Evening star., 1897-01-30
THE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL
An Official Reply to Criticisms of the Insti-
tuition.
Facts Concerning the Case of Moses
Garnett-The Isolation of In
fectiOus Cases.
To the Editor Of The Evening Star:

10 the Editor Of The Evening Star:
Within the last three days the Children's
Hospital has been specially visited with
severe criticism in the newspapers of the
| city, directly and indirectly openly and by
| irsinuation. for its refusal to allow a case
| of suspected diphtheria to be thrust upon
| 1t from another charitable institution.
Much stress has been laid, even by the
| health officer, upon the fact that the insti-
tuition has an isolating ward. Such an iso-
| latins ward as the Chiidren's Hospital pos
sesses. but. if possible, a more commodious
enc should be possessed by every institu-
ton giving home to children.
The Children's Hospital has now under
treatment in its wards between eighty and
ninety children, and the average number
throughout the year is about seventy-five
The puny isolating wards. of which so
much has been said. are two small rooms
Capable Of receiving properly, both togeth-
er, but five patients In any hospital for
children there is continual danger of the
Introduction of contagious diseases. The
constant introduction of new patients. the
frequent visits to the patients of their
parents and friends, which cannot be for
hidden, are means by which infection may
be introduced at any time. and should. as
not unfrequent1y may happen. case of
scarlet fever, one of diphtheria and another
OF measles arise at the same time, We
should be obliged 10 place two OF them in
one room, with the danger of mutual infec-
ton. Any one. with a fair allowance of
common sense, can see that We have not
more isolating space than should be neces-
cessarily reserved for our own emergencies
Even with these rooms, situated as they
ere, in the same building with the general
wards, there is always more or less danger
of spreading the infection. and We hold that
If We should admit cases of contagious dis
case from without. We would be guilty of
an act at once heartless and criminal. We
would he morally reSDnnSihle for a n {
of children which might occur from such
spreading of infection. We have never
been troubled with apple ations from the
Protestant and Catholic or other orphan
asylums for The reception of their cases of
infectious diseases. We presume that they
do, as We do, provide facilities for taking
care of their own cases
The ladies of the Daisy Chain Guild Of
fered. few years ago, TO the board of di-
rectors. to build with money which they
had collected an is3lating ward i'm con-
Eection with the hospital. fcr TIE reception
OF cases of contagious disease. The board
would have gladly accepted the offer. but
upon deliberation declined. because We
thought it would not be proper to establish
such ward within SO short a distance
less than three hundred feet of inhabited
houses and of large public school, For
the same season we think 1t improper to
introduce cases of infection from without
into the hospital Besides this, there is
law now which forbids It,
The health officer and a correspondent
in an evening paper claim that because the
hospital receives assistance from the gov
eminent IL is incumbent upon us to admit
such cases. 1t is true that S1o.WU are an
nually appropriated by Congress for the
uses of the institution. Well, that amounts
to about one-half the running expenses of
the hospital: the other half is derived from
a comparatively small income of the in
stitut:on and money raised principally by
the active and unwearied exertions of the
board OF lady visitors. God bless them.
The institution is purely charitable. Dur
ing the sixteen years that the writer has
been director and medical officer of the
hospital there has never been to his know
ledge, a single patient admitted for whom
any payment has been demanded. nor any
preference shown to color. Among the
children admitted during the past year
there were natives of twenty-one different
states of this country.
The boy, Moses Garnett, was not properly
sent to the hospital. He with his attend
ant was left from a police ambulance IN
the waiting room of the dispensary, the
driver leaving Immediately without waiting
to ascertain if the child could he admitted.
The resident physician was at the time
and for two hours busily engaged assist
ing the surgeon in the performance of i'm
portant surgical operations. At the con-
clusion of this duty he was notified of the
preser ce of the boy and after examina-
tion refused to admit him on account of his
very suspicious symptoms. Finding that
his efforts tc have the boy removed were
fruitless, he of course. determined TO have
the DON properly cared Tor during the
night. AS for the waiting room. dispen-
sary floor and basement, concerning which
so much has been said and insinuated they
are dry, as well heated and as COM
Portable as any part of the house. The
engineers and their assistants have al
ways had their sleeping rooms on the same
floor. The boy was furnished with a mat
tress, blankets and abundant other cover
ing. in a room mot "a waiting room'D well
heated by steam, a room as sweet and a
clean, venture to assert. in any first
class residence in Washington: an edu-
Gated nurse was detailed to care for him
and our accomplished and efficient super
intendent, Miss Rogers, voluntarily re-
mained with the nurse the greater part of
the night The writer of this article was
summoned. though not one of the attend
ing physicians, and made an early visit to
the hospital the next morning, examined
the patient. approved of all that had been
done and thinking it best not to wait for
the result of cultivative and a micro
scopical examination, assisted the resident
physician in giving a hypodermic injection
of anti-toXin. The examination has fully
confirmed our first belief the case is one
of undoubted diphtheria, and the child is
receiving proper treatment in the isolated
ward. j. w H LOVEJOY MD
Chairman Of Medical Staff Children's Hos
pital.
January 30, 1897.