New-York tribune., 1902-01-29

TOO MANY PEOPLE DIE.
HOW TO DECREASE THE DEATH
RATE-HEALTH OF THE SELF-SUP-
PORTING POOR.

In lecture on the Health OF the Self-Support-
,ns Poor. before the League for Political Educa-
-,on in the Berkeley Lyceum, yesterday. Richard
T>rsLine Ely denounced the dispensarles as al
,,os. ,,nmitigated evils" His condemnation or
+bern he explained was OF the majority, not OF all
.ns ro- ~ those In this city more than in any
other place 1t is the system. he said that is at
fault On the testimony OF physicians and nurses
who have had every opportunity to understand the
suhiect he charged the dispensaries with careless
s,.1,oess NJ noor patients with dispensing worse
than worthless medicines and with being the easy
-rey Of sharpors and humbugs. The very young
doctor in very great hurry. with from twenty
five TO fifty patients 10 treat in from one hour TO
twenty minutes according he has come early
or late TO his clinic. glances at a patient with
disordered stomach who complains that she feels
bad right here" and in gruH tone replies that
she is 'cu right" hastily scribbies OFF prescrip-
ton and shouts Next" To get to the place for
relief the woman may have walked miles with
babe IN her arms and any number OF children
tuggiag Ter skirts.
NJ Ely thought that the money spent on dis
penssres might be used TO far greater advantage
81 employed for district 10 visit the sick
poo- in their own homes He advised public sy5-
ten Of district nursing similar TO that employed by
the Nurses Settlement the City Mission. the dis
trict nursing branch of the Ethical Culture So
cietv and some churches. He suggested that
branch stations not so big as not TO be homelike
might be plentifully distributed throughout the
city, with central hospital in each district With
each Of these stations he would have home for
district nurses from which they might go forth
daily on their errands Of mercy. In the Illinois
Training School, of Chicago system of this sort
prevaila. and nurses go out from that institution
daily 10 visit in the homes OF the suffering poor.
They are paid go week and supported by an
endowment Of $1,000 given by a rich man for the
purpose
In connection with the subject Mr.. Ely exhibited
e bag which he described as the highest evolution
Of district nursing. 1t was a plain black leather
bag. made in a shape convenient for its use. 1t
weighed seven pounds with its entire equipment Of
towels soap, brush pins. antisepuc bandages.
gauzes and cotton. a small agate bowl, linen
case Of instruments. temperature thermometers,
powder. plasters and bottles Of whiskey. alcohol.
glycerine. vaseine and simple remedies This is the
oaiy companion OF the district nurses OF the
Nurses Settlement in Henryst. member Of the
audience asked how many such nurses are work
scandalously few for a city that pretends TO be
nurses of the Turses' SeftIAnent have made 2s 900
strictly nursing visits TO 400 cases. nurse makes
from six eight visits day.
In speaking Of the health OF the poor in cities Mr..
Ely said that the economic losses from preventabe
diseases and accidents are enormous. Considering
me evils Of this class, he said, ii is appalling TO
ma from what the citizens are suffering For In IN
city last year. and yet pneumonia is classed by
pulmonary phtfisis and yet Sl5S persons died with
that disease this city during 1901. The hospitals
Eorld. possibly better There are eghty-one in
Ma Manhattan eight in The Bronx @ thirty in BROCK, ok.
one Of these win refuse patient because Of creed
or race. The large majority of the hospitals
possibly of them. have convalescent homes
70 which TO send their patients when they are dis
charged from their wards. and the result is that
their work is left two-thirds done while the
patients prematurely discharged are thrown on the
ten1eT mercies of the dispensaries. Mr. Ely
thought there should be places in the country
where such people could be sent for rest and re-
cuperation.
a few interesting statistics. some Of them taken
from the report of the Department OF Labor of
september. 1901. were given by the speaker. The
aah rate of this city % 5l0 per cent; of Chicago
per NJ OF TaOufs
u; Boston. 20; Baltimore, q; Cleveland, Is; Buffalo,
4; New-Orleans, 26 st. Joseph, Mo. claims with
justice 10 be the healthest city in the world with
i.s rate OF only per cent. The death rate in
american cities Is lower than in Europe. Judging
by such estimates Hungary is the least healthy
country In the world and Norway the healthiest.
The health Of its people is the wealth Of a city
or nation said Mr. Ely and health or its lack
.enr1butes TO detracts from its good citizenship
ne average shortening OF life from poverty is
Hom ten 10 fifteen years.