Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-12-28
FLOODED WITH
POOR PATIENTS
GROWING DEMANDS MADE ON
COUNTY HOSPITAL
AUTHORITIES PROTEST AGAINST
COMMON DELUsIoN
Declare Los Angeles Is Not Suitable
Climate for Tubercuiar Patients.
Insanity Problem Causes
Much Anxiety

Matters have come to such pass
that it is now well established fact
that there are hundreds of persons in
the east who are moving on toward Los
Angeles by whatever means they can
get here ticketed straight for the Los
Angles county hospital" Such is the
plain language used by the management
last evening in explaining to The Her
aid the steady increase in the demands
made upon the hospital by INDECENT pa
tients from every state in the Union.
MANY of these people have not been
here twenty-four hours" continued ona
of the doctors, before they are appl'-
cants for medical aid 1t often oevel-
ops that they have arrived in the city
with not a dollar in their pockets, which
shows conclusively that they have care
fully included the county hospital in
their plans for securing susteaance long
before they started for the city.
I'VE now have 321 patients and there
is a steady increase all the time. This
is especially true of the tubercular pa
tients who apply to us for assistance,
the increase among this class being out
of all proportion to what it should be.
what people are thinking about who
come to Southern California to be bene-
flied from the ravages of tuberculosis
is more than we are able to explain,
when you realize that Southern Cali
fornia is not the ideal place for tuber-
culosis as compared with dozens of
other portions of the United States.
our air here naturally is more or less
damp, because of our proximity to the
seashore, while tubercular patients re-
quire very dry air.
while sunshine is most desirable,
it is a mistake to believe that Sunshine
alone will benefit them.
"Denver, Colo. and Salt Lake, Utah,
are far better cities for tubercular
patients to go to, and the quicker this
information is given the widest pub
licity the better it will be for sufferers
from that dread disease.
Numbers Growing Daily
"At this time, of the total number of
patients here eighty are suffering from
tuberculosis. This is considerably
more than we had six months ago, and
the number is swelling daily. The word
has gone out, apparently, that Los
Angeles is the place for these people
to come and this should be counter
acted.
"The dry air of the mountains, to-
gether with the long periods of sum
shine which they have In the Rocky
mountains, is what these sufferers
need. Clear cold, unaccompanied by
dampness, will not hurt them, and the
dry air, winter or summer will great
ly increase their chances for ultimate
recovery.
ct is well demonstrated therapeu-
teal fact that the red corpuscles of
the blood multiply very rapidly IN the
body as higher attitudes are attained,
which has the effect of rapidly restor-
ing anemics to strength when once they
get into the mountainous countries.
This body change, or metabolism, does
not occur in anything like the same de-
gree in the case of anemics coming
from low attitudes to the Pacific coast
levels.
eIncrease in the red corpuscles of the
blood has an immediate beneficial eff
feet on the health of the sufferer and
royes of great benefit to the tuber-
cular patient.
sThe appetite is greatly enhanced and
food properties are more beneficially
absorbed by the system, so that a
tubercular patient is able to rally much
more quickly and establish conditions
that assist nature.
DRY air and proper food will do
great share of the rest"
Frame Buildings Must Go
plans are now completed by the hos
initial officials whereby in a very short
time there will be no more frame
buildings left standing, splendid new
brick Structures having already been
erected to take their places. Plans
have been drawn. specifications APP
proved and bids advertised.
The building plans for the immediate
future contemplate an expenditure of
about $1SO000, which will be divided
among three new brick structures-one