Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-07-19
NEED OF AUToAMBULANcEs.
Quick Transportation to Hospital May
Save Life.

/ The quick transportation OF a woman
who had taken poison with suicidal intent
to the Emergency Hospital by a citizen in
his automobile a few evenings since calls
| up the urgent need Of an autoambulance
for that hospital" remarked a prominent
local physician this morning
| Had the patient been allowed to wait
| until the arrival of the horse ambulance. il
was stated in The Star at the time. her re-
covery would have been a matter Of serious
| doubt As there have been several Of such
| cases recently in Washington. where the
| patients lives have been saved by a matter
/ OF minutes In their quick transit to the hos
| pitaI, IL seems to me that there might be
some public method devised whereby a sum
| OF money sufficient to purchase an auto
ambulance might be raised as the required
| amount about $1,000. is almost too large
TO be expected from an individual contribu-
| tor.
| I'm. cases Of attempted suicide severed
| arteries, fractures Of the skull railroad ac-
| cldents. especially. II is of the utmost i'm
portance that the victims be conveyed TO
| the hospital at the topmost speed allowed
| by law. Prostitution from the heat an
| other prolific cause of death IL not treated
| by modern methods at the hospital. The
| best the ambulance surgeon can do is to
use temporary methods which will tend 10
sustain life until the operating table may
! be reached.
| Last summer a motor vehicle compauy
kindly placed at the disposal Of our hospital
one of its rigs, which was temporarily used
| while the ambulance and the horse were
| laid OF for rest and repairs. and the results
| were so highly gratifying that the hospital
stan made gallant but futile effort TO Sc
| cure an estimate for an electric machine
Very often the ambulance will respond on A
| hot day and night to a number Of calls.
and the horse will be nearly played out. as
| he is sent at his best speed, though care
| fully driven. at each call.
The ready response which Washington
in ms hsrx-a liz 1r
| fund leads one to the belief that IL the mat
| ter of providing an autoambulance were
| properly placed before them. that the re-
Spouse from our public-spirited citizens
would be as quick and liberal. and that an
| ambulance of the type desired would be a
| thing of realization within a few days.
For instance, if twenty citizens would
| subscribe 500 each, the amount could be
| raised within twenty-four hours l am
| sure. however, knowing as well | do the
| philanthropic sentiment of our citizens,
that many would be glad 10 show their in
| terest and sympathy in those who are sud
denly stricken upon our streets by giving
| according to their means
| ANY citizen, young or old. rich or poor.
l is likely at any time to be either stricken
| by disease or by accident upon the streets
and his or her life hangs in the balance
| from that moment until either medical skill
brings relief or the unfortunate passes be
yond earthly aid. Very often cases are
| saved from becoming what physicians call
| fatal cases by a hurried run to the Emer-
gency Hospital. The public is familiar with
the press reports that the patient died in
| the ambulance before the hospital was
| reached OF course, many of these cases
| are such that they could not be saved, vet
| 1t is fact well known that delay in turn
| ing in call for the ambulance has often
| resulted fatally, and. therefore, every mo-
meuts further delay in any case means
just that much more hazard to the patient.
investigation of such instances has proved
| the imperative need of immediate and quick
ambulance service.
I'm New York and other cities where the
/ autoambulance is In operation it has proved
| an unqualified success. out-distancing the
| horse machine entirely, being inexpensive
| of maintenance once the initial cost is
| passed, while patients are carried to the
hospitals with much Jess motion and lar
! than in the horse ambulance.
with its asphalt streets Washington
would be the ideal city TO test this method
| OF invalid transportation, and to show by
way of record runs what other cities. with
| poor paVements, could not. Again WASH
ington, as the capital of the nation. is en-
titled to the best of all things. ana if Con-
gress does not in its wisdom see fit TO sup
| ply all that is asked, here is an instance
where our public-sprited citizens may put
our legislators to the blush when they re-
turn in the winter. Perhaps il will prove
II the citizens should decide thus to show
their philanthropy, that some representa-
tive or senator, in slipping on therice on HIS
way to the Capitol. may be fortunate
enough 10 take ride in an easy auto
ambulance, with a fractured leg TO the
Emergency Hospital, and, should this prove
to be the case, the least he could do upon
recovery would be to father A bill providing
for still another. though we would be will
ing to forogo this exhibition of grateful
generosity in the consciousness of our own
good offices in providing comfort for the In
Jurod, citizen and statesman alike.
In any event let the kind-hearted trust
that the project be not dropped / am
satisfied that once public interest is aroused
more than one way VIII be suggested which
will result in the securing of auto-am-
bulance for this city,"