Judsonia weekly advance., 1921-02-10
Surgeon General Reports Ex- Soldiers Breaking Down at
 Rate of 1000 a Month.
SICK AND INSANE INCREASE
Asks $30,000, 900 to Provide for 1o,. 200 Additional 5eds-Many Pa tients Now Housed in Fllmsy
 and lnflammabe Structures.


 number of American eX-soldiers who suffer from tuberculosis, mental dis eases and other afflietions. approxi- mately $30,000.000 is needed immedi- ately, according to a letter written to Senator Ashurst of Arizona by Sur geon General II. s. Cumming of the bureau of the public health service At the present time. the surgeon gen eral states, sick and insane men whose afflictions can be charged to their service 10 their country. are increas ing at the rate of about 1.000 per month, and owing to inadequate hos pital accommodations great numbers of them are of necessity being cared for in structures that are described as "flimsy and inflammabIe"
 In his letter to Senator Ashurst the surgeon general says:
 T wish tO invite your attention to the fact that since June ?, 1920, the date on which the France bill, to au- thorize the secretary of the treasury to provide medical. surgical and hos pital services and supplies for dis charged soldiers marines, army and navy nurses, and for other purposes was favorably reported. the number of patients has increased from 17.445 to 22,292 for the week ended January 1, 1921.
 "In the week ended January 1. 1921. there were in hospitals operated hy the public health service 12.511 pa tients, and in hospitals under contract with the pnblic health service 9.7S1 Of tbiS number 19.O19 were patients of the war risk insurance bureau. It Is understood that there were approxi- mately 5000 patients of the war risk insurance bureau in hospitals operated by the National Home of Disabled Vol unteer Soldiers, and in army and navy hospitals.
 Patients Increase 900 Per Month.
 "Ihe present rate of increase in pa tients in hospitals of the public health service is approximately 1000 per month. and it is expected that before the peak is reached the number of beds on request will approximate 30,O00 to 35.000 It is estimated that the peak will not be reached before 1927 to 1929.
 "The public health service now has. or In the near future will have, under operation hospitals providing approxi- matelY 19.STS heds of this number nf beds 10.347 are in hospitals of flimsy and ndammahle construction or in hospitals leased hy the service under leases which will expire at certain pe- riods after the declaration of peace. OF are otherwise not to be counted up- on in the program for permanent care
 An analysis of the 19,O19 war risk insurance patients in hospitals of the public health service for the week onded January ], 1921. shows that they were distributed according to disease as follows: Tuberculosis, r. 5E6, neuropEychiatric 5.6S0, general medical and surgical, 5,743; total, 19,- O19.
 'The most pressing neeu is for tu- berculosis and o-phychiatric pa tents.
 For tuberculosis patients there are 7,f31 beds in hospitals operated by the public health service and .0OO beds in the Soldiers Home at Johnson City. Tenn. Of the number now in public health service hospitals approximately 5.2a1 are not satisfactory and should be replaced at the earliest practicable date, because they are in fimsy and ;,,Q institutions, etc
 For neuropsyehiatric patients there are 2500 beds in institutions operated hy the public health service and L. O00 beds in the Soldiers Home at Ma rion, Ind. of the 2.50O beds of the public health service 475 are in leased institutions, and owing to the charac- ter of the leases are not to be counted upon in the permanent hospital pro gram.
 For general medical and surgical patients there are 9948 beds in insti- tutions either operated by or to be acquired by the public health service of this number 4621 are not satisfac- tory and should be replaced.
 10000 Mere Beds Needed.
 After careful consideration of CD the number of war risk insurance pa tients in hospitals, @ the present government hospital facilities, (3) the necessity of replacing some of the un- desirable hospitals, (4) the increase in the number of war risk insurance pa tients within the past twenty months and (5) the geographical distribution of the ex-soldier population, it is found that there is urgent need for 1900 additional beds for tuberculo- sis patients, 4,500 additional beds for insane patients and 900 additional beds for general medical and surgical patients.
 Tn round numbers 10000 beds are urgently needed of which the beds for tuberculosis and neuro-psychlatric pa tients are of the greatest urgency.
 At the estimated cost of S3,OO0 per n 1, T.