Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1912-01-04

been patient at the Catawba Sanato-
rum for two years, and being fully ac-
quainted with the conditions there dur
ing that time, and as believe any citi-
zen has right to voice his complaint
against any State institution, through
the press, in order to have the condi-
tions at the institution improved, will
ask you to please publish this statement
in your paper.
also wish to state that wrote this
statement on October the 9th, 1911, but
owing to the influence and opposition of
several machine politicians" 1 have
not been able to get this published to
date, and if you will publish this, l will
appreciate it very much indeed.
The Catawba Sanatorlum was opened
to receive tuberculosis patients August
lst, 1903, was patient there from
August 19, 1909 to August 1st, 1911,
and l wish to say for the first ten or
twelve months the Sanatorium was a
great success, as during that time they
furnished the best of food and it was
well prepared, and the patients were
given the proper attention, and during
that time several were sent home, pro-
nounced "cured." Several cases ar
rested. and most everyone improved.
and everybody was satisfied and con-
tented.
All during this time the business man.
ager was getting the patients to sign
petitions to the Legislature, which was
IN session in January, February and
March, 1910, telling them of the great
results being obtained at the Catawba
Sanatorium, and asking for large ap.
preparation for the next two years.
The Legislature gave the Sanatoriurn
1000 for buildings, and s45, 900 for
maintenance for 1910 and 1911, and lust
as soon as they got this appropriation.
then everything began to go down. The
food got bad, patients got no attention:
everybody stopped improving and pa
tients got dissatisfied and began to kick.
and some left.
Ali you could get out of the officials
was, # you were not satisfied, that YOU
had better leave, as you could not i'm
prove there unless you made yourself
contented. All the time things were
getting worse and worse, and patients
who were not able to walk to the spring
could not get drinking water. A nurse
or employee was not allowed to bring a
patient any water. not even the bed pa
tients, and it was that way until July
7th, 1911.
1t was taken up with the resident
physician, and also with the business
manager several times. They would do
nothing then, so it was made known to
DIR. Ennion G. Williams, State Health
Commissioner, and also a member of
the State Board of Health. He was ap-
pealed to three different times in 1910;
ONCE by the patients, and twice by out
side parties who had relatives there,
and he was asked to come to Catawba
and have talk with the patients, but
he never did take any action. AfA~e
le l-cHat WIN : - ~G5.u come TO Catawb
8. he would never give patient ! chanc
TO to approach him. He wouR alway
,e have some of the officials at Catawb
1t with him, and the patients kaew if the
sr said anything before them, hey wout
n be sent home. One was set home be
Is cause ne found msggots inhs food an,
n kicked about it. He wrote 70 DIR. vii
liams when he arrived home. 1saw al
rs OF these letters to DIR. Willass; also
r saw his answers to each one. ~
4 All of these parties are living and
70 can furnish their names and adtesses.
a. 1t Went on TINS way until abouth l.,
1t 1911. The patients found out the that
r the State Board of Health was tneet
at Catawba Sanatorium on Judith
so the patients sent a man to MrAar-
tin, the business manager, and tolhim
the patients wanted some arrangeAnts
a made to furnish them with dritne
., water, as the bed patients had sueied
~ a great deal for water and had ncplay
to get it, only through the kindndt of
~ some patient. Mr.. Martin wouks ot
promise to do anything, so the paints
y got up a petition to the State Boai of
Health, and everybody signed it. We
NJ then sent another man to Mr.. Min
and told him if be could not furnish a.
W. ter to drink, we you'd take It up IN
the State Board of Health. He orde5
VI water coolers that day, and on july
1911, just four days before the Boi
ny of Health meeting. we had ice wa
on each pavilion.
sv Ihaoe haolOn bed patients ,citk fst,r
III I0e and los 10 90 dQys al a - wial5,
&C dri'ab Of aedier. The cause of this lack
attention was due to employing nus
who were suffering with tpberculo.
and should have been patients inst.
Of nurses. Some of them were in 4
half of ths time snd were not able