Detroit tribune. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1933-1933, 1933-10-21
BY Lyman Il. BurrIs
Bethesda Hospital Accountant

Detroit's five Negro-owned hos
pitfalls are creditably continuing
= their humanitarian work in spite
[ OF the many silly and groundlesi
, criticisms that are being hurled a
= them from pulpit and press by un-
| informed. publicity-seeking, self
appointed race leaders.
The latest attack on the social
Cd segregated hospitals was
launched a few weeks ago by Snow
r. Grigsby. local postal employe,
and AN official In the Detroit
} branch OF the y. A. A. G. i.
Speaking from the pulpit OF st
Johns, Detroit's segregated branch
Of the Presbyterian Church. Grigs
by laid down a veritable barragc
reciting a mass OF figures which he
took from the fiscal reports of the
Board OF Education, Board OF
Wayne County Auditors, Depart
ment of Health. Police Department
and Fire Department. the speaker
actually proved beyond the shadow
Of a possible doubt the astounding
and heretofore unknown fact that
Negroes do not have anything like
the share OF jobs TO which their
proportion of the city's population
entities them in these departments.
Furthermore. by employing log
arithms and certain principles OF
calculus. this learned genius OF
figures was successful i'm determin
ing tho exact proportion of the
annual payrolls OF these depart
inents which we should be receiv-
ing.
The Department OF Public Wei
fare was not mentioned, obviousl,
for reason well known In Detroit
Having pounded the pulpit Il
emphasize the above conclusions
the speaker began hurting bitter
accusations at the Department OF
Health and the Negro Hospitals
the only city department In which
we do have anything approNlmat
INK our pro rata share OF employ
ment. What trayesty OF reason
ing,
The five Negro hospitals are Civ
ing employment TO Well over a
hundred persons, including ply
sicians nurses. nurses aids, tech
nicians, cooks, Mattresses and ord
erlies. In all Of the fourteen other
hospitals which care for patients
for the Department OF Health, in
Guiding Receiving Hospital and
Herman kiefcr Hospital. there
arc less than five Negro employees
Grigsby says that tuberculosis Il
over emphasized in Detroit liz
evidently does not know that while
{ Negroes constitute less than pc
: cent Of the total population OF thi
city. we contribute 33 10 per cen
OF It's tuberculosis deaths annually
, Grigsby charges that "all I'll,
Negro hospitals in this city starte'
!, in dwelling houses ami all OF then
= pitalization. They were all starte
- In former dwelling houses, but tn
White House Is dwelling hous
and IL could easily be converted In
" to wonderful hospital. Several q
F. the fourteen white hospitals in De
troit which house city patient
n were also former dwelling houses
?. Tho Department of Health an
= tho Department Of Safety Engi
y neering are convinced that all tn
Negro hospitals are up TO tn
y standard for they are all operate
Il under the supervision OF these dc
r partments. The American Medicu
j Association, after having made a
L III pection OF Bcthesada Hospita
S largest OF Detroit Negro Hospitals
Il has expressed It's intention of re-
3 cognizing this institution. The as
q ISOLATION will undoubtedly recog
i nizc the other institutions II the
make application for the recogni
Y ton.
II For several years prior to 1913
INDECENT Negro tuberculars wer
!. being cared for in the Adams Hos
!, pital on East Adams avenue an
4 in the SHEPHERD Hospital In High
/. land rark. In 1890 both of thcs
Il hospitals were ordered closed b
y health authorities. Having bee
y owned and operated by white ply
I; sicians, no word of criticism o
4 protest was ever heard from an
y OF our people.
\ In that same year Fairviow San
\ atarium, oldest OF the Negro hospi
Il tails. was opened, and the Depart
H ment of Health sent all the pa
Il TENTS from the two closed whit
i hospitals to Fairyiew. Althoug
ia Fairvisw Sanstarium IL housed !