The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1910-03-10

their wants. Mr.. K informs me that
after he was landed in this cess pool
it was five days before he saw a ply
stefan. There is no telephone in the
house and should there be needed the
immediate services of the county ply
stefan, this old, lame man would have
to walk one fourth of a mile to the
county poor master to summon help
and there would be about three miles
from the county physician to the pest
house to be travelled over. Again when
the patient is able to use the outside
toilet he has to wa k some distance in
the cold and be confronted with a
has to take a stick to knock it down
before he can evacuate his bowels.
There is no privy vault In the event
of the recovery of a patient from his
heroic nursing and dieting, he will
take his bath in a large tin tub, wrap
himself into blanket and walk around
the outside of the hospital CD back to
a room where his clothes were disin-
fected. Mr.. K. refused to do this. This
is not all, pages could be. written as
to the management, the cleanliness.
the astounding care, and absorbing at
tention according to these men and
women who were incarcerated in the
pest house of Wala Walla county.
have no criticism for the county ply
stefan. He is doing the best he can
and no doubt from neglect or other
wise the powers that be because for
tune has been kind to them with
earth's plenty and because they hap
oened to be elected to the position, &C
cidently belonging to the right party
forget themselves so far in their hui
tunate brother that the animals of
Walla Walla county are better pro-
vided for than they. No doubt plenty
of money is spent, but there is no sys-
TEN, nor will there be economy until
the management is unhampered by
party policies. The county physician
should secure his position by civil SER
vice ru es.
Remedy is Needed.
committee should be appointed af-
ter the following manner to investi-
gate and provide remedy. This
committee should be composed of
three, one member, either commits
sioner or maR appointed by them;
one, a physician appointed by the
president of Walla Walla county socie-
ty (these two) to select third (Who
should be a lady engaged in relief
work.
1t is not with view of self -lauda-
ton of our profession, yet permit me to
state to you that according to the
statements of two of your most promi-
ers estimate of poverty patients at our
local hospitals is II IL per cent, of the
latter 10 percent, and this is the per-
centage of the other physicians. We
physicians gladly give our services
gratis-though we know they had been
fleeced by tempters galore-yet often
we pause and feel the burden we load
upon our hospitals-to nurse, clOthe.
feed and provide-all for sweet char
ity's sake. Yet what has Oud city, our
county done for the hospitals? ST.
Marys never asked the city for aims;
never gave a fair. never begged the
commissioners to open the county cof-
fers. When there were improvements
in the hospital, in the surgery or
training school, or perhaps the side
walks-the physicians in attendance at
ST. Mary's opened their purses and
helped the sisters though they are
daily giving more than their share
and cheerfully toto the INDECENT
poor.
Or has the Walla Walla hospital
ever made an appeal for support other
than that of it's merits? Let me illus
trate-four years ago the writer was
called one hot summers night to one
Of our cheap lodging houses on Main
street where he found Miss f. suf-
fering excruciating abdominal pain
from ruptured abscess Her tenn
perature was 103, her pulse lao. her
general condition bad. Nothing but
an immediate operation with best of
care could save her life. The city and
county authorities were appealed to
but, uselessly. After hours of waiting
we took her to the Walla Walla hos
pital and before operating we then sent
for the county poor master and asked
whether he would pay her hospital
care (on'y $1,000 per weelr) to which he
made reply: Should I pay for every
id prostitute in the city who would