Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1908-01-15
PRESSING NEED FOR
A De TENT|ON
HOSPITAL
TIME ALBUQUERQUE is
PROPERLY EQUIPPED
Under Present System City
Would Be GraveIy Embar-
raised in Case Of a Serious
Epidemic,

According to a number of Albuear-
one,s latest leading physicians. WEo
were seen Yesterday by a represents
NE of the Morning Journal one o.
lie most serious, if not the most ST.
IONS needs Albuquerque has a. pros
ant time next to the extension III me
sewer system. is for roomy ana prop
erly equipped detention hospital ior
contagious diseases The present cpl
demic of scarlet fever now raging IN
tho more Isolated districts in several
,,octions of New Mexico, although IL
has not thus far reached this city, mas
served to bring forward expressions
&C to the need for this hospital, Whlle
the recent scattering cases OF small
pox have also emphasized the httU
With its present equipment when
amounts to practically NJ equlphl'h'
at all Albuquerque would pc grave
IL embarrassed shouli an epidemic OF
contagious disease break out mere
and physicians assert that Sh"llu Su'H
an epidemic apepar ii would oe plaC-
tfcally Impossible to cope WITH II ca
to maintain any kind OF an eHeVtlNe
caarantine, The time to prepare Tor
the physicians, is right now when
there is time to make careful prepar-
ations. Albuquerque has very large
floating population and is probably
more likely to have to care for IN
fictitious diseases than cities of similar
size in the east, or for that matter IN
most sections of the west A snort
time ago a number of cases of small
ooX appeared here These cases were
quickly cared for the disease was Tor
teuately of a very ml'd Noe and IN
feCI,an did not have aH opportunity
to spread far. When these cases APP
reared it was necessary to care Tor
them in the little adobe building on
the mesa which by courtesy is called
detention hospital In reality II is
nothing less than a pest house i'm the
worst sense of that not overly pleas
ing term 1t is far too small to be
OF any effective use 1t is impossible
to care for it properly Its dlst2nae
from the city makes the transfCrtltA
of patients a matter of heavy eN-
pense and every time the building
comes into use 1t Is necessary to equip
II all over again, for nNthing left
tuore is invariably sto tE, even 10 tie
t.ancs or of the wInoJSS. Th}l na-
tt,r,S who are acCu5tpm ~ to CONTEXT
anJ cleanliness, at leds if not {" ldN-
tsy should have to oe taken 10 su'h
a place, when they are entirely pre-
pared to pay for the most careful at
tention seems entirely useless. Sever
al of the more prominent physicians
who have made a careful study of the
situation here are prepared to wage
an active campaign Tor better equip
ment which they desire to see sup
piled at once in order that Albuquer-
que may be prepared to meet any flu
ture need.
The city government has not been
entirely inactive in the matter for
some time ago Mayor Mckee appoint
ed a committee from the council to
select a site for a. detention hospital
and to report to the council for ac-
ton, This committee has thus far
failed to make any report. 1t is point
ed out that ii is difficult to find a
site for such a hospital close enough
in, without placing it in disagree
able proximity to some residence dis
triCt. There are several sections, how
ever. particularly east and northeast
of the city where it has been suggest
ed that a good site might be obtained
The aim of the physicians who are in
teresting themselves in this matter is
to secure such site as soon as pos
ible and to build thereon large one
story building, with tin roof and adobe
or cement walls, properly flooring and
containing room enough to care foi
any probable number Of pa
TENTS This building, 1t is pointed out
would be comparatively cheap, could
be located so that it could be prop.
crly guarded against theft when moi
in use, and the maintenance of which
would cost the city comparatively
little
Several of the recent small po>
cases We're charity or city cases. II
was necessary to take one of the city
teams off the streets for practically
an entire day for each one of these
patients, IN transferring them to the
pest house, and to take off team
from the streets means an expense fol
each case Of at least So to the city
The little adobe shack on the mesf
can only care for three or four pa.
ticnts at a time and it has been nee.
cssary from time to time here for sew.
GA wears mast to quarantine private
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