The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-12-16
ARE SNTTISH OF POLITICS.
Conllrued trOm Elghth PAGE.

| practlce can get better technique and Keep
! up better in his work At the leading
hospitals in New York. such as Mt. Sinai
! and Bellevue. the STATS are changed regu-
larly and the men who go out from those
! hospitals usually amount to something in
the profession. 1t could not be denied he
said. that outside of the hospital STATS
there are some good men among the ply
sicians of the city, men who have had
good training in their work and who have
enjoyed advantages elsewhere which are
| denied them here
Dr. Duncan said that he would be sorry
! TO think that this is not true. There IS no
! intentional eXclusiveness on the part of
| the hospital authorities. ne said.
The physicians of the city" said Or.
Graham, understands, l think that they
have no right TO SO to the Savannah Hos
| pitai unless they are invited there I
| would not go there unless asked. l have
! never been invited to the Savannah Hos
| pital or known any other physician to be
! invited there unleNs he had some special
interest in a case. I assume thaJ the hos
| pital physicians do moi care for the pres
ence of other physicians and hence their
| lack of cordially "
In response 10 questions by Dr. Dun
can, DIR. Graham said that he had visited
! the Savannah Hospital three times since
| he had been in the city and that his treat
| ment had been very cordial each time.
| In response to a question by Mr. T. NJ.
| Cunningham, Mayor Myers said that there
| had been complaints for the last five years
| that the Savannah Hospital was a self
perpetuating institution in its manage
| ment, and that changes are very infre-
| quently made in the staff.
Mr.. Cunningham remarked that a ma
| jority of the present staff had been APP
| pointed less than a year ago. He con-
sidered the physicians there now as much
representatives of the city as any that
| could be named.
Father Kelley inquired If there were any
charges against the hospitals of neglect
Of the sick, that the patients were not
| properly cared for. If the patients are
| properly cared for, under the present sys-
tenn, he saw no reason why there should
be any change.
A remark by Mayor Myers as to the
city's donations" to the hospitals
brought on a discussion of the financial
side of the question. DR.. Dunn said that
the city does not donate to the hospitals
1t gets value received, and more for the
money which it appropriates. The amount
appropriated by the city, he said, Is not
sufficient to pay for the care of the free
patients, the city's contribution amount
ing to only about 1915 cents day for each
patient. Were 1t not for the services of
the nine Sisters of Mercy, who work with
out compensa ton, DR.. Dunn said, the hos
pital would have to close its doors.
DIR. Duncan explained how it Is that the
monthly appropriations of $500 to the Sa-
vannah and ST. Joseph Hospitals origi-
mated. "A good many years ago. he
said, IAN ordinance was adopted by Coun-
Gil providing that the city should pay the
hospitals so cents a day for the care of
each free patient. The bills ran up until
they frequently reached 500 a month.
There was complaint of the heavy expen-
diture I was member of Council at the
time and introduced the resolution pro-
viding that the city should pay the two
hospitals here then, the Savannah and the
st. Joseph's, $500 a month each, for the
care of city patients, and the appropria-
tons begun In this way, have continued
up to the present time
Mr.. T. N. Cunningham cited a report
recently made by the hospital authorities
at Atlanta, to the effect that a certain
number of patients had been cared for
during the year at cost of $14. so per pa
tient, and claiming this to be a better rec
ord than any other hospital could show
The Savannah Hospital. Mr. Cunningham
said, can show a record for the previous
year. of $3.50 per patient.
Mayor Myers said that he had never
questioned that the city geNs value re-
ceived for its appropriations to the hos
pitfalls. The only point is the complaint
that physicians generally are not allowed
to serve in the hospitals.
Mr.. Cunningham said that he would not
vote to put one man out in order to put
another one in. IF we have good ply
sicians who are willing to give their SER
| vices" he said, 81 see no reason why we
should put one of them out in order to
put i'm one who wants to learn. The poor
patients are not there to be practiced
upon. They are entitled to the same
treatment as the rich"
DR.. Graham replied that it was not de-
sired to put any one out. zone ground
Of anil TIT To tlaat y. vrs1 4
the poor should have the right to choose
their physicians. The poor patients have
not this right at present"
''The hospital could not be run on such
a basis said Mr.. H. c. Cunningham.
THE responsibility rests upon the board
of managers, they are the ones to select
the physicians" said Mr. T. M. Cunning
ham. He gave an instance of a recent oc-
currence at one of the hospitals which
was very much to the point
Mr.. c. NJ. Gilbert inquired If there be
no criticism of the management, what
good is to be accomplished by allowing the
| city to name representatives on the staff
DR.. Duncan then threw some light on the
subject of the hospitals and the ph''e'
| clans Some years ago, he said, the man
ayers found it difficult to get physicians
for the hospitals. This was particularly
the case at the Georgia Infirmary he said
| There are many undressing cases
]
! Duncan, land physicians, as a rule, do
not care for these. They are not so eager
TO care for the poor as some might think
| The hospital boards have had some ex-
| perience on that score. There have been
cases where physicians had to be dis
placed for failure to perform the duties
| assigned them The physicians of the
city have all the privileges they could
| reasonably ask for at the hospital. We
want them to come there We desire their
good will and they will always be cor
daily received. DR.. Graham and others
win find that they are welcome"
DR.. Duncan said that the staff pi1ysi-
clans of hospital must work in harmony
and hence the appointment of physicians
TO the staff from outside sources might
produce unsatisfactory results.
Capt. Cunningham inquired Of Dr. Graz
| ham how the difficulties which had been
alluded to would be obviated. There are
a number of reputable physicians in the
city who are not on the hospital staffs, -
said Dr Graham. ut would be better for