Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-10-17
Statement Declares ''Prompt
and Adequate Treatment
Was Administered"
HOLD EVENTUALLY NOT
AFFECTED BY TRANSFER
Cite Adequate Handling of $4,000
Patients During Past
Fiscal Year.

vindicating their hospitals of blame
in connection with the handling of two
dying children within the past two
weeks. executives of the institutions is
sued statement today declaring that
"prc rpt and adequate treatment was
administered in each case Immediately
upon its being brought to the hospi-
tai"
The statement was made as a result
of meeting yesterday of hospital super
intendents and representatives of Wash
ingtons social and charity organizations
to consider the cases Of Samuel God
dett, Q, and Eva Mae Dixon, 5, both
of whom died after being transferred
from one hospital to another, and Cath
crime Zanclotti, 3, who recovered after
being refused admission to two hos
pitfalls. The statement follows:
Text of Statement.
AT the request of the Community
Chest, the Council of Social Agencies
called a meeting of the executives OF
the hospitals involved in the cases CT
Samuel Goddett, Eva Mae Dixon and
Catherine Zanelotti.
After careful consideration. it is the
opinion of the committee that prompt
and adequate treatment was admins
tered in each case Immediately upon
its being brought to the hospital. At
the same time, from the facts brought
out in the cases of Samuel Goddett and
Eva Mae Dixon, the committee is con-
WINGED that the subsequent transfer Of
these cases to another hospital in no
way affected the eventuality in either
case.
In recent editorial published in
The STAR the following questions were
asked:
Il Can tie Health Department, Or
the Board of Public welfare. or the
hospitals inform parents what to do i'll
an cnergency?'
Call Physician"
Our answer is: Call a physician. He
can determine whether the child is in
a condition to be moved. If hospitaliza-
ton is necessary, he can tell you which
hospital is equipped to give the care
and treatment necessary. There are
1900 physicians listed in the City Dl-
rectory
If for any reason one of these physi-
clans is not available or cannot be
called, then 60 to the nearest hospital,
with full assurance that you will re-
ccive the best aid that any human
agency can guarantee. This statement
is concurred in by all hospital eXecu-
tlveS.
20. What would you do if your child
is stricken suddenly with some terrify-
ing form of mysterious illness or if your
child is the victim of an accident? You
must remember dear parent that there
are certain rules and regulations laid
Gown for the conduct of hospitals which
must not be violate3.'
Adequate Hospital Service.
This ironic question can well be
taken as a text for adequate hospital
service. AS a basic fact, the hospital
owes to the patients inside its walls
its first responsibility for safety and
wellbcing.
When a citizen is accepted as a
patient in the hospital that is the
guarantee lie wants and has the right
to expect. No hospital has the right
to jeopardiZe this guarantee by the ad-
mission of contagious diseases, for the
care of which it does not have full and
adequate facilities.
For more than 90 years, the hos
pitfalls of Washington have rendered
service consistent with this fundamental
principle, which is followed not only in
Washington, but in all other large cities
in the country. For the last fiscal year
the Washington hospitals have ade-
quatcly handled a total of more than
$4,000 cases, to the apparent Satisfac-
ton of the citizens of the community.
1t is remarkable that in the handling
of such an enormous number of
patients from all walks of life, there
has been so little basis for complaint.
Would Require Separate Ward.
IF the city wants the kind of service
= rE inn tod hT
some of the newspaper writer's. whereby
every hospital in the District of Colum-
bia should be properly equipped to
accept and retain every type of case
which can be conceivably brought to it,
a separate ward would have to be built
and maintained by each hospital for
this purpose and no other. This would
involve a cost far beyond anything that
the citizens of washington have indi-
Gated a willingness to assume and
would provide service such as no other
city in the country maintains or con-
Siders necessary"
The committee was composed of Dr.
S. B. RagSdale chairman Of the Com
mittee on Hospital Administration and
superintendent Ct Columbia Hospital,
who acted as chairman: DR.. Francis J.
Eisenman of Garfield Hospital, DR.. r. F..
Tobln of the Board OF Public Welfare,
Mr.. B. B. Sandidge of Emergency Hos
pital, Dr.. Charles Cole of Sibley Hos
pital, Miss M NJ. Gibson of Childrens
Hospital, Mr. George S. Wilson, director
CT the Board of Public Welfare; Mr. H.
c. Willctt, jr.. of the Community Chest;
DR. w w. Eldridgc, president of the
District of Columbia Hospital EXecu-
tives' Association; Mr.. Frederick w.
McReynolds. member of the Board of
Public Welfare; Miss Gertrude H.
Bowling chairman of the Health Com
mittee of the council. and Mrs. w. A.