New-York tribune., 1922-08-07
Iegion w ants
0poard to Decide
hospital Issue
ronId Have HARDING e
Appoint Physicians to
Arbifrate Controversy
With General Sawyer
ii. Figures Are Denied
Ca. Country eau Give Is
demanded for Mental
and Tubercular Cases

- srHrcAeo. Aug. (By The Asso-
,...a press).--Colonel A. A. sprague.
s.;vnsn of the American Legion's
...,., rehabilitation committee, has
-.eested to Brigadier General Charles
s.wver. President Harding's physi-
=. .bas the President be asked to
-. committee of physicians to
,s's, tbs controversy between the
rsn.ral and the legion over the hos
.,.sl care given wounded soldiers.
roIonel sprague tonight made pub
y. II, letter to General Sawyer. who
!. ,b,ef co-ordinator of the hospital
....son hoard. The letter takes issue
-,tb statements made by General Saw
=, in reply to previous communica-
.,,r. from the legion official as printed
!, sThs Congressional Record"
The letter, in part, follows;
aTbe American public should know
L.. situation as 1t really exists, you
Ute. and then go on to state that
& are nsnety-nine government hos
Fo,.aIs with g. total bed capacity Of
sa4l2 beds, 1o,1e1 of which are un-
aceuoied. This latter assertion has
Ssen given wide national publicity as
= denial that further hospital con-
struction is necessary.
Many in Contract Hospitals
sThe impression is gained from your
statement that these beds are available
for sick and disabled service men. ON
the face of the report which the vet"
ersns' bureau publishes bi-weekly, con-
tanning this information, 1t states in
saustaf letters this report is to be used
ssr administrative purposes only. To-
tsl unoccupied beds cannot be inter
ureted to mean that all are available
/. on account of character Of hospitals
.nd geographic location This is just
, saat the American Legion says, and
Fhat your statement denies.
4aYou have absolutely ignored and
!. not mentioned in any way the fact
clearly stated in the same report that
there were 8,611 patients in contract
hospitals, 4,517 Of whom are mental
aad nervous cases and 2.774 of whom
/. are tubercular. 1t is for these men
. that we demand the best the country
J. can give. The fact that you have omit
ted these men from your statement tc
Congress- again convinces US that you
fail to comprehend the nature Of this
problem and the tremendous changes
that have been effected in medical
sdence during and since the war.
Rouad nr Ohc
asrhe situation that really exists Is
that many of the ninety-nine hospital:
Hs.ed as government hospitals are only
emergency buildings leased from year
u year, which the government aban
ions as soon as proper hospitaliza
ton can be secured in government
Owned hospitals.
- ut is not on statistics that the
IAsion's plea for proper disqualification
Is based, but on constant daily observa,
ton Of conditions and personal con.
,sc. with the situation in every one Of
the fourteen districts.
ss "0n visit to a nearby hospital
{ ioInd the following situation: Three
z men were hospitalized in one room, one
o. them mental case, another a gen
sral surgical case and the third suffer
ing from tuberculosis. The menta
case escaped one night and was recap
tured, wandering about the vicinity il
his paiamas. He was put back in tn
reo1h and the next night killed tbs
tthercular patient with chair while
the surgical patient looked on help
Z less"
Colonel Sprague suggests that tn,
Fhgsician's committee be selected pre-
ferably from the executive committee
o. the American Medical Association
who have no connection with the gov
eminent service"