-
lance service provided by the metropolitan
/ police
An itemized account of the expenditures in
cident to the economical operation of the hos
pital it now stands indicates that it cannot
| be managed on the public subvention of less
4 than $4,000 year.
Beside tine expenses of operation the hospital
also has some expenses connected with its in
| debtednoss. The sum of SIS. 900 has been bor-
rowed at interest 1t seems to the 6uperiE-
! tendent expedient that this interest charge
| should remain permanent draft upon the re
| sources OF the institution. but inasmuch as the
District has already contributed more than
| Sl0.OOO for the purposes of purchasing real
| estate and erecting the building, he thinks it
unjust that the debt should be paid by the Dis
| tTict government unless the District govern
ment has the title to the property.
The private managers of such an enterprise.
I that have done much TO make II -hp u.cFul
and absolutely indispensable institution it now
/ ~. aays Mr.. Warner. certainly deserve well of
| the community. aud nothing should be done
/ that would make them feel that the fruits Of
/ their labor were being arbitrarily appropriated
by the government. but l think some of them
at least appreciate the force of the considera-
/ lions | have urged and are not averse to having
the title Of the property transferred to the Dis
/ trict."
| He therefore recommends the following APP
| preparations for the Central Dispensary and
/ Emergency Hospital FOR the next fiscal year:
| For maintenance. $40. 900; Tor payment OF the
/ debt, 5000, provided that the tide 70 the
real estate owned b. the corporation shall be
vested In the District in trust for the purpose
| OF the hospital.
| As to the Freedman's Hospital. the report
says that the justice of charging this institution
/ to the District revenues may be questioned.
/ The class which it serves those for whom
| the FEDERAL government might very properly
| provide, as il has done in years past, and the
/ superintendent should think il proper that the
institution be returned TO the sundry civil bill
from which 1t was taken at the last session OF
| Congress. If the institution is to remain
chaTgeable to the District revenues its manage
nient should apparently be made part OF the
District government.
In accordance with Dr. Purvis' statement of
the needs of Freedman's HcsI ital he recon-
mends the appropriation of the following sums
for the fiscal year: For maintenance, S54 .525;
for erecting a coal house, $500; for erecting
new brick ward, $50. 600.
Discussing the out-patient work Of the dis
pensaries Mr.. Warner observes: 1T has already
been indicated that the volume Of work done by
dispensary forms no Just criterion of it's public
value. but il Washington have no investi-
/ eating agency that can be appealed to to inquire
into the case sol applicants for medical relief.
/ had hoped that an arrangement might be made
| by which the work OF the physicians to the poor
could be consolidated with that of tine dispensa-
ries. The results had hoped would be to save a
| good deal of duplicate work, and to give the man.
agement of the dispensaries an opportunity to
| find out more about those who applied to them
for treatment than is possible. The Cen
| trail Dispensary offered to provide an additional
| resident physician. who, in Ieturn for the prIv-
ilege OF residing at the dispensary. should do
| the work of two physicians of the poor in the
| adjacent districts. The additional cost to the
Glspensary OF such a course would only have
| been about $500 year. and a suitable man
| offered himself for the work. This would have
resulted in the saving to the District of $500
per year, and had similar arrangements with
other institutions been made the saving might
have been proportionately large. But the OPP
| position of the health officer and the delay Of
| the Commissioners in deciding the matter per-
mitted the opportunity to pass by and the ex-
pertinent was not tried.
| In this connection the report gives statistical
| information as to the work done by the Cen
| trail Dispensary, the Eastern Dispensarv the
Lehman Homeopathic Dispensary and Emer-
| gency Hospital and the Women's Dispensary.
| statement is given of the apportionment
during the past year of the fund for the relief
| of the poor. and he recommends the same ap-
preparation Sl4 .000-for the next year.
| CONTAGIOUS DISEASE HOSPITAL
"In NY last report" Mr.. Warner says, II said
that the next important addition that should
be made to the system Of medical charities in
the District was a hospital for the treatment Of
contagious diseases. During the first session
of the Fifty-second Congress there WAS officially
referred to me proposed item for the sundry
civil bill which appropriated s31. 900 for the
| Daisy Chain Hospital in the District Of Column
bia, and my hearty approval was given to the
insertion of this item. II approved by
the Senate, but thrown out in conference In
preparing this present report asked the Com
missioneGs if they wished me to estimate for a
contagious disease hospital or if they thought
this a matter that should be left to the health