Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-08-18
Denver's Problem
BY Frederic J. Haskin.

phlpn 10 in0uce persons having iRbfrcBe
losls and no funds TO stay away from DEN
yer is now being vigorously waged by
the health authorities here. Leaflets ex-
planning why such persons are much bet
ter OIL at home are being scattered broad
cast throu ghout the country by the Denver
Anti-Iuberculosis Society, and physicians
IN every state are being asked 10 cooper
ate In checking the perpetual rush of
INDECENT lungers for the Queen City.
A few years ago, the United States
| Public Health Service, which made an
investigation here, estimated that at
least 4OOtuberculous persons without funds
come TO Denver every year, and that the
number is increasing. This is due 10 the
mistaken idea, still widely prevalent IN
the East, that climate alone will cure
tuberculosis, when as a matter Of fact
climate IL an unimportant factor compared
to rest, outdoor sleeping and good food
And OF these latter facilities Denver ha.
| practically none to offer free Of charge.
Many health-seekers come here, Of
course, with the idea Of maintaining them
selves by doing light work, but TO find
| such work, or work Of any kind for per-
son with active tuberculosis, is practically
! impossible. The demand is always many
times greater than the supply. Hence, the
| average case proceeds about like this: A
lunger arrives with from 60 to 100 dollars
In his pocket. lie is unable 10 find work,
so nc seeks cheap lodging house and
economies on food in order 20 make bis
small capital last as long as possible. In
this way he may manage 20 eke out mis-
erable existence for two months or more,
at the end OF which time he is much worse
than when he came and farther than ever
away from work With his money gone,
he is thrown upon the charity Of Denver,
which must either take care Of him or
send him home
In addition TO these pathetic cases,
nearly every train brings one or two
persons who arc in the last stages Of tuber-
culosis, for whom there is no possible hope
Of recovery, but who have spent nearly all
their money in frantic last attemp. 20
reach Denver before IL Is too late. For
these unfortunates, about 10 die and IN
need OF immediate hospital care, Denver
also has practically no facilities.
ACCOMMODATIONS ARE FEw.
There IS no State nor municipal sana-
torium here. The best that the city has 70
offer its own tubercular victims Is few
beds--35 or so-in the county hospital.
used chiefly for the far-advanced cases
and the dying. Several private insti-
tutions care for patients az rates ranging
from $40 TO $3.50 a month, with very few
beds at the low figure and there are also
many cheap tubercular homes, accommo-
dating patients az from $40 20 $50 week
but these latter are without medical care
They usually consist Of old-fashioned
houses, 20 which several sleeping porches
have been hurriedly attached and crowd
ed with beds.
For the care Of persons without funds
there are few very good institutions /
which doubtless ably met the situation /
some years ago, but which are now hope I
lessly inadequate Among these are two
free Jewish sanatorIums, with capacity Of
$50 beds each, which accept only a small 4
percentage Of Gentiles. Patients desiring
10 enter these must apply from their 4
place of departure, and await notification I
before coming 70 Denver The waiting 4
lists are always long, and it IS usually .
months before an applicant can be admit 4
ted
There is also the Craig Colony, small
institution housed IN tents on s level, I
shady stretch of ground located on the
outskirts OF the city, and maintained by
tag daysand other forms of public subScrlp-
ton. This colony, established by an early
Denver lunger named Craig, IS for In
digent tuberculous men.
Among the better pay institutions Is 4
the Agnes Memorial Home for tuberculo- I
sis victims, built by Senator Phipps 20 \
the memory of his mother, where patients !
are cared for at rates ranging from sl3 4
10 $50 week. This is acknowledged 70 be 4
one Of the finest tubercular sanatoriums I
IN the west, If not IN the entire United 4
States. 1t speciallzes IN training persons I
with tuberculosis how to take care Of them /
selves, and each patient Is discharged at .
the end OF year upon the suppositlon I.
that he or she has obtained all the bene- I
fit the sanatorium has TO offer.
Various small sanatoriums with mod /
crate rates are also maintained by church I
organizations Of Denver. There IS the
Oaks Home, an EspiscOpal institution
and the Evangelical Lutheran Church \
supports a house full OF tub erculous pa
tients at rates ranging from S45 70 500
a month. The Dutch Reform Church has
a very attractive, spotless sanatorium,
too, reminding one Of the far-iamed quail
ties Of Dutch cleanser. It's rate is ex-
tremely moderate, being only So a week,
but it accepts only the afflicted members
OF its own denomination.
DENVER IS UNPREPARED.
From this brief outline Of Denver's
facilities, il may be seen tha {
the city is in no position 70 receive the
large number of impecunious tuberculosis
persons who insist upon coming here. IL
isn't that Denver Is inhospitable. Il IS
just that it is unprepared. As the health
authorities point out, II climate alone
could save these sufferers, Denver would
welcome them, not only for humanitarian
but because OF the debt she owes
to the tuberculous who have come here
There is no registration Of tubercu-
lous persons in Denver. The only way
we have of discovering them is through
our charitable organizations, including
the city free dispensary As far as pos
sible, this society tries TO find and keep
track of every case which enters the city
in order to see that the patient under
stands the routine Of personal cleanliness
and that he receives proper care. Often
this means returning him to his home town
on the next east-hound train for admit
.ance into an eastern institution, and still
more often the only service the society can
render is 70 employ an undertaken
The official paused, as a tall, sallow-
laced man with thin, stopped shoulders
entered the Office and sank weakly into
chair There is a hopeless case now"