The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-05-24
CATAWbA A WONDER
TO THE INITIATED;
ROADS ARE NEEDED
State Has Built Magnificent
Plant in Battle Against White
Plague-New Pavilion Is. a
Model

! CtaAS itfpf Is diiU HSWSpdfT SUITES
! of what is being done at the Cataw
/ ha sanitartum have no mprehensive
idea of the scope of the work being
! accomplished there. nor. of what the
State is doing in the way Of provid-
! ing facilities for carrying on the
&ork4-ln the first place. few Visit, =
ors go to Catawhas because Of the In
! accessibility Of the location Usual
~ when they GO they have some par
ticuIar point in mind and do not pay
a great deal of attention to the gem
eralities.
In weather such as has prevailed
during the past few months the per
! sons who start to Catawha under
take a m ssion heset with many OH
stacles. The roads are hub deep IN
! mud, the trip requires a full day
and only pressing business or deep
seated personal motives will move
person to undertake IL.
a party of four undertook the
passage from Salem TO the santa
rum recently. Considerable rain and
a sea IF mud did not deter them
. notwithstanding two uf the harder
members Travelled afoot Consider
ing conditions the trip was accom-
plished in excellent time. with four
hours for visiting al the State insti-
tuition and Mountain View. the pri-
vate hospital nearby
Wonderful Plant.
The State institution liz fast be
I coming Il small town In the matter
OF buildings and population There
now are more than zoo employees and
patients there and the extensive
group Or comfortable buildings 10
spread over wide area One is
particularly struck with the appar-
erythinx Is ordered by bell Patients
eat, sleep. rest and keep house by
bell signals sounded from a large
brass bell which swings near the
center Of the Sanitar'um group
The person who does not obey the
bell has ne place at Catawb a The
task confronting the physicians.
ru-scs~ and attendants is too hug
10 admit of direct personal superNis-
ion over patents. such SIS might be
expected at email private, institu-
ton. The whole scheme Is essen
tally cooperative onk and q suf-
ferer from tuberculosis who goes
there for any purpose other than
10 place himself wholly and willingly
under the direction 81 those in au-
thority. not only with not get the
maximum NJ personal benefit. bat
will he in the nature or an inposter
no is taking a place sought by hum
dreds Of unfortunates who are will
ing and anxious 10 play the game OF
"chasin cure fair and with the
enc object II being benefited
The New Pavilion.
The new pavilion at the State san
itarium Is a model OF neainass and
convenience Indeed one. is con-
strained 70 halt n, every turn and
i ~ L.. r. s,w hay f4t,t. a
have been done with the means al
hand which would have given better
results. The pavilion bull. well IN
the west Of the other groups of build
fnGs faces somewhat southeast. Il
memory az direction serves right.
and consists ~ two long wings ~
sleeping porches. private rooms and
sanitary coneeniences extending In
e~her direction from an entrance
hall in the center. parior on one
side and office on the either
The building is equipped With
modern heating plant and is CON
nected with the kitchen by a covered
walk way The sleeping wards eN-
tend the entire length Of the building
in front. broken only by the main
entrance piazza, In the rear an in
closed hal' runs the entire length NJ
the structure. At frequent intervals
on the outside OF this hallway arc
spofless and well arranged lavorato-
RES. baths. etc.
This building Is In reality the in
Urinary of the group. Every patient
in It's wards is supposed TO he under
nfrmary treatmen,- Opening off the
hal a door leads into every private
apartment and thence into the open
air wards beyond.
Group Extensive
While the units making up the
group are scattered over several
acres of ground. convenience seems
to have been the keynote of the ar
rangement II was not the pleasure
of the writer to see more of the ar
rangemeni than Is described In the
infrmary, Some OF these details may
be slightly erroneous. as they were
gathered hurriediy and casually.
Inquiry developed the fact. how
ever. that the sanitarium maintains
a modern heating plant for every
unit Of the group. has Its own ice
making and refrigerating plants, tills
its own gardens for fresh vegetables.
secured electric power from the Ro-
anoke valley: has a satisfactory but
inadequate telephone service. and IN
short. is better equipped and BETTER
conducted than any one would be-
lieve who has not investigated
Another thing particularly notice.
able is the fact that there is re-
freshng absence OF the official for
mality and stiffness which frequently
characterizes the conduct of popu-
larly owned and operated institutions
of any nature Two of the Sunday
visitors from Roanoke were ladies
who went to the State institution to
visit a relative who Is patient:
one was bent on spending few
hours with a friend at the Mountain
View hospital and the fourth was
personal conductor of the tour.
The writer was at the State insti
tuition less than an hour and noted
within the first three minutes of that
time, that a visitor however. dishev
elled and disreputable in appearance.
is met courteously and cordially The
visitors and their patient guest were
graciously permitted to eat their pic