The Detroit times., 1912-07-12
OIPHTHERIA VICTIM IS
BUFFETEO FROM DOOR TO
DOOR IN DYING CONDITION
Death of Deda Strumm Puts
Emphasis Upon City's Nee d OF
a Contagious Hospital
TURNED FROM ST. MARYS
Heads There Deplore Woefui
Lack of Provision in Detroit
for Cases of Kind

The need OF a hospital in Detroit
only. has frequently been urged by
physicians and others IN position
~ know. and the fact that 4 young
woman. Miss Dedd Strumm, 50 years
old, living IN a boarding mouse ana
suffering from q malignant case OF
diphtheria, was unable 70 obtain shell
ter and care IN the city general nos
pitals. resulting In her death. would
seem to prove this need more tnan
ever. The young woman, who lived
In the rooming house at No. o. Eliza
beth-st., had beeh III with what the
attending phy stefan, Dr. Robert >.
Linn, No 594 Cass-ave., diagnosed, II
is claimed. as abscess OF the throat
Sunday evening Or. Linn decided
10 send her to the hospital and she
was taken 10 ST Mary's.
We took the young woman In ana
one OF the house physicians went TO
her lmme iiately. only 10 come 10 ME
with the information that IL was
case Of dIphtheria. said the sister, IN
charge I'm ST Mary's. TO The Times,
Thursday. We have no accommoda-
tons whatever for the reception or
contagious cases, and We are so
overCrowd cd at present that We could
not. under any circumstances, have
taken a private room for such pur-
poses. Not daring to expose over SUO
patients 10 the disease by keeping
the woman in the hospital. We were
compelled 70 send her back TO the Co.
mnbia-st house Monday morning,
Or. lawn, OF the board OF health,
called us up and said that Miss
Strumm did not have diphtheria and
was without care or means in this
rooming mouse and asking us TO take
her in again We told him We as
suredly would IL she did not have a
contagious disease, and that We had
Sent her away only because one or
our house physicians had diagnosed
the case as diphtheria.
ON DR. LAWNS assurance that
there was no diphtEeric symptoms We
again received the patient, only 10
have one of the hospital sIaff doc
tors. who happened TO be at hand
when she was taken into the ward,
declare positively that the case was
diphtheria and q very malignant and
advanced case. too Our entire stan
OF doctors happened to be holding a
meeting in the parlors at the time,
and So one after another visited the
patient each TO return, agreeing IN
the diagnosis Of diphtheria The
young woman was again removed
from the hospital TO the Columbia-st.
house, and there our actual knowl.
edge of the case ends"
The landlady refused TO admit the
unfortunate young woman, saying she
could not afford TO expose the other
roOmers 10 contaglon. and the ambu-
lance driver was compelled TO re-
turn 10 the hospital in turn TO be sent
to the board OF health Offices, where
arrangements were finally made to
take the sick girl TO the scarlet fever
in the Municipal hospital 1t
Hamilton-blvd. and Pingreeave.,
whtFe she died Wednesday.
1T is a disgrace TO. Detroit that
there is no hospital in the city with
provision for the proper care of con
tagious cases" declared the sisters
in st. Mary's hospital, an opinion
concurred in BY Registrar Henry
Renshaw of the board OF health
We did all that We could for the
young woman when the case came
to our notice" said Mr.. Renshaw,
but it Is certainly shame that De.
troit has no proper means Of caring
for a person in such a predicament "
In the scarlet fever building, the
young woman was placed in room
in the basement tho only avaiIa "a a
place which could be used for her
care.