Evening star., 1933-04-03
|DR. WILSON JOINS
flight FOR BUDGET
TUBERCULOSIS ITEM
Setback Seen in Efforts to
Lower Death Rate Here if
Funds Are Denied.
WILL MEAN CROWDING
PATIENTS IN HOMES
Babies and Children Would Be Vic
Tins in Lack Of Hospitals, With
Every Case a Menace.

tlmS IN Lack OF hospitals, Win
Every Case a Menace.
Claiming that the crowding of tuber-
cular patients in the homes would re-
suit in the deaths of many more babies
and children, DR.. Prentiss Wilson,
chairman of the Executive Committee
OF the Medical Society Of the District
OF Columbia, today joined in criticizing
the action OF the Budget Bureau in
slashing the appropriation for local
tuberculosis treatment
Dr. Wilson, who has had a prominent
part in the long warfare waged locally
against tuberculosis, saw in the budget
reduction decided setback in efforts
to lower the tuberculosis death rate in
the District.
Would Crowd Homes.
"The cut which Mr.. Lewis has made
in the budget reducing this appropria-
tion,11 DR.. Wilson said, "is going to
result inevitably in keeping tubercular
patients out of the hospitals and crowd
ing them in the homes.
Every tuberculosis case, in that
event, becomes a menace, a source Of
contact for new infection. It will re-
suit in many more babies dying OF
tubercular meningitis"
DR.. Wilson said that tubercular men,
nights, which would result from the
crowding of tubercular cases in the
homes, is inevitably fatal and partic-
ularly so with infants and children.
DR.. Wilson said that the present esti-
mate for carrying on the work against
tuberculosis in the District Is of great
concern to every physician and hospital.
1t Is wholly inadequate" he declared, to
provide for the needed and proper hos
pitalization of such cases.
sl.69 Per Patient Per Day.
Should the present budget be ap-
proved, the amount per patient per day
would be approximately $1.69, although
DR.. Wilson said that So a day is gen.
sary for adequate care.
The question is considered serious
one by the Executive Committee of the
local Medical Society and one that un-
doubtedly will come up in time for con-
sideration by that body
In the meantime, DR.. Wilson said
that the increase in the infant NOR
tality rate from tuberculosis Is the prime
consideration in connection with any
substantial reduction in the appropria-
ton. With patients isolated in hos
pitalS, the danger Of babies or young
children contracting that disease from
their parents Is lessened. Under reverse
conditions, the crowding Of tubercular
infected homes will result inevitably in
an increase in the cases that will re-
quire medical treatment.
Later Costs Heavier.
Further reduction of appropriations
for hospital care will involve not only
increased expenditure of funds eventu-
ally to care for increased spread Of
the disease, but also will result in in
creased suffering and deaths, 1t was
declared today by Mrs. Ernest r. Grant,
chairman OF the Tuberculous Children's
Sanatorium Committee.
1T must be apparent to any person
in possession of the facts that the econ
omy bill in so far as it results in fewer
hospital beds for tuberculosis patients" !"
said Mrs Grant, "is false economy. It
Is the recognized standard throughout
the country that the number of tuber-
culosis deaths measures approximately
the minimum number of hospital beds
that should be available for the proper
care and segregation of persons suf-
1erlng with this communicable disease.
Our Health Department records tell us
that. in the last year no less than 500
deaths from tuberculosis were officially
recorded. That death rate would in
dlcate the need of approximately 600
hospital beds for the tuberculosis per-
sons. Instead of that we have only
200 such beds.
Instead of this false economy. which
must result In the greater spread of
tuberculosis in our city, it would be far
better. In my opinion, for Congress i'm
mediately to provide for the erection of
an adult tuberculosis hospital on a por-
tion OF the 2l6 acres of land now belong
ing to the District government on the
De1ense Highway in Maryland, where
the Chlldren's tuberculosis Sanatorium
ALREADY Is nearly completed"
Immediate Solution.
The immediate solution of this prob
lem would be to open wards in general
hospitals for the treatment of tuberculous
patients. Some 200 general and teaching
hospitals in various parts Of the United
States have already seen the value of
tnls procedure, not only for the care and
treatment OF the tuberculous cases, but
Tor its educational value for nurses,
medical students and visitors to these
general hospitals"
The proposed reduction Of appropria-
tions for local tuberculosis treatment also
was denounced by DR.. A. Barklie Coulter.
chairman of the tuberculosis Committee
OF the Columbia Medical Society in a
letter to Representative James P. Bu-
chanan
DR.. Coulter declared that mo money
is ever saved by cutting public health
appropriations. Nothing is saved by
curtailing the battle against disease,
he pointed out.
This present estimate for carrying
on work in the District which is even
now bordering on public scandals" DR..
Coulter said, ''is matter of deep con-
Germ to practicing physicians in Wash
lngton. Should this present budget be
approved, the amount per patient per
day would be approximately $169, al
though So per day for each patient is
recommended by all authorities. The
District, in Its appropriations, has never
even attempted to make adequate pro-
Vision for its tubercular patients"
DR.. Coulter referred to a statement
by former Senator Bingham that "the
District institutions for handling tuber-
cuiosis are disgrace to the District. {"