The Waterbury Democrat., 1932-11-19

E nn reasonably met by them"
 Intense interest has been aroused both in medical circles and among the lay. public as to what will be the final recommendation of the committee.
 Counties Surveyed Representative
 The three counties studied were considered by the author of the re- port as representative of S77 coun- ties in ten Southern" states, with Q population of 23 millions. The following outstanding characteris- tics were found in three counties:
 l. The amount of spendable money Is shockingly small.
 9. Cotton is the chief crop from which means that the people are virtually without cash income for the greater part of the year and that a crop failure or a low price practically deprives the in- habitants of all ready money.
 3. The large colored popula- ton in leach county introduces special health problems. In Ches- ter county, 17.7 per cent: in Toombs county, 2s.5 per cent; and in Lee county, 31.O per cent of the population is colored.
 Need for Fiancfal Aid
 Stating that the study was not inaugurated to effect, or even to suggest, reforms, the author points out that some method of collec- tive purchase seems indicated as a remedy for the conditions revealed by this survey"
 Without financial subsidy from sources outside the county or state to supplement local resources" he concludes, Tt does not seem even probable that all residents If the south can be assured adequate preventive and therapeutic care"
 Inadcquacies in Medical Care
 The following facts about the unsatisfactory conditions in med ical care in the three "representa- tive" counties are disclosed in the report:
 1. Average annual per capita incomes arc so low that the pcO. pic arc unable to purchase atle. quate medical care.
 The average per capital spend- able income in Toombs county Georgia, in 1880, was $99; in Lee county, Mississippi, it was $171; and in Chester County, Tennessee $189. The average sums spent off medical care in these counties were $7.54, $11.14 and $6:45 re- spectively. The average cost of a hospital case was approximate,, $42. Because the average per- q r1 nit fn fv1a 4u 1nx a~~s X illness of one member of a fam . fly can easily consume ope-fourth . or one-third of the family's spendable money for year, the report states.
 ?. The incomes of physician. < are extremely low.
 In all three counties the ex. penses of practice consumed more than one-half of the gross re. ceipts of the physician. The aver. age net income of physicians 1T Chester County for the year 193t was $99T; for Toombs county $1.532; and for Lee county, 1923
 3. The medical facilities in tw, of the three counties were sOreI, inadequate.
 Chester county, Tennessee, ha no specialists, no hospitals, nt graduate nurses, and no full-timt health officer. The nearest hos pital is l miles distant from tn, center of the county. ToombI county, Georgia, lacks a public health officer: sanitary inspection in the schools, and maternal and tnfanthygiene are. neglected be- cause of lack of personnel and funds. The nearest hospital 3( miles away, and physicians arc consequently often forced to per. form major operations, such -as appendectomies, in the patients homes.
 Dependence of the people or cotton for their cash income 1. partly responsible for their inabil' itys to maintain hospitals and Oth' CT modern medical facilities.
 Although physicians. dentists and nurses may be willing oi forced to wait for their share oi the money which comes onl, once a year, hospitals are unable to maintain a plant and person. mel, in readiness to serve patient. unless cash payments are prompt' Nv made for services rendered.
 5. Many births attended bl midwives rather than physicians
 Because they charge low fee. and because they are often more accessible than physicians, mid wives attend many of the births in the South. Expenditures for Medicine Hien Medicines. including those dis. pensed by physicians, were found to exceed all other items in thu amount spent by the people oi these three counties, ranging an nualIy from $2.16 to $4.83. Oi these amounts. spent for medicines by far the largest proportion wal spent for self-medication.
 The figures for public health az. tivities show a yearly expenditure of only cents per capita 1T Toombs county, IF cents in Ches' fer and Al cents in Lee county.