Norwich bulletin., 1917-02-23
ASKS ADDITION TO
 TUBERCULOSIS fNFIRMARY
For immediate Relief of Crowded Con-
 dition of Norwich Sanatorium.

l For lnnmediats Relief of Crowded Con- dition of Norwich sanatorium. The fourth report of the State Tu-
 bercuIosis Commission to the governor for the period beginning October 1, 1914. and ending September 30, 1916, has been announced.
 In regard to the long waiting lists at the various institutions the report says:
 The physicians of the state. the se- lectmen of the various towns, the boards of charities of the cities. the visiting nurses associations, and all the organizations and individuals that know the tuberculosis needs of their communities are in frequent-and sometimes violent-protest to us be-
 cause patient In whom they are in- | a long waiting list. and Is refused ad- mission to the sanatoria for weeks after the filing of his application. Admittedly the situation is unsatis- ditions are ciranged there can be no
 relief. We have only fixed number of beds. and we cannot put two pa- tients in one bed For the immedi- therefore. for such an appropriation for new construction as will permit use to complete the unfinished inf1rm- ary at Shelton. and to erect an addi- II. These two additions to our present i'm stitutions will give us. approximately, 100 new infirmary beds The sea side sanatorium, when erected will the present sanatoria now occupied by crippled children.
 That is the principal new construc- tion that we ask for the coming two years. If it were immediately avail able it would undoubtedly wipe out our present waiting list. But for how long?
 That is the important and pressing question that we believe the state should ask itself during the session of the present general assembly. The general hospitals of the state refuse to admit cases of tuberculosis otheir wards or private rooms, and if. perc1ance, because of a mistake in diagnosis, or because of the stress of some such emedgency as a street hemorrhage, consumptive is receiv- ed into general hospital, the officials
 of that hospital are as a rule panic stricken until the unfortunate patient
 is removed from the building.
 The attitude of the officials of the general hospitals of the state is not
 only cruel. but is entirely without scientific Justification.
 At the Norwich institution, except
 for the completion and care of the
 toilet of the grounds and buildings and the finishing of the third story of
 the service quarters to provide sleep
 ing rooms. there has been no new construction The Norwich Sanato-
 rum, although the smallest of the san atoria, is one of the best As stated
 elsewhere, we propose in the next two
 years, if the general assembly con
 sents. to increase the capacity from AZ
 to sS beds. and this will give up a to-
 tai Of 132 beds for the whole in:.ti-
 tution-
 The Norwich sanatorium is the
 youngest of the sanatoria. and be-
 cause it has had the benefit of our
 early experiences in the older sana-
 toria, it's discharged patients have
 been followed up more closely than
 was the case in the early days of the
 other institutions. Therefore the
 following summary of the work done
 at Norwich has a special interest.
 From the opening of the State Ti,-
 berculosis Sanatorfum at Norwich,
 February 1. 1913. up to December 31.
 1913, up to December 31. 1915, there
 were 311 male patients admitted Az
 cording to the sta~e of their disease
 they may be classified as follows: In-
 cipient. P: moderately advanced. PAP:
 advanced. 45; and bone tuberculosis, ?.
 Of these 311 male cases, 50 moderatelv
 advanced and 2S advanced died in the
 i1stftution, and 8 are still on the pa-
 tient list: or. 225 males have left the
 sanatoriun. either with or against
 the advice of the physicians Of
 these 225 males, at lea st 69, or 30 g.
 10 per cent. are working and have been working since their depa rtnre or these 69 cases working. 10 />ro c'assed as incipient, B as moderately advanced. 4 as advanced and 2 as bone caSes.
 There have been admitted to the san atoriun in the same length of tir~1e 225 females. classified as follows: I-- cipient, IS; moderately advanced 161: advanced. 40: peritoneal tuberculosis. l; bone tuberculosis. 1: non-tub4rcu- 1osis, 2. Of these 225 females admit ted. e3 died at the institution-s5 mod erately advanced ard 2s advanced cas- es-and five are still in the institu- tion The remaining 157 females have returned to their homes Of these 157 females. B of the moderate " advanced cases and g of the in- cfpient cases. or 42 cases in all (26 TO per cent) are working.
 With reference to the benefactors the report contains the following names of local interest:
 Rev. Richard Graham. Christ church: fev. John H. Frederick, St. Patrick's church; M,11a f1e Rex; Peter J. cu9y. Rev. Byrnes, Miss Nary E. Richards Miss Mazie V. Carruthers, Misses Robin son. Miss Dorothy Atwood, waure- Ean; H,n;a Ms; @ Frank s Donohgs. Mrs; Anna Comeau. Christ Church Guild, Lee & | Osgood, Porteous & Mitchell, Preston | Brothers. J. F. Tompkins, The Gran ston Co. s. J. Reuter- & Son, G. Gedul- |
 
 One of the most irritating details in | the conduct of our sanatoria has been 1 the laundry question. In spite of the | fact that we disinfect bedding and 1 clothing before sending them to the | laundries with which we had con- | tracts. there have been frequent pro- l tests from employees of these 1aundries | against doing our work. and occasion ally public officials and officers of | labor unions have become exercised | over the danger to the public that they | supposed lay in the carrying of our | patients clothing through the streets. and in the washing of 1t in the build ings in which the linen of other people was boiled and ironed- 4 little fnves- hgatfon soon satisfied the pro&estors that the bundles from our sanatoria were the least dangerous bundles that arrived at any public laundry. for none of the other bundles were disinfected before collection. even if they came from places where there were cases If oprfy1 |