The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1909-11-12
POOR IN TORTURE
IF THEY GET HURT
w. F. Jensen Gives 500 to
Start Subscription for a
Hospital Fund.

salt Lake should have hospital fund
to care for unfortunate persons who are
injured or fall i'll while without funds.
and I'll start the subscription towards
such fund with SI00 per annuu This
IS matter that appeals to every bust
ness man Of the city, and S10O00 per year
could be subscribed if this matter were
properly presented" said W. F. Jensen
of the Jensen Creamery company last
night. His interest in a condition that
has existed in this city for many years
was aroused by the case of George Smith,
a carpenter, who lay a the emergency
hospital of the city Jail from Tuesday
until yesterday morning. because there
were no funds with which to provide
hospital treatment for him.
Smith suffered with injuries sustained
in a fail from barn of the Jensen
Creamery company last Tuesday. Though
the law does not require the police de-
partment to care for such cases, and the
bringing of him to the emergency hos
pital was purely an act of mercy. as in
numerous other eases where the patients
are not city, prisoners, the case called
forth for perhaps the hundredth time the
question of fixing the responsibility for
such patients.
After Mr.. Jensen discovered yesterday
that no fund existed for the care of such
unfOrtunates, he had Smith removed to
the Holy Cross hospital, and Immediately
asked that his offer to start permanent
hospital fund be made public
No Place for Poor.
Neither the city nor the county has a
hospital, nor is there a charity ward in
either OF the four hospitals of the city.
Briefly, with ample hospital facilities for
caring for all of Salt Lakes suffering
persons, where there is a lack of funds,
the victims of misfortune, whether by
their own deeds or through no fault of
their own, are forced to depend upon
such aid as can be rendered in the
ras,f
With bleeding wounds and racked with
pain, Outlines so near to death that
only the most sldllful surgery can pre-
vent the spark of life from leaving the
body, scores of injured persons have been
brought to the emergency hospital at the
city Jail from time to time and there
given such care as was only intended in
emergency cases of city prisoners. Many
times lives might have been saved had
there been immediate hospital attention.
DR.. f. B. Steele and DR.. S. G.. Paul city
physicians, have called attention to this
condition of affairs from time to time
and have rendered such aid as was pos
sible under all the multltudinouS circum-
stances that have been presented to them.
As in the case of Smith, there being no
fund and no provision made for their
care, patients have often been kept at
the emergency hospital until friends
came to their aid or until death relieved
them of suffering The emergency hos
pital, not being intended for technical
surgery or the practice of permanent
medical attention, has witnessed scenes
of human agony beyond description.
Die for Lack of Aid.
On occasions it has had a woman in
thrOes of pain from poison Self-admin-
istered-cases demanding every appliance
known TO medical science to make the
fight for a human life anything but a
hopeless one. At other times it has been
victims of street accidents, where the
life blood streamed from severed arteries,
and the best equipped operating room in
the CITY was needed. In many OF these
cases death has resulted. where, had a
hospital been open TO the patient, the
life might have been saved.
1--WE don't need another hospital" said
Mr. Jensen last night. THE hospitals we
have are adequate to care for our sick
and injured. There being no fund pro-
yided BY the city, it is a matter for the
business men to take up. Our civic pride
should be such that we viii not stand
deathtraps for penniless strangers, what
ever their station or condition in life. II
forty-nine other business men will sub
scribe 500 apiece towards hospital fund,
that will be 5000 per year. 1t ought TO
provide for all such cases. and there is
no reason why 100 business men should
not make this fund $4,000 and place Salt
Lake on a plane with other cities.
Topeka. Kan, has such fund, and
persons without funds are given exactly
the same treatment as is accorded the
wealthiest patient in the hospitals of that
city. Il is fact of which the business
men of Topeka are justly proud.
DIR. F. b. Steele, DIR. s. G. Paul and
other physicians indorse the plan sug-
gested by Mr.. Jensen. ana many ply
sicians of the city would become. SUBJ
scribers to the hospital fund.