Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1909-07-21

the support of same; which said
election shall be held at. the usual
places in such county for electing
county officers, the vote to be can
vassed in the same manner as that
for county officers.
The law provides still further that
| if majority of the votes cast at
such election on the proposition shall
be in favor of a tax for Il bond Issue
then the board of supervisors shall
levy tax so authorized which shall
be collected in the same manner as
other taxes are collected and shall
be credited to the hospital fund. And
said supervisors shall proceed at
once to appoint seven (7) trustees
chosen from the citizens at large
with reference to their fitness for
such office. three CD of whom may
be women. all residents of the coun-
ty; not more than four (4) of whom
may be residents of the city, town or
village in which the hospital is 10 he
located. Those trustees shall within
ten d0) days after their appointment
or election qualify by taking the
oath of civil officers and organize
as is usual in such boards. The
county treasurer shall be the treas
urer of the boad of tustees and shall
serve without extra pay.
This law further provides that
whenever any county in this state
shall have provided for the appoint
ment and election of hospital trus-
tees and has voted tax for term
not exceeding twenty (20) years for
hospital purposes, as authorized byl
law, the said county may issue bonds
in anticipation of the collection of
such tax in such sums and amounts
as the board of supervisors of said
county to be necessary for the pur-
poses contemplated by such tax
The full import of this law will be
seen in the provision that every hos
pital established under this act shall
be for the benefit of the inhabitants
of such county and of any person
falling sick or being injured or maim-
ed within its limits, and in the man
agement of such public hospital no
discrimination shall be made against
practitioners of any school of medi-
cine recognized by the laws of Iowa,
and all practitioners shall have equal
privileges in treating patients in
said hospital.
When hospital has been estab-
lished a board of trustees are auth
orized to provide, as a department of
said public hospital, but not neces
sarily attached thereto, suitable ac-
commodations and means for the
care and treatment of persons suffer
4 ing from tuberculosis and to formu-
late such laws and regulations for
the government of said persons, and
= for the protection from infection Of
other patients and of nurses and at
tendants in such public hospital as
they may deem necessary.
4 Thus it will be seen that any
county may provide for its sick and
injured persons and make provision
for those who are suffering from
the dread white plague. A plea is
made here that intelligent men and
women everywhere shall see the
great Importance Of taking immed-
late steps to provide not only for
those who may be suffering from
tuberculosis but for its sick in gener-
al. 1t has been said by someone
that "a life is a life." There, hows
ever, are different conditions under
which persons may be sick or die.
Some maladies are not dangerous to
the general public, and persons i'll
or dying of the same do not become
menace to the public health, but
I, an infectious disease like tuberculo-
sis which leaves it's train of death
! calls for the immediate relief of the
patient suffering with it and the
protection of the community against
lit.
: 1t is fact that throughout the
!. United States at the end of last year
there were over 100000 patients suf-
fering with consumption and only 15,.
600 beds. or 40 consumptives for ev-
cry bed. This is of course for the
entire country, but 1t is true that
: Iowa is painfully lacking in adequate
provision. not only for its tuberculo-
5 sis population but for those suffering
with other maladies.