Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-01-30
PRESENT PLANS FOR
CITY PEST HOUSE
Hospitals and Council Agree on
Steps Necessary to Guard
Public Health.

Plans for a contagious disease hospita'
for the city, were presented to City Coun-
ell last night by representatives OF city
hosoitals and health- and charity agencies'
There appeared to be complete unanlm :
ity of opinion aud at the close OF the
discussion the subject was referred to
the finance and health CON nlttees OF
Council for investigation and report.
Tho committee appearing before Coun-
Gil represented the Delaware, Homeo-
pathic and Physicians and Surgeons
hospitals, State Board OF Charities and
health officials.
The plan suggested was for the P. and
s. hospital to organize contagious
disease unit, with the corporation and
support Of the other hospitals and that
the city pay $50 much" per day for those
treated there, who are unable to pay tor
their own support.
DR.. A. Robin in referring to the Infiu-
enza epidemic Is months ago said victims
had died during the epidemic of 1918
because of the conditions under which
they were treated. The temporary
hospitals established at the Country
Club and the New Century Club were
inadequate, he said, and patients died
in some cases because of exposur and IN
others because of entire lack OF air.
The city has the cots, DIR. Robin
said but it cannot expect to place them
out in the streets He stated that with
the proposed contagious disease unit OF
the Physicians and Surgeons Hospital,
ample care could be taken of any possible
emergency due TO return OF the disease
this year. Within As to q hours, he
said, shacks can be put up on the site
of the proposed hospital to care Tor any
possible number of patients. with
the present central building as a head
quarters, he said the ground surround
ing it is sufficiently large to pro vide a
flexible system OF huts to handle any
emergency The mainbuilding would
be used as nurses and doctors head
quarters, kitchens and dispensaries.
HAS SITE IN MIND.
DR.. Robin explained that with $4,000
the Physicians and Surgeons Hospital
had purchased a large plot of ground
in the neighborhood OF Rodney, Broome,
Chestnut and Linden streets. sufficiently
isolated and ideally situated Tor con-
tagio,Is purposes. This would be turned
into a separatc unit, in line with the poiicy
of the hospital, which is vased on the
unit" system. whereby detached units
are combined in one system for the
separate uses of medical, surgical, obste-
tr1cal and isolation treatments.
The 16-room contagious building
erected on the site could not be main
tanned without available funds. he said.
He proposed that Council advance
enough money TO start its operation
This would be taken out later from the
money the city viii pay for free patients.
He believed this would only be necessary
for the first year. IL was suggested that
Council make a maximum allowance
in its annual budget, perhaps S., 600,
$4,000 or $4,000, beyond which 1t
would not be responsible for the care
Of free patients.
Universal approval was expressed OF
the scheme. Thomas H. Bayard, repre-
senting the board Of Delaware Hospital,
said anything that Institution could do
t. help the project would be done.
William S Prickett. judge of the Juvenile
Court; David Snellenburg, president OF
the Physicians and Surgeons Hospital;
Henry T. Mellon, of the Board of Health;
James J. Cahill, secretary of the Board
Of Health; DR.. 4. L. Frantz. George I.
Lyon, president OF Council; Colonel
Weller +. Slower, president of the CITY
Board of Assessment and Councllmen
Forwood, Mearns. Murray and Mulvena
were Others who endorsed the proposition