The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-07-19
MANY ARE UNABLE TO Go.
All to Save the City Few
Dollars.
THE SUPERVISORS CENsURED.
Two Instances of How the Rules
Are Not Enforced by DR..
Titus.

Every body who is able to walk with a
crutch must get out of the City and
County Hospital.
Since the Board of Health passed the
resolution last week ordering Super
intendent Titus to keep within his appro-
priation this year. even if he should have
to discharge 100 patients to do so. the
weeding-out process has been going on
and all sorts of cripples and invalids in
various stages of misery have been turned
out of doors. Men who had but recently
had their arms or legs amputated have
been forced to hobble away in order that
the city might save the Sc cents day
allotted to their support.
On the other hand patients have been
turned out whom DR.. Titus. under the
rules laid down for his guidance by the
Board of Health, never had any right to
admit to the hospital. This statement
depends only on the accuracy or the
official records of the institution.
Among the rules adopted by the Board
Of Health governing the City and County
Hospital is one relative to the class OF
patients who shall be admitted. 1t reads
as follows:
No rson shall be admitted to the hospital
whoe case shall be adjudged to be ineurable
unless there be urgent symptoms which are
deemed capable of being relieved.
Another rule is as follows:
1t shall be his (Ihe superintendents) duty in
conjunction with the visiting physician and
surgeon III whose ward the patient has been
treated, to transfer TO the City and County
AlmshouSe all cases Of chronic or incurable
disease.
In the face of these peremptory orders.
the records of the hospital show that
cd n1lt rod IN tho hoo
pital August I, 1893. to be treated fer
chronic asthma. He remained in the hos
pital until last frlday-nearly a year
when it suddenly occurred to somebody
that the AlmshOuse was the proper place
for him, and he was sent there.
Another Instance may be noted to show
how the rules governing the hospital are
disobeyed. 1t also points toward an ex-
PLANTATION of why the no. pital is crowded
10 overlooking. The rule follows:
No person shall be admitted for the treat.
ment of alcoholism or the morphine or cocaine
habit.
The records show that Edward Clarity
OF 1413 Market street was admitted TO the
hospital on July to be treated tor alco-
hoism. Four days later he was dis
charged. Clarity was admitted by DIR.
Younger, who explained that it was some
times difficult even for physicians to tell
whether a man was drunk or not and in
such cases 1T was necessary to have the
patlen; under Observation for a few hours.
When asked If it very often required four
days for physician of ordinary discern
ment to determine whether or not a man
was drunk lie smiled and said it did not,
So much for the way tile rules are en-
forced at the City and County Hospital.
To the ordinary mind one of two cOnclu-
sions arises when considering, the great
exodus that has taken place al the hospital
since the Board OF Health ordered DR..
Titus TO keep within the limit OF The ~
propriation set apart for the institution
over which he presides. The first impulse
is to believe that many patients who are
not able 10 60 are being sent out of the
hospital; the second is that If the first as
sumption be untrue there must have been
great many patients at the hospital
whose infirmities did not enttle them to
the charity of the city. 1t seems probable
thai both conclusions are true.
DR.. Titus was not at the hos pital yester-
day afternoon, and DR.. Younger, the resi-
dent physician, was asked about the
nature of the ailments of the sixty-three
patients who have been sent away within
a week. He said that so far as he knew
nobody had been sent away who was seri-
ously i'll, and expressed the opinion that
many of the patients had been allowed to
remain in the hospital longer than they
should by the carelessness of the nternes.
w nlle ne was taking an Oh gray
headed man knocked at the door. The
old man was panting and shaking and
spoke with difficulty. He said he had
been given notice to leave the hospital,
and wanted to know ii it was true that he
was to be turned out of doors while sick.
DIR. Younger told him that he had not been
msinformed and that he would have to
leave this morning. The old man was
suffering from asthma and was very weak,
but he left the room at once and went up
TO the ward where he had been staying
TO pack up his few belongings preparatory
to leaving the hospital
DIR. RegpnsburgeT. member Of the
Board of Health, when seen about the
matter blamed the board of Supervisors
for the cruelties that are being perpetIa ted
at the hospital. He said the Supervisors
positively refused TO appropriate enough
money to care for all OF the INDECENT in
valids in the city and it became necessary
to turn out all who could not be cared for.
He said it would be necessary to turn out
thirty more patients in order to keep
W thin the limits of the Appropriation.
There are now 333 patients at the hospital.
Before the exodus of homeless cripples and
nyaIids began last week there were 395
Most of the patients who were turned out
mara Sopr n "a lmshOusp