Evening journal., 1913-10-30
DELAWARE HOSPITAL
AND MATERNITY CASE
To the Editor of THE EVENING
JOURNAL.

To the Editor of THE EVENING
JOURNAL.
Sir In justice to the institution Of
which / am superintendent ! would
ask YOU to kindly publish this letter.
When interviewed on Saturday after
noon by the reporter of the Sunday
Star. some facts of the case were
given me by the gentleman which
were not printed According TO his
own report he is in possession Of the
facts of the case, so / presume what
he told me is true.
The case came from another State
lon Saturday night spent the night in
the city and on Sunday gave birth
to a premature child. The reporter
said the child was not alive, so there
must either be an error in his facts"
'or a mistake in making out the cert-
ficate as reported in The Sunday Star.
The word "closed" in relation to our
institution. was not used by me at
all, but was supplied by the instigator
to renew or foster animosity toward
our institution.
The reporter did not remember that
had told him of an emergency ma
ternity case which had been admitted,
cared for free for two weeks when we
had a $40 a week ward for those
cases. l could also have mentioned
the fact that the infant was supplied
with a complete suit of clothing and
a warm shawl on their discharge from
the hospital
On being asked why that could not
have been done again. I explained
that we had been so crowded for
room on the private floor this summer
that some of the officials had been
Obliged to give up their rooms in the
hospital proper and occupy such
rooms as we're not in use in the ma
ternity department
Instead of asserting that our hospi-
/ tai is a closed one, | said that many
peopil did not realize that our
hospital is not supported by the city
for the city poor, bat is supposed by
voluntary contributions, and Is a pri-
vate corporation. The same is true OF
] the Homeopathic Hospital The Della
ware Hospital cannot afford a free ma
ternity ward. because It is already
! 1oing a large amount Of work in other
/ departments which never comes tc
/ the public notice, and for which il
/ receives no compensation.
The gentleman did not mention that
| our medical and surgical wards were
so crowded that they have been taxed
! to the limit. About two weeks age
we we're accommodating 81 patients
in wards, which had 26 beds. by put
ting up extra cots. His memory fail
ed him also when I told him of the
! time q whole ward. sun parlor and
porch we're emptied to accommodate
child who had scarlet fever, when
their house was struck by lightning
/ last summer. The patient. mother
and nurse had every care, their fooC
and medicines being carried up on &
! ladder to the porch, so that the othel
patients in the hospital would incu
no risk No doubt the Homeopathic
Hospital has done as many or NOR
such things to accommodate the publ
which are never mentioned excep
under such provocation as this
To return to the case in question
mad the officials OF the hospital n,
/ thought that this was a case for II
free waterway ward of the Homeopi
thic Hospital or for the county hosr
raj al Farnhurst. they would have r
ceived the woman as an emergen'
case As it was upon hearing thi
she had been refused al the count
q hospital. preparations we're made
, receive her at the Delaware Hospita
I hut she was not brought back.
I would he glad TO know where the "ur
= desirable cases" are TO be cared for,
the county hospital does not seem
he the place 10 send them.
Jennette F. Duncan,
! Delaware Hospita
E Wilmington, Del. October 80, 1918.