Evening star., 1934-04-04
tuberculosis Inquiry Report
Health Department Is Severely Condemned for
Inactivity in Findings of D. c. Medical
Society's Subcommittee.

city IN tn1S country ana SnOuIQ nave
one of the lowest death rates. Our
rate is higher even than that Of Bal
timore, where congestion and the
economic situation are notoriously un-
favorable.
The organized facilities for ham
ding tuberculosis include the Tuber-
culosis Hospital at Thirteenth and
Upshur streets, the tuberculosis Clinic
at 301 c street northwest, the very
recently opened makeshift tubercu-
losis wards at the Gallinger Municipal
Hospital, and for the future, but not
in operation now, the tuberculosis
Sanatorium for Children on the De-
fense Highway.
The hospital, the Gallinger wards
and the sanatorium are under the
control Of the Board Of Public We'll
fare; the tuberculosis Clinic Is under
the direction of the Health Depart
ment OF the District of Columbia. We
should add to these the District of
Columbia tuberculosis Association,
lay organization, a unit Of the Ma
tional tuberculosis Association, well
known here for its sale of Christmas
seals. This organization has. in our
judgment been responsible for more
useful anti-tuberculosis activities than
any other agency here. There is
small nursing service run by the In
structive Visiting Nurse Society.
Tuberculosis Hospital.
The tuberculosis Hospital at Thir-
teenth and Upshur streets was built
in 1908 to accommodate l20 patients
and is now housing 220. Of whom
fully rs per cent are in the late
stages of the disease. This institution
is run under the supervision Of the
Board Of Public Welfare by a medical
superintendent with a STAFF Of one
resident. one assistant resident, one
intern and 18 graduate nurses.
The hospital is kept constantly
crowded far beyond capacity, SO that
all the porches which were built for
recreation are filled with beds.
The wards were built to contain 20
patients and are now containing. with
the porch at the end which is crowd
ed with beds, 80 patients. so that the
beds are not more than feet apart.
There are no out-of-door porches or
roof space available. Until one month
ago the X-ray equipment, with the
exception of a modern Horoscope.
was old-fashioned and inadequate and
only fiat plates were taken.
Few Cases Arrested.
In 1888 there were Az cases treat
ed, 228 cases discharged, 108 deaths.
81 improved. "a unimproved, S ar
rested Approximately 2 per cent Of
discharges. or approximately per
cent Of cases treated.
This extremely small number OF
arrested cases shows that the hospital
Is not doing the work of a sanatorium,
but is taking care almost entirely Of
advanced, hopeless cases. When We
compare these results with other
communities it brings home to us
even more clearly our shortcomings.
For instance. Rhode Island State
Sanatorium with 295 patients dis
charged had 60 arrested cases and "a
quiescent cases, and this Is a fair
general average for State sanatoria
Trudeau Sanatorium at Saranac Lake
had IS arrested and 143 quiescent
cases among 385 patients discharged.
We recognize that the institution
is handicapped by limitation Of its
personnel, supplies, etc., but It is
clear that 1t IS not at present serving
as much more than q receiving ward
for terminally i'll patients where they
may get some nursing and medical
care to make their last days easier.
and that 1t can hardly be called
"a place for the healing Of the
sick" -
It is obviously impossible to do
more than the simplest routine work
for the number Of i'll patients con-
tanned in this hospital with the pres
ent staff. We believe it is true that
those Of the profession who are &C.
quainted with the conditions at the
tuberculosis Hospital hesitate con-
siderably, except In obviously hopeless
cases, to advise patients to enter.
There could be no stronger indictment
Of an institution than this.
Gallinger Hospital.
At Gallinger Municipal Hospital.
until October, 1888, cases of tuber-
culosis of whatever grade were
handled in the open medical wards
with no isolation from other patients,
and the tuberculosis population Of
the hospital averaged around 80 per.
sons, male, female and children, the
majority Of them, estimated at 65
per cent approximately. in an ad-
vanced stage Of the disease.
In the past three months, due to
the energy and initiative Of DR.. e. A.
Bocock, the superintendent, and the
aid Of the Board of Public Welfare,
this situation has been distinctly
modified for the better, although it is
still far from ideal.
Most Of the patients are bed pa.
tients IN acute or late stages of tuber-
| culosis. Our impression Is that they
get reasonably adequate care, and that
there Is no doubt that this is a
marked improvement over the previous
situation. There Is also a porch for
each floor accommodating three,
| which can only be used in good
weather, for day use, not for living.
Children's Ward.
The chi1dren's ward has a capacity
OF is. colored and white, and
was filled at the time we inspected 1t.
Accommodations there seemed un-
crowded and facilities rather salts
factory.
The Children's tuberculosis Sana.
torium, completed within the last two
months, is 16 miles from Washington
on the Defense Highway. It is in q
good location, on high ground. we'll
back from the highway, and the build
ing Is well constructed and modern,
although on account Of economy some
important features, notably prepara-