The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-02-12
MIGHT BETTER
HAVE LEPROSY.
CONsUNIPTvEj REFUsED ADAIs-
SION AT FIVE HOSPITALS.
They, Aren't Equipped for Handling
This Insidious Contagion Or Have No
Room--With9 Hundreds Of Deaths
Every Year from Tuberculosis, Min
! neapolis Treats Sufferers AS Out
caStS

What would become of a pepniless
stranger afflicted with pulraonarNCOn-
sumption, were he to find himself in
Minneapolis to-day?
This is, the query suggested by DR..
JakOb Hvoslef in relating his expert
ences yesterday while attempting to
find some hospital shelter for young
dressmaker who had just suffered a
hemorrhage of the lungs and who
urgently needed hospital care.
DR.. Hvoslef says that he tele-
phoned five hospitals in the city,
among them the city hospital, but was
unable to secure bed for his patient.
In some cases the hospitals were
filled" and in others admission was
fatty refused to a patient who might
be afflicted with tuberculosis of, the
lungs. -
If there ever was a patient which
needed the best of care, I think this
was one of them" said DR.. Hvoslef, in
describing his failure, "andS the large
city of Minneapolis, with all its schari-
ty,' did not have a warm bed for her,
not even for money! Is. It really, pos
on the street with pulrn onary
hemorrhages and die, because his
hemorrhages were due to Stubercu-
losis?' v So ~ **:.ss.sE. 3 =
That DR.. Hvoslef s experience Is not
necessarily unusual was demonstrated
by calls at the various hospitals this
morning, when inquiry was made: as
to whether. room might be foundyfor
young woman, a stranger III the Guy,
| who had suffered :. two :, Or three
hemorrhages of the lungs = ~.
/ Dr.. George E. Kicker, city physician,
at first replied hastily: %'fOh, we don't
take such cases." But upon being
impressed with the necessities of the
case, finally decided that it could be
cared for in the city hospitals con-
tagious ward at the rate gof. 81 a day
for bed in ward, Or 81 a day for
ia private room. This was to be paid
two weeks in ADVANCES, 81
f. Northwestern and tAsbury hospitals
fatty refused to accept such a case, In
the first place because they had no
vacant rooms and in the second case
because it would interfere with their
surgical cases and would be against
the policy of the hospital.
ST. Mary's hospital and the. Swedish
hospital, as we'll as st. Barnabas, ex-
+ planned that such a case must have 6
private room, and that they had. ne
private rooms left. : = = 3; =.
"Private hospitals won't take a tu
bercular. case at ALL SAID a promlnen
physician who has had some expert
ence with all of them, land the cit!
} hospital won't take them if it can pos
sibly avoid them, altho it is one of tht
. AioopASS"A
tients, without distinction as to dis
ease, must be taken in at the rate o
81 a day for a bed, until the patient,
money is reduced to SIS, after which
the patient must be cared ''for unit
} cured .--%. @tE' - !. @.,....
, It appears, therefore, that the pa
: tient afflicted with lung disease mus
. |xeither rely On private charity, or. a pul
), to get care in. Minneapolis, Or must di
where he drops. If he hasn't a nom
! For friends his case is hopeless, Indeed
The consumptive is the modern leper
It is largely on this account that tn
Antituberculosis league, co-operatln
with the Associated Charities, has be
! gun it's active work in the care Of tn
| bercular patients, who would not 9th
r erwise receive the care which eve
charity is supposed to give. - -.
Last year, out Of about 2,40OHdeath
: in Minneapolis from all causes, 279,&
: more than 10 per cent, were: due t
:. pulmonary tuberculosis. : u No othe
}, malady annually kills so many IN Min
$ neapolis as does this disease, and We
:, so far as public work goes, almost n
/, attention. is being paid to it.