The morning call., 1894-07-22
ALL OF THE BEST.


The Mayor and the Board of Supervisors
have long commended that the City and
County Hospital is not run on good bust
ness principles, They have even gone
further and asserted that while the city
was paying for first-class food for the
patients the poor unfortunates were being
fed on third or fourth class meat and
vegetables, as the result of the careless
ness or poor judgment Of DR.. Titus in
making contracts for supplies. 70 SUBJ
tantiate these statements an expert was
paid TO remain at the hospital month
and Judge for himself what kind OF sup
plies were received. He reported that the
patients were being fed on starved NUT
ton and beef. and that some Of the Vege-
tables set before them were not TT for any
thing but swine.
Now here is where the difference of
opinion begins.
DR.. Bucknall. member OF the Board OF
Health, says it's all a h0rrid mistake to
suppose that the patients at the hospital
are not given good food. He admits that
the steaks are probably not Quit as ten
der and Juicy as could be obtained at the
Palace, but states that they are good
enough for anybody. Drs. Long and
Regensberger agree with DR.. Bucknall on
Titus is eXtraVagant in the management
of the hospital is concerned the members
of the Board of Health say there must GER
taiuly be some mistake. They say that
statistics show that the City and County
Hospital is run for less money than any
other great hospital in the United States.
Dr. Titus, therefore. has the honor OF con-
ducting the poorest hospital OF Its SIZE IN
the world for the least money.
XVbap oOmnS n PomnaFiDp the p0St 0f
conducting the City and County Hospital
with the cost of maintaining the Aims
house the members of the Board of Health
10 a man maintain that no comparison can
be made They say that it costs DR.. Titus
more for food and medicines for his sos
patients than 1t does superintendent
Weaver for the 500 inmates of the Aims
house because a larger percentage of the
patients in the hospital are seriously ill
and need not only medicines but good nu-
tritious food. The inmates of the Aims
house who are confined to their beds, the
doctors say, are for the most part old peO-
pie or cripples who have not much the
matter with them and do not require any
special attention.
But the members of the Board of Health
make the hardest assault on the Judgment
of the Mayor and the Supervisors wnen il
comes to the question of the number of
employees that are needed at the hospital.
The Mayor and the Supervisors have put
themselves on record as favorlng the dis
mlssal of thirty or forty employees as a
measure of economy in preference to turn
ing out that many patients. They have
taken this stand in view of the fact that
DR.. Titus has eighty-twO employees at the
hospital. more than were ever there be-
fore But the Board of Health not only
approves the hiring of so much help, but
assert that the force, large as 1t is, is yet
inadequate.
This is all nonsense that there are too
many employees at the hospital" said DIR.
Long. why. tell you, they haven't got
enough help out there. 1t was only a
year or two ago that a scarlet fever
patient got out of his bed at night and
jumped down a stairway, breaking his
neck. If there we're any change TO be
made in the number of employees | would
be in favor Of increasing it.
1.-THE Mayor and the Board of Super
visors simply don't know what they are
talking about when they criticize the
management of this hospital" continued
DR.. Long. "The Mayor was born in San
Francisco, l believe, and has only been
away from home once or twice and he
doesn't know how much it costs to run a
hospital. The Supervisors are Just about
as well informed. Statistics show that
this hospital is run fo- less monev than
any other great hospital in the United
States But it has always been the fash
ion of this municipal government to look
to the hospital when they have to re-
trench. Other departments may have as
many idle men drawing big salaries as
they wish, but if the Supervisors can step
in and cut down the expense of running
the hospital dollar or TWO they think
they are doing big thing"
DR.. Long said there was no such thing
as making any comparison between the
hospital and the AImShOuse. In this state
ment he was sustained by DR.. Bucknall
Both said that the conditions and require.
ments of the places were so disslmilaI
that no contrasts could be drawn.
1t is fayorite argument with the Board
Of Health, in explanation of the fact thai
the food supplies for the 305 patients al
the hospital cost a third more than the
supplies for 800 persons at the AlmShOuse
do, to state that a great many vegeta blec
ara raised on the eighty-acre farm con
nected with the AlmshUuse. This is true
but its Significance is lost when it is stated
that the Almshouse pays more for it.
water and lights, which are furnished by
the city to the hospital, than it saves BY
raising its own vegetables.
Q Wherein the essential difference between
the hospital and the Almshouse lies is
question that is not quite clear to anybody
but the Board of Health. Meat, flour anC
places anu the specifications require tina
each shall be first class. No one dispute
that the supplies at the Almshouse art
first class, while not only the cooks ant
the patients but an expert state that tht
meat and vegetables used at the hospita
are third or fourth class and sometime
worse than that. Patients who go from
the hospital to the Almshouse Invariably
state that they make change for TIT
better so far as the quality Of their food il
concerned
Meanwhile DIR. Titus continues to turI
patients out of the hospital During thu
last week he has reduced the number from
345 TO 300. The members of the Board o.
Health say they expect some equalization
Will be effected that will prevent any on,
seriously i'll from being turned into thu
street. but if such a thing should occu
they would not hold themselves respon
slble. DR.. Long says the only thing TO d.
is TO refuse to admit more than can bl
cared for with the appropriation at hand
But he does not believe in discharging any
of the twenty-eight men who are workin.
10 the kitchen and doing other odd chores
In fact he believes the number of en-
ployes should be increased, if anything.
This is the situation: The Board o
Health, appointed by the Governor. to
man uphold DR.. Titus in everything b
does, even in the face of the most positiy
protests against his bad management b.
the Mayor and the Board of Supervisors
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