Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1913-08-28
tuberculosis Hospital Scheme
Not Acted Upon By
Fiscal Court.
CAN'T PROVIDE THE FUNDS
Court in Hearty Sympathy and
Will Act Next
April.

The joint meeting of the Fiscal
Court and the committee represent
ing the Christian County Medical
Society last Thursday morning was
not largely attended, but everyone
seemed much interested in tn prop
osition to erect and maintain a
county tuberculosis hospital.
The magistrates were all present
but one. DR.. Walter A. Lackey,
county health officer, was the first
speaker. He showed quite plainly,
owing to the heavy mortality every
year from consumption, that it was
necessary to establish the hospital.
The first step, as the law enacted
by the last Legislature indicates, is
to declare the county a district. At
ter that is done the commission and
the Fiscal Cour:, working together,
can determine as to building, the
employment of physicians, nurses
and upkeep of the institution.
Roy L. French, Secretary of the
State tuberculosis Commission, fol-
lowed DR.. Lackey. His talk was
most convincing and he made clear
many points in the law for establish
ing and perpetuatinR the hospital.
He wants Christian county to be the
first in the state to make the start
Systematically to crush out the
white plague.
DR.. F. M. Sites made a strong
argument in favor of the hospital
and made an urgent appeal to the
members of the court to declare the
county tubercular district and to
give what financial aid they were
empowered to give under the law.
1t would not do to say that Dr..
Sites is a stronger advocate of the
hospital than any of the other ply
slcIans of the city. for every one of
them, so far as we are advised, is
equally in earnest in the matter, and
not one of them will fail to do all he
can for establishing the hospital.
We can say that the county physi-
clans are equally interested. aud 50
far as the medical profession can
make it so the hospital was a sure
thing before Tuesdays meeting.
DR.. Currey addressed the court in
a way that put some of the magis.
trates to thinking. and thinking
hard. Esquire Fuller was so deep
ly impressed that he seemed ready
to vote yes" on any proposition
that might be submitted to a vote
But he didn't want to vote an APP
preparation for the institution unit
he knew where the money was tC
come from. He said that he be.
longed to a consumpt We family
many of them having been its vic
tins. So many of the people in hi:
district are wanting pixies. bridge:
and dirt roads improved that, under
the last tax levy. he could not see
how the court could extend the fin
ancial aid sought. He asked for in,
formation as to the amount neces,
sary for beginning.
The county attorney made an ar.
gument favoring the establishment
of the hospital. saying that the val.
ue of human life cannot be estimat.
ed by dollars. Christian county has
an assessed value of $l2. 900, 900 and
real value Of about $l8. 100000, as
we'll as the highest death rate from
the white plague OF any county in
the state and Kentucky's death-rate
is the greatest in the United States
Estimating every citizen as beins
worth $500, the 40 lives lost by tn,
= white plague amounts to $40, 00C
, a year. He thought that people haC
better give up pike and bridge build
ing and road repairing for a Will,
and use their cost in saving human
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