Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-05-12
Dispensary at Gospel Mission
Treats Homeless and Destitute

"A LARGE sign bearing the name Dis
~ pensary' marks the door of the
little hospital that opened Febru-
airy in the Gospel Mission on John Mar
shall place. At all hours in the morning.
but particularly between II and 10, men,
women and children of all descriptions
may be seen passing in and out of its
doors. But not all of them enter the dis
pensary through this front door, for
quite frequently men are brought in faint
ing from the chapel of the mission and
from the penny lunch, where, starving
and almost destitute, they may purchase
a meal for only few pennies.
Though the dispensary Is still more
or less incomplete, and we have no place
for bed patients. we feel that the work
has been successful and has relieved
many from suffering said H. A. Kline
superintendent of the Gospel Mission
Several doctors have become interested
in the work. and hold Office hours here
from IL until II in the morning. People
with all varieties of ailments see the sign
on the door and come in to obtain. free
of charge, medical advice and medicine
Many of our cases are most pitifu
and, while We cannot keep patients over
night, we can at least give them direc-
lions as to how to obtain admittance into
hospital. A number of minor surgical
operations, however. are performed here
each week and many sprains and cuts
are treated. During February, our open
ing month, men appeared in the chapel
and at the door of the dispensary with
frozen hands and frost bites. Many of
them were from the oyster boats and
were without the money for medical at
tendance.
Quite a number of our cases." con-
tinued Mr.. Kline, ARE men and women
who have simply become drifters, walk
ing from one town to another and obtain
ing food wherever they can. I remember
the case of one young man who arrived
almost destitute from England. He had
been for a time down in Africa and there
received a wound which necessitated the
amputation of his arm. He was sent to
England and remained in a hospital there
for a time. Finally he drifted to this
country and appeared one day at the
mission suffering from his old wound.
"A record of the cases shows that 100
patients attended during our opening
month. Since that time the average has
been about 100 each month. DR.. Charles
II. Bowker is in charge of the dispensary
and with his associate. DIR. Oliver Z.
Cox, first began the work. We have not
as yet been able to afford visiting
nurse. At present the doctors follow
some of the cases into the homes, and
never, in any case. is medical aid re-
fused when word is sent to the mission
There are some forty of these outside
cases each month.
when a man comes to the dispensary
for treatment a record of his case is
made and he is presented with a card
that entities him TO medicine. His name
address and occupation are required: the
name of his last employer and the length
of time the patient has been in Wash
ington are also put on record A dag
nosis Is made of the case and a record
is kept of the condition of the patient.
In this way a patient has medical treat
ment and his own doctor for several
months without cost. For those who
can afford to pay. charge of 10 cents
is made for the card that entities them
TO medicine. Only about one in twenty,
however, pay this little sum. for the ma