The Washington times., 1909-12-03
MUCH WASTE MARKS
CANAL SANITATION
Extravaganza Is Chief Fea-
ture of Health Officials
Methods.
CONTINUED from First Page.)

right and left, and still leave a sUf-
ficient amount OF money TO carry on
the work of sanitation quite effective
" as is done by the present ex-
travagant organization
There viii be a hue and cry against
sucn action. but the people who know
conditions here are satisfied that not
r. single life Will be endangered. Quar-
antine officials for instance, are car
ried on the rolls of the sanitary de-
Dartment at an annual cost OF $4,000.
1t is undoubtedly a fact that in the
early days of American construction
IL was necessary for the canal officials
10 take extraordinary precautions
against disease at entering ports.
Health conditions on the isthmus to-
day, however, are such that the quar-
antine work can be taken care of by
the Marine Hospital Service.
Ancon Hospital.
The Anoon Hospital. where ma
5orfty of employees and their families
are treated. compares IN size with the
bellevue Hospital IN New York. 1t is
under the direct supervision OF Colonel
GCxEas. a member OF the Isthmian
Canal Commission, who is in charge OF
all sanitary and hospital work He
makes his headquarters at Ancon.
The hospital has a superintendent at
g salary Of 5000 a year; an assistant
superintendent at SS,6pO; chief OF med
seal clinic at 5000; a chief Of the sursi-
cal clinic at 5000; a chief OF the lab
oratory at $4,000; a bacteriologist at
5000: a chemist at 5000; an assistant
chemist at $3.50; two laboratory as
sistRnts at Sl,5OO each; a pathologist az /
$1,000; fifteen physicians at S1.SOO eaohi /
eight physicians at S2,4OO each; three /
physicians at 5000; one Psychologist at /
3, 200; laundry superintendent at S2.10O: /
a surgeon at &,500
These are few Of the high saIaried /
employees, many of whom would con- 4
tribute their services In hospitals IN the 4
United States for the opportunity OF 4
getting hospital experience That many
OF the physicians regard hospital ser
vice on the isthmus as a particularly /
desirable spot IN which to start their /
careers is indicated by the fact that /
great many OF them come here in order 4
TO get into touch with South American /
republics which offer big inducements /
10 American physicians.
Doctors Big Salaries.
Many of these American physicians do |
not hesitate to leave the Government |
service on short notice to take up work |
in countries farther south. They would /
offer their services here free. Just as /
they offer them to the hospitals In the 1
north. IL It were not for the fact that !
the Sanitation and Hospital Depart |
ment has made it a policy to pay big !
salaries to men who, as a matter of
fact, expected nothing.
The annual pay ron at the Ancon
Hospital Is S337-s73 year. The Gov
eminent maintains q smaller hospital at
Colon. in addition TO which there are
line hospitals. The cost Of maintaining
is s4S7,317 a year.
A sanitarium is maintained on the |
Island Of TobOca. in the Pacific ocean,
where convalescents are sent for 1
weeks rest after treatment in the hos
pitfalls.
Has 400 Beds
The Colon Hospital has 700 beds. and /
the average number Of patients treated 4
Is S55. The Ancon Hospital has a ca
paoity Of 1900 beds, and the average /
number OF patients treated IS about \
LOO. At the present time there are 243
patients I'm the insane hospital. most Of \
them being Panamanians and aliens /
VINO are victims OF alcoholism. The /
government Of Panama pays 70 cents a .
day toward the maintenance Of its in .
sane patients A leper hospital also IS /
maintained on a small island In the Pa
ciac- All of the patients are foreigners.
1t costs 20 cents a day to treat them
The per capita cost of the entire hos
pitsI service Is Sl.3D a day. Families Of
employees are treated in the wards at
$50 a day; $50 In a room. and 81 a
day in single room with special
nurse. The income from pay patients
amounts 20 about 100000 a year. all of
which is turned into the Treasury for
use in constructing the canal
Health conditions in the canal zone
arc far better than in most C.ies Of the
United States. Malaria IS the most
prevalent disease, but this disease is di-
minishing at the ratio of one-haf each
year. Malarial fatalities each year av-
erage between 2 and 3 per cent. The
death rate in the canal zone FOR OctO-
ber Of the present year was JIG Ger 1000.
while the death rate among the en-
ployes wss 995 per cent per thousand,
percentage which Is much smaller than
most cities in the north. OF this. per
centage 7.35 per cent Of the deaths were
due to disease. and go per cent 20 &C