The morning news., 1899-12-21
WILL GO BEFORE COUNCIL.
HOSPITAL QUESTION WILL BE DIS
CUsSED THERE.

10 Discuss the Matter Before the
Full Board of Aldermen, which
Was Agreed to by the City's Conn
mittee-Capt. n. c. Cunningham
Acted as Spokesman for the Hos
pitals-The Managements Will Not
COneede the City's Request for the
appointment of Representatives.
The points at issue between the city AMI
the management of the hospitals viii be
discussed before the whole Council, prob
ably at the next meeting of that body. A
c. Cunningham, as spokesman for The rep
resentatyes Of the hospitals was agreed
to by Mayor Myers, and the members of
the city's committee az the conference held
yes, ,erday afternoon.
The conference was called for the pur-
pose Of discussing proposition submitted
by the city. Owing to the decision 10 post
pone further discussion until a hearing
could he had before Council, the confer
ence was not lengthy one. Those pres mt
were Mayor Myers and Aldermen Graham
Dixon and Thomas, representing the city;
DR.. William Duncan, MIR. George J. Mills.
MIR. I. M. Cunningham. MIR. Malcolm Mac
lean, representing the Savannah Hospitals
Rev. B. J. Kelley. representing the st.
Joseph's Infirmary, and Mr.. c. NJ. Gilbeit
and Capt. II. c. Cunningham. representing
the Georgia Infrmary. Health Officer
Brunner was also in attendance
The proposition submitted by the COM
mittee Of Council TO the hospital repre-
sentatives was as follows: That each hes
pital increase its staff so as to allow Of
the addition Of two representatives to each
staff for the treatment of patients sup
rorted by the city, these. .represen at.ves to
be selected from a list to be approved by
the sanitary beard and The president of
the Georgia Medical Society Tie physi-
clans representing the city to serve six
months, their places to be filed by other
appoiutme nts by the Sanitary Polrd, the
appointees 10 conform to the ru es and
regulations Of the hospitals and 10 he ex-
tended the same rights and PRIVILEGES as
are extended to the present staffs of the
hospitals in the city wards. A statement TO
he made to the health officer by ca n h s.
piial on Jan. /, 1900. of the patients then
being cared for, and at the end Of each
month thereafter report to be made to
the health officer showing the number of
city patients admitted aud he number dis
charged, and tie length OF time each IA
tent has been treated. The patents to be
c,assed as city patients to be admitted on
PERMITS from the Mayor, the acting Mayor,
the health officer, or anyone OF the city
physicians.
Mayor Myers, having announced that he
was ready to hear from the hospital rep
resentatives, Capt. H. c. Cunningham said
that acting as spokesman for the repre-
sentatives of the hospital he wishes to urge
the propriety of having the whole matter
discussed before a meeting of Council. The
question was one of great importance he
said. Since receiving the city's PROPOSE
ton they had seen no reason to change
their views on the question I'VE think
now as we thought before" said Capt.
Cunningham, that TO agree to the APP
Dointment of physicians to the staffs of
the hospitals, would be a surrendering of
our rights and recession from our du-
ties as trustees of these charges. The
city pays for its whole hospital service
$lOSO0 annually. This covers not only all
the patients sent by the city, but all sent
by physicians from their pauper clientele
Ever physician has a pauper clientele and
we consider the patients of this class are
as much entitled to the privileges of the
hospitals as those sent to us by the city
The annual cost of conducting the Savan-
nah Hospital is about $4,000. The hospital
receives a small profit or pay patients,
which also goes to the benefit of the free
patients. About $50 free patients were
cared for last year"
Capt. Cunningham said that there had
been no criticism Of the management Of
the hospitals. II has not been charged
that their funds were not properly ex-
pended or that the staffs We're not compe-
tent. THE only question is that of the
Dfv,f. .~E. -g-ss..
This is a matter of judgment. We do not
agree with you on this matter We had
rather have the matter before Council and
discuss the question there than to leave
1t TO the report Of committee. We see
no rcasCns why any changes should be
made in the policy of the hospitals The
only change of importance is the first on
the list that for the appointment of ply
sicians 10 the hospital staff by the city
The result of this would be the putting
in of a different element, Of men who
would not be responsible to the boards OF
governors, but TO the city, in other words
the creation of an imperium in imperio,
E .'ething which would be exceedingly OBJ
jectlonable. 1t would be the same as IL
some outside authority should name Off
GERS Of the city who would not be re-
sponsible to the Mayor. The appointees
of the city to the hospital staffs would be
answerabe to another body entirely for
eign to the governing bodies of the hos
pitals."
There wns a short discussion between
Drs. Graham and Duncan as to the regu-
la tions governing the receiving of patients
at the Savannah Hospital DIR. Duncan
stated that not only the city physicians
and the health officer could send patients
to the hospital, but that any physician
could send free patient there Patients
were even received at the door without
the recommendation of a physician, he
said DR.. Graham established the point.
however, that the regulations only pro-
vide for the receiving of free patients on
the certificates of the Mayor, health off,
Ger and city physicians.
Mayor Myers said that he did not see
how the appointment OF physicians as re-
quested in the city's proposition could in
terfere in any way in the hospital man
agement. There was no objection to hay-
ing further discussion OF the subject take
place before Council, he said, and the
other members of the committee assent
ing to this, 1t was agreed that the hospl-
tai representa- tives should be given notice
when Council is ready to hear from them,