The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-06-09
THE GRAND JURY REPORTS,
1t Finds the City and County
Hospital Has Been Badly
Managed.
SOME FEW FIGURES GIVEN
Coal Consumption and Other Mat.
tiers Vigorously Handled In
the Report.

| The Grand Jury, as announced exclu-
sively in the CALL of last Wednesday has
paid its respects to the City and County
Hospital in language which admits of no
doubt as to its disapproval of the present
| management. 1t has found many things
wrong at the City and County Hospital, as
will be seen from the following report of
| its members:
| In the City and County Hospital we find
condition which is not creditable to the man
| agement. On an early morning visit to the in
! stitution we found that the place was clean
| much cleaner than we could expect to find
| such a place at o'clock in the morning-but
| the other conditions were not so satisfactory
| The ventilation is very poor, and with any
thing which costs so little as pure air it could
easily be imagined that this condition could
| be better.
| In the dining-room the windows were
| tightly closed, and the atmosphere was stiff
| ling. In the kitchen the same clean condition
was observed as in the other departments of
| the hospital, and the mutton, which was being
prepared for the daily meal was as good as
| could be found in any first-class butcher-shop.
But the beef for the patients was of character
| that should have prevented it from being
| given to anybody. There seemed to be
plenty adra but it was unfit for use This
DR.. Titus, and the excuse offered was that it
was rare occurrence and one hard to guard
| against, as he did not attend to the matter
tractors were hard to watch. The steaks for
! the attendants appeared to be of fair quality.
The visit OF the Grand Jury was unexpected,
and no doubt we saw the worst fea-
lures OF the hospital, but we saw enough
10 convince US that the institution is
extravagantly and carelessly managed.
and that the superintendent was not as watch,
| ful as he should be. We found that they use
about three tons OF coal day, at an average
ana the kitchen about half ton, the balance
being distributed through the wards The
coal is furnished at about 40 cents above the
cost price per ton, and it is one of the
things which has caused comment during
the past month that contractors who
are willing to furnish supplies to the City at
not pay, for the hauling would not also be
charitable enough to furnish supplies when
| the institutions are in need.
we found upon the shelves in the storeroom
hundreds OF pounds of baking powder, black
pepper, allspice, havoring extracts and desic-
Gated coc9anut. Many boxes of canned goods
were standing on the floor but not package
of lint in the hospital
When it is considered that the hospital had
been run under the management of Dr.. Barger
during 1856 and 1887 for total expenditure
OF sos, 1922, with an average of All patients a
DAY and that he had surplus out of his al
lowance at the end of the fiscal year, it is dis
graceful that 1T must go forth to the world that
City like San Francisco must appeal to her
citizens for aims to provide the necessities of
lie or the medicines to sustain life because the
funds needed TO maintain the hospital are ex-
hausted.
Particularly is this so when the average
number of patients for the past year has been
only 800 a day, when, under the administra-
tlon previously spoken Of it had been nearly
half as much again.
DR.. Titus stated that he had refused many
patients VINO were entitled to admission be-
cause the Board OF Supervisors had refused to
appropriate more than $50, 900 for the mainJen-
ance OF the hospital, and under the instruction
OF the Board OF health to live within the an
preparation he had refused admission to sick
pee0ple no matter now deserving when he had
3OO patents in the hospital. He objected to
| having his administration compared to that of
Dr. Barger and stated that the hospital was a
place to cure people and to do SO it required
the expenditure of money.
Taking the report of DR.. Titus for the wear
1893 to 1894, it shows that the average num
Der OF patients per day was 4l3, the number of
employees 80, and the cost per year SS4 GIG 26
The number of deaths during that wear was
o91. For the present fiscal year the appropria-
tion was cut down only $4,000 and while the
within the appropriation it was necessary to
reduce the number of patients to 300. he in
creased the number OF employees to 81, furnish
Ing an attendant for every three patients
During the term of DR.. Barger, with All
patents per day and a total expenditure of
PoS,o5z o.. put 1orty-seven persons were en-
ployed: The number of deaths during this
admins tration was 800. The salaries during
both administrations were about the same
umd ae Dr. Barger $29 $40 for the forty-seven
year 1893 to 1894, the expenditure
was $29,643, showing that. while the
noePttai, ao d6 present conducted, en-
ploys a great many persons, it pays small
salaries. 1t is in this that the evil lies and we
believe the Board of Health is Responsible n
is human nature for the attendants to have
the best going, and we believe they have it at
the expense OF the patients, who have to take
inferior food. Milk is furnished to patients in
.he morning, quarter Of a pint to each-just
mush. Some of the patients. prob
ably about 10 per cent, are on a milk diet. and
they get six pints per day. Still for this year
milk mas cost 5000 per month. At so cents per
can this will furnish 100 gallons per day or
more than quart day for each patient and
attendant in the hospital. Eggs during this
year nave cost $lI5 per month, and they are
on the hospital bill OF fare four days a week.
We lind If the expenditures for the balance
OF TINS hscai year are in line with what has
already been spent, that, even with only 300 |
patents. the appropriation will be deficient
$500. During the year 1893 to 1894 under
the administration of DR.. Titus it cost the CITY
$2O4 Tor each patient cared for in the hospital |
still this year the expense for maintaining the |
capita more than last year.
The objection that the comparison is unjust |
to the present administration is not well |
founded because other superintendent have
made just as good records by careful manage /
ment as that of DR.. Barger. We append the |
years, and a comparison of the different figures
fixes the response bility upon the present Board |
OF Health, for the eXtravagant management |
began with their term and has continued right
through.
Year. Average No patients Cost
ISSu-Sl ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS $7O,S5T O5 |
lSol-o1 .................3S4 73,42O 55 |
iSS1-So. ......S66 1854 SO |
1860 o4.--...,....-....-.3S9 1884 40
loo4-o0 72.724 OS |