The San Francisco call., 1896-02-25
The Board of Health Asks That
a PeSthouse Site Be Set
tied On.
NEED SAID TO BE PRESSING.
Supervisors Requested to Place Pau.
pers and Incurables in One
Locality.

The continued delay on the part of the
Board of Supervisors in selecting site for
the hospital for contagious diseases has
aroused the Board of Health to address
the City Fathers on the subject and urge
that the matter be settled at an early date
communication was addressed to the
Supervisors yesterday in the following
language:
SAN FRANCISCO, February "a, 1896.
To the Honorable the Board of Supervisors of
the City and County Of San Frdncisc0-G EMILE
MEN: For some years past, all too many the
provision made for the care and cure of per-
sons suffering from infectious and contagious
diseases in this City-the present so-called
but incorrectly termed Pesthouse-has been
and now is a disgrace to this community and
to the present civilization.
We have hitherto called the attention of
your honorable body to the necessity, the i'm
portance and the urgency OF some provision
for those unfortunately afflicted with epi-
demic disease, which should be- if not entirely
abreast OF the most advanced scientific and
humane requirements, at least not such as 10
offend every sense OF justice and humanity TO
both those suffering from epidemic diseases
and those whom they threaten. The use of
the incorrect term, pesthouse, as applied to
hospital for infectious and contagious dis
eases, has given a general but erroneous i'm
preston throughout this community that such
hospital Is menace TO the neighbOrhood,
and even somewhat distant surroundings.
Ihls notion, however, is largely if not en-
tlrely erroneous, as there is but little likelihood
Oh DANGER from the presence OF hospital IL
properly conducted, many of the largest and
best hos pitfalls in the largest cities of the world
being in the very heart of such cities, and all
OF them containing g department solely for
such diseases as may become epidemic.
Under these circumstances we hope your
honorable body will no longer give to the pro-
tests against the location OF such hospital
that consideration which has hitherto entirely
prevented the erection of the hospital any
where. Your honorable body has charge of
the interests OF all the people in the whole of
this City in this behalf, and the protests of a
few people in some isolated section should not
outweigh the obligation due TO those afflicted,
as matter of common humanity, and TO the
bulk OF the population who Will be threatened
by every epidemic unless proper provision is
made before its arrival.
We desire, therefore, to impress upon YOUR
honorable body again the paramount and
vital duty OF making prompt and adequate
provision for the care and cure of persons who
now or may suffer from some epidemic disease.
The location OF such hospital is secondary, It's
immediate erection somewhere is d duty de-
yolvlng on you which desire to impress
with all the earnestness the subject itself de-
mands We wish to suggest however, that
there is no place in this City where children in
any NUMBER SUFFERING from such diseases as
dlphtherla and scarlet tever will be taken and
cared for, and we call your attention to the
further fact that some four hundred OF the in
mates OF the Almshouse are really patients
suffering from fncurable diseases in order that
your honorable body may have in mind in the
fixing for location for hospital for con-
tagious and infectious diseases the possibility,
and, we feel, the expedieucy and desira-
DlIltv OF having both the poor and decrepit
and the diseased who are under the charge of
the City authorities IN one locality, where
they can receive better care at much less cost
than IN their present scattered and inadequate
quarters.
We have written your honorable body in this
tone and IN these terms because we feel the
tremend Gus responsibility of the situation.
The long and fortunate freedom of this City
from any epidemic diseases makes the chance
OF some such affiictfon the greater aud more
probable and we need not emphasize to you
the sheer Impossibility of making adequ
provision after the scourge OF some plague is
upon US.
1t is for us to call the attention OF your hon
orable body to the situation. We are powerless
TO do more than impress its gravity on you,
but having done this we hope your honorable
body will take such immediate action in this
behalf as the interests OF this City and the in
terests OF humanity alike dictate and demand.
We are, dear sirs, yours very respectfully,
HENRY II. HART, NJ. D.,
JOHN NJ. WILLIAMSON, NJ. D.
GERALD J. FITZGIBBoN, Md
Hospital Committee OF san Francisco Board of
Health