The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-12-29
Would Allow Patients
to Have Own Physicians



our mutual wishes for efficiently conducted
hospital and medical college of frst-rate
efficiency, I append the following:
First. let me say that it matters not how
worthy an institution may be or however much
our citizens may be DESTROYS OF seeing it grow
and wax strong for the public good, yet it ia
wholly without the province function OF our
city government to furnish the means for such
growth.
II the city can furnish the means for that
the privileges Of her citizens, then and them
only should she undertake 10 do so.
IT our city government accepted the offer
81 the Medical college and carried out its
proposed plan the expense Of maintenance OF
our hospital would probably treble or quad
ripple the expense as IT is run today This added
expense for the taxpayers Will probably amount
70 forty thousand dollars year. Have the
right and can afford to do this for the sake
Of furnishing clinical material for State In
stttuuon?
And furthermore, and important yet.
have We the right to require poor sick
and Injured to become clinical material?
Let look to certain fundam entail facts fot
oar And here, In my opinion, is one
Of great Importance. but usually overlooked --
and 1t is this municipal hospital is no;
charity institution
It is built and maintained-not by philan-
thropists-not by gift money--but by tax money
paid by the people. 1t forms means whereby
the poor sick and injured may be cared for
properly and quickly restored to health-thus
acting form of insurance When efficient
1t adds thousands of working DAYS to tho
patients treated by restoring health. preventing
the spread Of contagious and infectious diseases
and prolonging life. To do these things brings
directly or indirectly 10 every citizen dividends
on the invested taxes.
A poor citizen who enters a municipal hos
pital patient is not accepting any more
charity than when he walks the tax paid for
streets or enjoys the luxury and prophyaXis of
the pure air of parks-or when the fire
department from ruin his humble home
-a..a-3s
/ of the wisest Kind and established for mutual
profit
Too long have allowed our municipal hos
pital to he linked in with aims Lot us
abandon this false conception. For il is the
peoples hospital. and every citizen who needs
Its service should he taught to accent it VI n
the same sense of freedom and part ownership
that he feels toward the other wise provisions
maintained by the city for the publc veal
With the above facts clearly before us It seems
impossible to avoid this conclusion: The patients
at our municipal hospital should be accorded
the same privileges and freedom that obtain
for their brother citizens in pay hospitals. For
they not in very true sense in thei~ own
hospital?
Therefore there he no question that they
should have the right to say what doctor shall
attend them and whether or not they shat
be used for clinics This It seems To me is not
be unlawful to deprive any poor sick citizen OF
one whit of his rights freedom when ne is
forced to accept the benefits of a peoples hos
pital.
1t is said that when an open hospital is estab-
lished, that failing to do the very thing
started out to do. BE that as il may buJ II
our city government has started out to spend
in the neighborhood of $4,000 year of the
peoples money for the prime purpos. of fur
nishing destitute sick az clinical material
then II is well W fa{ ha nla p
Of allowing the patients to select the physician
Of their choice is unique for municipal hos
pitfalls. II certainly is not for general hospitals
No one asks that the general managemc nj
and business Of running the hospital be placed
with the physicians. The babyish hugaboo If
clash of authority can be dismissed at IT'S
valuation. OF course there would he a clash
of authority II it were not clearly defined who
had authority But why is it necessary TO Ct ,ud
the subject by confusing the general manage
ment and business Of the hospital with the pro-
fessional care of the patients? At Memorial a
hospital open to all physicians. clash of au-
thority occur; for each doctor is in full
charge OF his patients and from him alone comes
all directions and orders for his patients. 1t Is
said when the patient enters the hospital his
coming is confession the part of the ply
sician that the case demands unusual treat
ment' and the hospital takes entire charge OF
the patient"
The only healthy for the existence Of
any hospital is that il is place specially built
and equipped to for the sick and in being
so offers greater safety and facility for their
treatment. All physicians agree that a modern
hospital is the safest and most successful place
10 treat most medical and surgical conditions
and avail themselves accordingly. yet the de-
mauds for unusual treatment are pretty GER
orally met here in good old Richmond by the
average wen trained physician. and If the de-
mands be more than he supply. then It IL
simple matter for him TO choose and can a
consultant or specialist.
This plan has worked out for years--with no
clash of authorty-at the Virginia Memorial.
Retreat and Sheltering Arms~-and / believe that
II will be hard 10 convince- the patients from
these hospitals and the public generally that
they would have Jared better had they received
the unusual treatment" Of d staff which had
entire charge Of them.
] am not persuaded that the results Of the
unusual treatment" administered by tn"
eminent members~of present City hospital
staff have been much better than
those results obtained under open Han by
the physicians al Sheltcring Arms Retreat or
Memorial ! had not thought 4hat the poor
sick attended they ere by their choice ~
Shelterng Arms. were hasarding heir lives quite
so much those patients who are attended
al the City hospital--whare have had amply
demonstrated the WORKING OUT of rhe close
plan under the supervision of one set ~ men.
Their work and their results are familiar ~
many.
Although quite familiar with conditions WHICH
have arsen---I have not Witnessed the horrifying