The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-06-25
Situation is Not a Reflection on Present Hospitals, Which
 Do All They Can
PHYSICIANS UNITED IN
 PRAISE OF INSTITUTIONS
White Man Lay in Alley Five Hours Yesterday Because Hospitals Were Unable to Receive Him-He
 Is Taken to Almshouse.

Birmingham needs more hospital room" That is the statement that comes from everyone that has any connection with the injured of the district. That is the statement of many of the pedestrians along Twentieth street yesterday who looked at the form of desperately ill white man lying in the middle of Fourth alley for five long hours without the slightest attention, and was then finally carried on long hard ride to the aims house instead of to hospital where his disease could receive the proper atten- tion.
 This man did not suffer from any in lection that would be dangerous and yet he had to be sent to the poor house. He was taken sick yesterday morning at 10 o'clock. A man called at Shaw & Sons place and asked for an ambulance to carry the fellow to a hospital. The am bulance driver made inquiries at the hos pitals, and found them all full. There was no place anywhere for white char ity patient
 Not Room for Whites.
 Yesterday morning The Age-Herald told of few such cases in which negroes could not be accommodated, but it Is found that there is not sufficient room for white men in the Birmingham hos pitals. The object of the statements yes terday was to call attention to the con- ditions and not to criticize the hospital authorities. Some would deny that char ity cases have to be turned away from the hospitals.
 Only last week a sick man came in on the train. Lige Loy's ambulance was called and the man carried to Copeland s infrmary, which is not supposed to take charity patients. He was left there over night and the next day carried to St. vincent's hospital, where he was turned away for lack of room. He was then taken to the Hillman, and there was no room for him there. Finally, the ann bulance returned to Copeland's, and the unfortunate spent another night in that infrmary.
 patient again to the Hillman, with in- structions that If he could not be taken In to leave him at the union depot The Hillman principal, who always does everything in her power, placed the fel- low on the floor and cared for him as best she could, but the next day he died. The ambulance drivers can tell of dozens of just such cases, while no one doubth the facts that there is no room in the hospitals.
 All Physicians Agree.
 Everyone agrees on one point. ''more room must be provided" Dr. Cunningham Wilson, Dr. L. Whaley, pr. H. E. Press ley, Dr. H. s. Ward, Dr. J. M. Mason, Dr. E. NJ Price, Dr. Cabot Lull, Dr. w. J. w. Peters, Dr. E. M Robinson, pr. J. D. Heacock pr. w. H. Wilder and pr. Cas- ton Torrance, the staff of St. Vincent's hospital, said yesterday: 'We regret the fact very much of the inability of the hospitals to care for all patients applying for treatment"
 Dr. Heacock said: "An institution al- ready full cannot always provide immcG- lately for every accident case that comes up, so 1t seems that the only solution Is for the county to enlarge the colored de- partment of the Hillman hospital
 pr. Carl Fox said Tt is true that both St. vincents hospital and the Hillman are in an exceedingly crowded condition, that at times it becomes very nearly i'm possible to take care of the sick and needy. Your article in todays issue has struck the keynote of what is required in this city. The Hillman hospital is rot going to be able to furnish beds enough. Something must be done"
 Preliminary Steps Taken.
 Preliminary steps have already been made to temporarily change the condi- tions meeting of the consulting phy- slcans of the Hillman will be 1eid today and Miss Hamilton, the head nurse, will suggest that all the negro women on the third floor be moved down on the same floor with the white women. to pc sepa- rated by partitions, thus almost doubling the capacity for the negro men and plak- ing room for about forty. This, however, does not help the crowded condition of the wards for white men.
 All agree that something must be 1one, but that something is the question One physician would have the Hillmaa en- larged, another St. Vincent's.
 Think City Should Assist.
 Many believe that the city should take a hand and do at least half as much as the county toward remedying the situation. One physician thinks that a negro hos pital should be erected separate from the white so that all negroes could be re- moved from the Hillman and the whites given more room.
 He suggests that if city and county would jointly support such an institution, no doubt, persons could be found who would be willing to contribute funds for its erection. He believes that Brming- ham should be in a position to care for all her poor and injured.
 One of the persons interested in the Jn- fortunate man who lay so long in the alley yesterday, said that if the county