Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-10-18
CHEST TO RECEIVE
HOSPITAL DEFENSE
Hospital Heads to Uphold Re-
fusaI of Child Cases at
Budget Session.

The report of the secret meeting OF
hospital superintendents, in which they
indicated their institutions in the
handling recently of two dying chill
dren, will be placed before the Budget
Committee of the Community sChest,
Acting Director Herbert l.. Wnlett, jr.,
announced last night. =
Announcement that the hospital
executives. who organized as an inves-
tigating committee, had cleared them
selves of blame in the cases was made
yesterday by the Council of Social
Agencies.
AFTER careful consideration, the
councils statement said, 1T 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 (e) and Eva Mae Dixon 50,
the committee is convinced that the
subsequent transfer of these cases to
another hospital in no way affected the
eventuality in either case"
Contagion Feared.
The Goddett child died of blood pois-
oning at Gallinger Hospital after being
denied admission to Emergency and
Children'S The Dixon girl died Of
burns at Childrens Hospital, where she
was taken after first being transferred
from Sibley to Garfield. In both in
stances the explanation of the hospital
authorities was that the internes who
examined the children suspected con-
tagiouS disease.
A hospitals first duty is to the pa
tients within its walls" according to tbs
statement of the council. When citi-
zen is accepted as a patient in the hos
pital that is the guarantee he wants
and has the right to expect. No hos
pital has the right to jeopardize this
guarantee by the admission of con-
tagious diseases, for the care of which
1t does not have full and adequate
facilities"
The Chests Budget Committee will
begin next week its conferences re-
garding agency budgets for 1882. ac-
cording to Willett. He said 1.-The Chest
which is the business Office operating
on behalf of the member agencies, has
no administrative jurisdiction in the
hospitals, whose personnel and policies
are determined and controlled by the
board of directors of each institution"
Third Case Investigated.
In reply to a question in an editorial
in The Star as to what parents should
do in event their child was suddenly
stricken Ill or the victim of an acci-
dent the statement said: Call ply
slcian.''
He can determine whether the child
Is in condition to be moved. If hos
utilization 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
Directory.
Besides the Goddett and Dixon cases
the committee of superintendent con-
sidered the case of Catherine Zanelotti,
g. who was turned away from Chill
dren's and Gallinger, where she was
taken by her parents early last Mon
day morning after she had suddenly be-
come i'll. She later received treatment
from private physician and recovered.
The committee was composed of DR..
S. B. RagSdale, chairman Of the Com
mittee on Hospital Administration and
superintendent of Columbia Hospital,
who acted as chairman; DR.. Francis j..
Eisenman of Garfield Hospital. DR.. R.
F. Tobin of the Board of Public We'll
fare, Mr. B. B. Sandidge of Emergen-
cy Hospital, DR.. Charles Cole of Sibley
Hospital, Miss M. M. Gibson of Chill
dren's Hospital, Mr.. George S. Wilson,
director of the Board of Public We'll
fare; Mr.. H. C. Willett, jr., of the
president Of the District of Columbia
Hospital Executives Association; Mr..
Frederick w. McReynolds, a member
of the Board of Public Welfare; Miss
Gertrude H. Bowling. chairman of the
Health Committee Of the council, and
Mrs. w. A. Roberts, executive secretary
of the council.